*By Justin Chermol*
According to House Ways and Means Committee Member Judy Chu, the GOP "made false claims" about the tax bill that passed in December of 2017 and is taking effect this tax season.
"They said things like the American public would get on the average a $4,000 per person increase. Well, that is certainly not the case. There are many Americans that will not have enough, and will actually pay more in taxes than what they originally thought," Chu, a California Democrat, told Cheddar.
As the first tax season impacted by the reform legislation got underway, many Americans were surprised by receiving smaller refunds than expected ーor by getting tax bills. In many cases, the difference was due to a change in IRS withholding tables that left more money in people's paychecks while shrinking the size of their refunds. In other cases, the actual tax bill increased due to changes to the law like a new cap on property and local income tax deductions.
Chu blames the confusion on the rushedー and secretive ー nature of the legislation.
"I think that the tax bill was done haphazardly, in the dead of night. In fact, it was done in 51 days, there were virtually no hearings on this, and people didn't have a chance to even really look at it before it was passed by Republicans," she said. "So as a result, it was not planned for properly."
In response, the #GOPTaxScam hashtag has resurfaced on social media platforms in recent weeks.
Chu said she is also hearing that outrage directly from constituents.
"I've had letters from my constituents saying that they have to pay $3,000 more on their taxes ー something that really upsets them and really hurts their budget," Chu told Cheddar.
Now that Democrats have gained control of the House, Chu said there are plans to revisit the legislation.
"We want to have hearings right away about the true impact of tax law," she said.
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
