House advances controversial tax cut, budget plan – National & International News – WED 26Feb2025
House advances controversial tax cut, budget plan.
New registry, fingerprint requirements for undocumented migrants.
Trump, Zelensky reach mineral deal, but no security guarantees.
DR Congo: deadly “unknown” disease stalks war-torn African nation.
NATIONAL NEWS
House advances controversial tax cut, budget plan
Yesterday, the house passed a blueprint for a massive budget bill containing many of President Trump’s policy priorities. Funding priorities include defense, immigration enforcement, and oil and gas exploitation.
The bill calls for huge tax cuts, which will disproportionately benefit the wealthiest in the country. According to an analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the top 1% earning households (those making more than about $743,000 a year) would get tax cuts averaging about 61,000 a year. Households in the bottom 60% of income (about 96,000 or less a year) would fare considerably worse, with only about a $400 tax break.
Other details of the bill remain to be worked out in various committees and are not final. However, the Trump administration is seeking to cut about $2 trillion dollars from the federal budget over the next 10 years to make up (only partially) a roughly $4 trillion increase in the deficit over that period that will result from the tax cuts. The question is, where are those $2 trillion in cuts to come from?
What is likely to be cut?
With the Pentagon set to get a $100 billion increase to its budget over last year, it doesn’t seem that deficit hawks are interested in imposing austerity on our bloated military budget. Despite the administration touting savings from cutting the federal workforce, foreign aid, etc., these savings have actually been minimal.
It therefore seems most likely that the programs on the chopping block will be entitlements and social safety net programs. The blueprint calls for $880 billion in cuts to federal programs, likely to include Medicaid (which one in five Americans relies on), and SNAP, or food stamp programs.
Millions of Americans rely on these benefits, even many households with two working adults. All but one House Republican (Thomas Massie-KY) voted in favor of this framework last night, despite many of them representing districts whose constituents rely heavily on these social safety net programs.
More work still to do before March 14 budget deadline
The bill passed last night is a framework, or blueprint, setting out broad outlines for what the final budget will look like. Individual committees in the House will now debate on what to cut to achieve the savings they are tasked with finding. Once these proposals have been reconciled into a single budget bill, the House will then vote on it again.
Afterwards, it will go to the Senate where Republicans will likely try to pass the final bill through reconciliation, which requires only a simple majority vote. With only a three-seat majority in the Senate, a few votes either way could make all the difference in whether this bill passes and what it will look like when it does.
Voters may still reach out to their Congressional representatives to share their concerns or input to help shape this massive bill. Here are the links to contact:
MS-01 Rep. Trent Kelly
Sen. Roger Wicker: email and office locations/phone numbers
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith: email and office locations/phone numbers
DHS issues new registry, fingerprint requirements for all undocumented migrants
Following up on an executive order signed by President Trump last month, the Department of Homeland Security has issued new orders requiring all undocumented migrants to register with the agency. Parents and guardians must register any children under the age of 14, with information including names and home addresses. Children over the age of 14 and adults must register an undergo fingerprinting. Any undocumented migrants who fail to register could face fines or potentially prison time.
Once registered, all adults and children over the age of 14 must carry their registry papers with them and provide them upon request by any authorities. Immigration advocacy groups fear that the registry would be used to target migrants, even children, for detention and deportation.
Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Trump, Zelensky reach mineral deal, but no security guarantees
Last week saw a lot of tussling and harsh rhetoric between Washington and Kiev. While much of this took place within the context of potential ceasefire negotiations with Russia, President Trump was also unhappy that Ukraine’s President Zelensky had refused to sign a deal handing over 50% of all proceeds from exploitation of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, fossil fuels, ports, and other infrastructure.
Trump framed this deal as a US investment in Ukraine that would reimburse the US for its contribution to Ukraine’s war effort. Zelensky saw the terms as too steep, especially since they contained no solid security guarantees.
It seems the two sides have come to some sort of understanding, although the exact terms are not yet public. Reporting indicates the deal now offers US companies the right to invest in Ukraine’s mineral and fossil fuel resources. However, according to the White House, the deal does not as yet contain the security guarantees Zelensky is seeking. Zelensky is apparently planning to visit Washington DC this Friday, presumably to clarify and hammer out some of the terms with President Trump.
Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).
DR Congo: deadly “unknown” disease stalks war-torn African nation
Since January this year, over 7,000 people have been killed in conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between Congolese army and a rebel militant group known as M23. M23 is widely believed to be backed by Rwanda, which neighbors DR Congo to the east, although Rwanda has consistently denied any involvement in the conflict.
The conflict stems both from ethnic hatreds and suspicions dating back to the 1994 Rwanda genocide of the Tutsi ethnic group by Hutu militias. These days, the groups are also vying for control of valuable mineral deposits in the east of DR Congo. The conflict has not spared civilians and there have been widespread incidents where sexual violence has been used as a weapon of terror and intimidation.
Dead in 48 hours
Meanwhile across the country in the northwestern Equateur province, an unknown disease has struck remote villages. In the past 5 weeks, over 400 people have been sickened and 50 have died. Nearly half of those who have died passed within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. The cases have appeared in two villages separated by over 120 miles. It’s not clear if the two outbreaks are related or how the diseases are spreading.
According to the World Health Organization, the first known victims of this outbreak or children in the village of Boloko who ate a dead bat and died within 48 hours. Two weeks later, a larger outbreak was detected in the village of Bomate, where more than 400 people have fallen sick. Some of the patients in Bomate have been found to have malaria.
In this case, the disease being described as “unknown” does not mean it is new, but merely unidentified. Between the two outbreaks, 80% of the patients exhibit fever, chills, diarrhea, body aches. So far, Ebola and Marburg virus have been ruled out. But that still leaves common complaints in the area including hemorrhagic fever, malaria, typhoid, meningitis, and food or water poisoning.
