Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is challenging Republican colleagues to vote for a House-passed tax bill that includes an expansion of the child tax credit and improvements in expensing provisions that are popular with farmers.
Schumer noted that House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., led negotiations on the legislation, and the Democratic leader called the bill “pro-family, pro-children, pro-growth.”
Key Senate Republicans have argued that the tax debate should be left to next year when provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire — and the GOP could be back in control of the chamber.
By the way: Republican leaders didn’t address the tax bill at their weekly news conference on Tuesday. But Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, who chairs the Republican Policy Committee, rapped the Internal Revenue Service over findings from an analysis of back taxes owed by agency employees.
Ernst said 5,800 IRS employees owe a total of $50 million in back taxes: “Why are we hiring people that won't even live by their own agency's rules?”
IRS had about 83,000 full-time equivalent positions in fiscal 2023.
CDC wants to vaccinate livestock workers against seasonal flu
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is putting $5 million toward vaccinating livestock workers across the country for seasonal flu. The move is designed to make it less likely the H5N1 virus will mutate and become more transmissible.
“Such dual infections, while rare could potentially result in an exchange of genetic material between the two different influenza viruses, seasonal and H5,” in a process known as reassortment, CDC Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah said.
In theory, he said, “Reassortment could lead to a new influenza virus that could pose a significant public health concern — a virus that has the transmissibility of seasonal influenza, and the severity of H5N1.”
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Shah said $2 million will go to pay for vaccines for the approximately 200,000 livestock workers in the U.S. The remaining $3 million will help states implement the program.
Keep in mind: In Colorado, 10 people have been infected with avian flu, most of then poultry workers. About half the state’s dairies have reported infected cows.
Head of Project 2025 steps down
The head of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has left the conservative organization after the Trump campaign — and particularly Donald Trump himself — distanced themselves from the initiative.
Paul Dans, a former Trump administration official, has resigned, but Heritage says the work to put its stamp on a future Trump administration will continue.
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Heritage didn’t respond to a request for comment, but Heritage President Kevin Roberts said in a statement on X, “Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels — federal, state, and local — will continue.”
Take note: The Trump campaign cheered the departure, perhaps wishfully thinking Project 2025 would just go away.
“President Trump’s campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the president in any way,” the statement said.
FDA issues third alert for ground cinnamon products
FDA has issued its third public health alert this year for ground cinnamon after tests showed nine brands with elevated lead levels.
No illnesses have been associated with these products, FDA says, and the levels of lead found are significantly lower than those found in WanaBana cinnamon apple puree products in 2023. Last week, FDA issued a public health alert for an additional ground cinnamon product after testing found troubling lead levels.
The brands had lead levels ranging from 2.03 to 7.01 parts per million.
Wildfire Caucus, Senate Ag members meet to discuss wildfires
Two Senate Ag Committee members on Tuesday met with members of the Senate Wildfire Caucus to discuss a series of recommendations to improve wildfire efforts that were included in a report released by the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission last year.
Senate Ag ranking member John Boozman, R-Ark. and committee Democrat Michael Bennet of Colorado both attended the meeting. Senate Wildfire Caucus chairs Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., were there as well.
The meeting also included three former members of the commission, including American Property Casualty Insurance Association CEO David Sampson, Denver Water Senior Watershed Scientist Madelene McDonald, and retired Ventura County, California, Fire Chief Bob Roper.
The Final Word: “Reports of Project 2025’s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign — it will not end well for you.” – Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles of the Trump campaign.
Rebekah Alvey, Philip Brasher and Noah Wicks contributed to today’s Daybreak.
