Republicans moving ahead with Trump’s ‘big’ bill of tax breaks (1 Viewer)

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Republicans moving ahead with Trump's 'big' bill of tax breaks and spending cuts amid tariff uproar

After a long wait, the Senate is launching action on President Donald Trump’s ”“big, beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending cuts.

apnews.com

More than a month after House Republicans surprised Washington by advancing their framework for Trump’s $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts, Senate Republicans voted Thursday to start working on their version. The largely party-line vote, 52-48, sets the stage for a potential Senate all-nighter Friday spilling into the weekend.

 

[LA 2 L.A.]

I don’t know if it should be a trade violation, but I’m far more worried about what China will do with big data than what Western corporations will do. China is a legit threat to the West, and the potential for misuse without legal ramifications to them is much larger. Western corporations can also do some nefarious things, but the danger is not existential.

The Western tech bros are much more of a threat to strip away our freedom and enslave us, metaphorically if not literally. They are an existential threat and they have been working hand in hand with parts of our intelligence community to spy on us and manipulate us.

It would be a lot harder for China to control us from across the Pacific than those living right here amongst us who already have a lot of ties and influence within our government and intelligence agencies.

 

[LA 2 L.A.]

It is so morally bankrupt to lower aid to families near the poverty level, while simultaneously decreasing taxes for people making 10 times the poverty level. Increasing defense is also so unnecessary, particularly when so much if the spending is on equipment that is useless for today’s adversaries. With fewer IRS agents, and the no taxes on tips loophole, there will be more fraud, so it is also mortgaging the future. The bill should be called the immoral bill. That might sell better.

$700,000 is a lot more than 10 times above the poverty level. It's about 30 times higher than the poverty level, which makes it ever more morally bankrupt.

 

[Lapaz]

The Western tech bros are much more of a threat to strip away our freedom and enslave us, metaphorically if not literally. They are an existential threat and they have been working hand in hand with parts of our intelligence community to spy on us and manipulate us.

It would be a lot harder for China to control us from across the Pacific than those living right here amongst us who already have a lot of ties and influence within our government and intelligence agencies.

Maybe the tech bros are dangerous to society, but I think China is more dangerous. They can cultivate spies, and our laws can’t touch them. All of our complaints about their intellectual property theft hasn’t stopped them. At least we have more legal recourses against the tech bros.

 

[MT15]

Maybe the tech bros are dangerous to society, but I think China is more dangerous. They can cultivate spies, and our laws can’t touch them. All of our complaints about their intellectual property theft hasn’t stopped them. At least we have more legal recourses against the tech bros.

I agree with you on China, but you should read an interview with Thiel for example, or Musk, or any number of other “tech bros”. They are billionaires, and they don’t believe in our system of government. They want it upended into something else, and they want to control it.

They’re working tirelessly at it, mostly behind the scenes. But they are making fast progress now with the GOP and Project 2025 behind them. It’s not good for any of us, and a lot closer of a threat than China. At the end of the day China seems to be a rational actor.

These people are not.

 

[LA 2 L.A.]

Maybe the tech bros are dangerous to society, but I think China is more dangerous.

I know you do. China is a threat, but they are not a bigger threat to our freedom here in the US. The tech bros right here in the US are the bigger and more immediate threat. Here's the thing, we can and should protect ourselves against both.

It seems like you think we can only protect ourselves from China. That's a not accurate. We can protect ourselves from both, and from many other threats as well.

They can cultivate spies, and our laws can’t touch them.

We can "touch" any spy caught spying on US soil. The Chinese are going to use social media to "cultivate spies." That's absurd, because it would out in the open for everyone to see. If our intelligence can't detect them using social media to "cultivate spies," then we've got serious issues. And you do know that the tech bros sell the information that get from spying on us and everyone else anyone who pays for it, including the Chinese?

The US technology oligarchs are untouchable to. We have repeatedly caught them spying on us, lying to us and manipulating us and we can't touch them because our own government protects them from us.

All of our complaints about their intellectual property theft hasn’t stopped them.

Intellectual property theft is very low on my list of threats. The companies having intellectual property stolen are still making billions in profits, so in the grand scheme of things, that's not in any way an existential threat to anyone.

I think you're forming your opinions based on theory rather than empirical reality and I think there's just a bit a xenophobia in it as well.

 

[SFIDC3]

Maybe the tech bros are dangerous to society, but I think China is more dangerous. They can cultivate spies, and our laws can’t touch them. All of our complaints about their intellectual property theft hasn’t stopped them. At least we have more legal recourses against the tech bros.

Hard disagree, the tech bros want us to be some type of oligarchy, like Trump they seem to want a Poots like white christian nationalist nation.....while I would not say China is not dangerous, I don't think they care as much about our style of government as long as we are a nation of consumers that buy their products.....

 

[Lapaz]

The tech bros were darlings of the Democratic Party until recently. I agree that they are dangerous, but Europe is dealing with their threat. Democracy can deal with their threat. Democracy has a much harder time dealing with the Chinese threat. Whether intelectual theft has crippled our companies is hardly the issue. Chinese theft has led them to nearly overtake the U.S. on many fronts. They are far more of an existential threat, because they play the long game. It may not be as seemingly immediate, but far more dangerous. As to the little xenophobia comment, that is baseless. The threat would be just as real if Russia was in their position to threaten us and to continue undermining us. The tech bros are undermining America in their own way, but our laws can be changed to handle the threat. China doesn’t care about our laws. They also don’t care about losing spies. That won’t stop them from cultivating them.

 

[Dragon]

The tech bros were darlings of the Democratic Party until recently. I agree that they are dangerous, but Europe is dealing with their threat. Democracy can deal with their threat. Democracy has a much harder time dealing with the Chinese threat. Whether intelectual theft has crippled our companies is hardly the issue. Chinese theft has led them to nearly overtake the U.S. on many fronts. They are far more of an existential threat, because they play the long game. It may not be as seemingly immediate, but far more dangerous. As to the little xenophobia comment, that is baseless. The threat would be just as real if Russia was in their position to threaten us and to continue undermining us. The tech bros are undermining America in their own way, but our laws can be changed to handle the threat. China doesn’t care about our laws. They also don’t care about losing spies. That won’t stop them from cultivating them.

The fact that Europe is dealing with threats to its citizens—through GDPR and demands for responsible moderation—is no excuse for the U.S., which is doing the opposite. Trump's push to impose extra tariffs on the EU in retaliation for its citizen-protection laws, while simultaneously trying to eliminate even basic content moderation on social media, shows just how dangerous the Tech Bros’ influence really is.

 

[MT15]

The Senate GOP has decided to just openly defy the Parliamentarian. They’re a lawless bunch of fascists.

 

[LA 2 L.A.]

The fact that Europe is dealing with threats to its citizens—through GDPR and demands for responsible moderation—is no excuse for the U.S., which is doing the opposite. Trump's push to impose extra tariffs on the EU in retaliation for its citizen-protection laws, while simultaneously trying to eliminate even basic content moderation on social media, shows just how dangerous the Tech Bros’ influence really is.

It's also proof positive that some of the American tech billionaires have taken a lot of control of our government and getting it to do their bidding. They will continue to seize more control of our government and destroy our democracy, if we let them.

Guess what is one of the ways that they are trying to get us to let them seize complete control? That's right, by telling us to focus on the big-bad-bogey-man China. We need to keep an eye on China, but not to the point that we turn a blind eye to what the American tech billionaires who are actively seizing control of our government and stripping away more of our freedoms.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

What I find frackin funny about Republican's effort to "save" money on Medicare is this provision stating that for some recipients that receive Medicare, they need to work for it. Well, I have a special needs brother that receives Medicare, he's an adult dependent of our parents and he has a job through a work program. Louisiana has cut his Medicare because his capped salary makes him ineligible to receive Medicare. Make that make sense?

 

[Lapaz]

It's also proof positive that some of the American tech billionaires have taken a lot of control of our government and getting it to do their bidding. They will continue to seize more control of our government and destroy our democracy, if we let them.

Guess what is one of the ways that they are trying to get us to let them seize complete control? That's right, by telling us to focus on the big-bad-bogey-man China. We need to keep an eye on China, but not to the point that we turn a blind eye to what the American tech billionaires who are actively seizing control of our government and stripping away more of our freedoms.

It isn’t the tech bros that are telling us to keep an eye on China. That has been going on for decades by our intel organizations. I believe them. They didn’t come around to that position since Trump. The tech bros are interested in making money and a stable place to do it. China’s interest in money is only because it gets them closer to their goal of overtaking the US. In any event, the Tech bros have brought prosperity to the US. They need to be checked with regulations, but I don’t fear them like I fear China. The AI threat is real from China. They are also advancing fast in quantum computing that will break most crypto. They are advancing in space. They are also advancing in other arenas that will position them to overtake us. The tech bros are our best defense, even if they also present a danger themselves.

 

[Lapaz]

What I find frackin funny about Republican's effort to "save" money on Medicare is this provision stating that for some recipients that receive Medicare, they need to work for it. Well, I have a special needs brother that receives Medicare, he's an adult dependent of our parents and he has a job through a work program. Louisiana has cut his Medicare because his capped salary makes him ineligible to receive Medicare. Make that make sense?

The work requirements are a problem, even if the principle is good. I know a single lady that works and is just above the poverty line, so she doesn’t qualify for SNAP, yet she goes without eating often. She doesn’t live extravagantly. She has few bills, but it is hard to live when you earn barely above minimum wage. The system is setup for people to not qualify if they work, even if the job barely allows you to survive. The benefits should be setup to reduce gradually, but the thresholds are setup to disincentivize people from working.

 

[LA 2 L.A.]

It isn’t the tech bros that are telling us to keep an eye on China.

The tech bros are definitely the ones whipping up a frenzy about Chinese apps "recruiting spies."

That has been going on for decades by our intel organizations. I believe them.

Apparently you didn't listen past them saying China. The concern that our intelligence and military analysts have had about China is all the Chinese made hardware deeply entrenched in our infrastructure. They are not as concerned about Chinese apps.

The other thing they are concerned about is the Chinese military expanding it's economic and political influence with other countries. They have been warning us that China is trying to become the dominant global super power, but they have not be warning us that China would conquer us and take our freedom away.

The biggest threats to losing our freedom are right here in the US from the tyrannical tech and other billionaires and from white Christian supremacists. China is not even close to threatening our freedom as much as those two groups are. I guess if you are a white Christian who isn't concerned about other people's freedom, then you don't see that as a threat to your freedom.

The AI threat is real from China.

The AI threat from everywhere is real and all an equal threat. Home grown AI is already being used against us.

They are also advancing fast in quantum computing that will break most crypto.

Says who and so what?

They are advancing in space.

So what? NASA, Europe and American billionaires are still ahead of them.

They are also advancing in other arenas that will position them to overtake us.

There it is. You've bought into the fear mongering about China that everything they do is nefariously intended to conquer us, while downplaying the very real and active attempt to conquer us coming from inside our own house.

Think it through. We have a tremendous nuclear arsenal that keeps us from ever being conquered by a foreign nation. The only way we can be conquered is from within by homegrown tyrants, because nukes can not be used as a deterrent against them.

The tech bros are our best defense, even if they also present a danger themselves.

You're sprinting right into the trap the "tech bros" have set for us. They stoke your fear then tell you they are your best protection, but it will come at the cost of you surrendering a little bit of your freedom, then a just a little bit more freedom, almost there just a little bit more, and then we wake up to find we have no more freedom.

It's what tyrants always do and I know you know enough about history to know that's what they always do, so I'm surprised you don't recognize it for what it is.

 

[LA 2 L.A.]

I hope that the Senate Democrats follow through on making the Republicans read the entire bill on the Senate floor. C-Span will have a video record of every word in the bill for everyone to see and hear for themselves.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/schumer-said-democrats-will-force-reading-940-page-megabill-senate-floor-2025-06-28/

 

[LA 2 L.A.]

I suspected Musk's silence regarding Trump was just him picking his moments. Seems he's picked this moment, because the bill doesn't give him the money he wants from the government.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/elon-musk-says-senate-bill-would-destroy-jobs-harm-us-2025-06-28/

"The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!" Musk wrote in a post on X.

"It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future."

 

[MT15]

 

[MT15]

Posted 2 minutes ago. As I understand it, one more no from the GOP and they’re cooked.