Bernie Becker

Washington, D.C.

Reporter, Pro Tax at POLITICO

Writer at Weekly Tax Newsletter

@Morning_Tax author, @POLITICOpro. I sit in a windowless dungeon in the Capitol. My hometown has a NASCAR track.

Featured in: Favicon

politico.com Favicon

msn.com

nytimes.com Favicon

yahoo.com (+1) Favicon

thehill.com Favicon

flipboard.com Favicon

politico.eu Favicon

realclearpolitics.com Favicon

newsbreak.com Favicon

iverifyu.com + 1 more

Articles

Crunch time, or close to it, on reconciliation

1 week ago | politico.com | Bernie Becker

With help from Ari HawkinsBIG, BEAUTIFUL GRIDLOCK? House Republicans find themselves in a bit of a mess in trying to put together one large fiscal package. And they’re running out of time to clean things up in order to meet their own self-imposed deadline. Speaker Mike Johnson still wants to get a measure with tax cuts and new funding for border security, among other priorities, through the House by Memorial Day — leaving them three weeks to work through a host of hangups.
Democrats push for IG probe as Trump targets Harvard's tax status

1 week ago | politico.com | Bernie Becker
Back to the grind

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Bernie Becker

WELCOME BACK: It’s straight back into the fire for the Republican tax writers on Capitol Hill. Congress returns today from its two-week recess, and enters a crucial work period on the GOP’s large fiscal package. Republicans will be diving further into the weeds on a number of policy areas for the next four weeks, not just taxes.
The top rate question remains

3 weeks ago | politico.com | Bernie Becker

CAN YOU RUN FROM THE PAST? The question over whether Republicans might actually hike tax rates on the highest earners isn’t going anywhere. In fact, that very question clearly makes some Republicans uncomfortable, and it seems like it will hang over the 2025 tax bill proceedings until it’s resolved. Case in point: Sen.
Time to drill down

1 month ago | politico.com | Bernie Becker

CRACK THOSE KNUCKLES: For now the real fun begins in crafting a tax bill this year. Indeed, there are a lot of details for Republicans to work out on a tax package, as Pro Tax’s Benjamin Guggenheim notes this morning. For instance, how high do Republicans need to hike the $10,000 SALT cap to appease their blue-state members? Might Republicans seek to further expand the Child Tax Credit this year, which could help stave off criticisms that their tax cuts will largely benefit the better off?
DOGE fills power vacuum at IRS

1 month ago | politico.com | Sophia Cai |Bernie Becker |Ben Johansen |Irie Sentner

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. | Subscribe | | | LATEST: ELON MUSK is still kicking … for now. During today’s Cabinet meeting at the White House, President DONALD TRUMP was joined by Musk and all but four members of his Cabinet, where many took the opportunity to kiss the ring.
IRS losing third chief this year amid agency turbulence

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Bernie Becker

The acting head of the IRS, Melanie Krause, will resign soon, adding to the exodus of top leaders from the agency, according to current and former government officials. Krause has served as the acting agency commissioner for not even six weeks, in what’s become an increasingly turbulent period for the tax collector. She was the third person to hold the top job at the agency — which is facing sharp job cuts and unusual data requests from the Trump administration — this year.
IRS agrees to share tax data with immigration authorities

1 month ago | politico.com | Bernie Becker

Officials say that the controversial plan complies with strict taxpayer confidentiality laws. Negotiations over the agreement have roiled the tax agency. | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images The IRS has agreed to share confidential taxpayer data to help the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigration, according to a new court filing.
IRS agrees to share tax data with immigration authorities

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Bernie Becker

The IRS has agreed to share confidential taxpayer data to help the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented immigration, according to a new court filing. IRS and Department of Homeland Security officials have been working for weeks to hammer out an arrangement under which immigration authorities could ask the tax agency for information on undocumented immigrants, such as their home addresses.
The latest big week

1 month ago | politico.com | Bernie Becker

IT’S NEVER EASY: Senate Republicans passed a budget very early on Saturday morning, checking another box on the way to, they hope, passing a large fiscal plan that includes tax cuts, more money for border security and other pressing GOP priorities. Now, if they only were sure that budget could pass the House this week. House GOP leaders plan to twist a lot of arms to try and get that Senate budget passed as soon as Wednesday.