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Legislative bills

Beltway Buzz: Republican Legislators Push Ahead With Agenda on Tax Reform and Labor Policy

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

President Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to limit the use of disparate-impact theories of liability is having a ripple effect, impacting agencies and stakeholders. Meanwhile, Republican legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means advanced a tax reform package that includes permanent provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and other measures, such as an expansion of the child tax credit. The bill also provides temporary above-the-line deductions for qualified tips and overtime premium pay.

Key Takeaways:

  • The U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means advanced a tax reform package on a party-line 26-19 vote, which includes permanent provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and other measures.
  • The bill provides temporary above-the-line deductions for qualified tips and overtime premium pay, effective for tax years 2025 through 2028.
  • The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved changes to the EEO-1 form, removing employers' option to disclose non-binary employee data, as requested by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) pursuant to President Trump's Executive Order 14168.
  • The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted to advance the nomination of Janet Dhillon to serve as the director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
  • The House Committee on Education and the Workforce's Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing entitled "Reclaiming OSHA's Mission: Ensuring Safety Without Overreach," focusing on OSHA's regulatory and enforcement agenda during the Biden administration.
  • President Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to limit the use of disparate-impact theories of liability is having a ripple effect, impacting agencies and stakeholders, with federal agencies beginning to implement the executive order.
  • The U.S. Department of Energy rescinded 47 regulations, including a direct-to-final rule entitled "Rescinding Regulations Related to Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs or Activities (General Provisions)."
  • A bipartisan group of representatives introduced the Venezuela TPS Act of 2025, which would automatically designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months.

Statistics:

  • 47 regulations were rescinded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
  • 26-19 was the vote in favor of advancing the tax reform package in the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means.
  • The tax reform package provides temporary above-the-line deductions for qualified tips and overtime premium pay, effective for tax years 2025 through 2028.
  • 10 CFR 1040.8 was rescinded in its entirety by the U.S. Department of Energy.
  • The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it would not extend the designation of Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which is set to terminate on May 20, 2025.

Sources:

  • "The Beltway Buzz"
  • "Republican Legislators Push Ahead With Agenda"
  • Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
  • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
  • U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
  • House Committee on Education and the Workforce's Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • Venezuela TPS Act of 2025

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