President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his proposed federal incentives for the entertainment industry are drawing bipartisan interest in Congress, one day after meeting with actor Jon Voight about declining domestic film and television production.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump is urging Congress to create federal tax incentives aimed at expanding film, television and entertainment production in the United States, saying Tuesday that the proposal has received what he described as a strong bipartisan response.
“Great bipartisan response and support in Congress for the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act. We will bring this once great industry BACK TO AMERICA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president’s comments followed a Monday meeting with actor Jon Voight focused on the condition of the U.S. entertainment industry and the movement of film and television production outside the country.
Trump indicated that Voight had proposed the idea of a federal production incentive as a way to encourage studios and producers to keep more projects and entertainment jobs in the United States.
Trump said discussions are being organized with congressional leaders from both parties in an effort to advance legislation.
“Meetings are being set up with the Leaders of both Parties in order to get this done. It should be Bipartisan, especially since so much money is being lost in California, and other largely Blue States,” Trump said Monday. “I am going to suggest that Republicans and Democrats get together, and immediately craft Legislation to save the Movie, Television, and Entertainment Business in America. Congress should approve, immediately, a Federal Production Incentive to create Entertainment Jobs in America.”
Trump has framed the proposal as both an economic and employment initiative, arguing that the United States is losing entertainment production and the jobs associated with it.
The plan would establish a federal incentive intended to make domestic film and television production more financially competitive, although specific details concerning the size, structure or eligibility requirements of the proposed tax benefit were not included in Trump’s statements.
California would likely be a major focus of the initiative because of Hollywood’s historic importance to the state’s economy and the movement of some productions to other states and countries offering lower costs or more generous incentives.
Trump specifically noted that California and other predominantly Democratic states are losing money as production shifts elsewhere, presenting the issue as one that should attract support from both political parties.
His Tuesday statement referred to the proposal as the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, although the president did not identify lawmakers sponsoring the legislation or provide a timetable for its introduction.
Trump’s claim of a “great bipartisan response” also did not include specific congressional endorsements in the information provided.
The White House effort nevertheless signals that the administration intends to pursue federal policy, rather than relying solely on state-level incentives, to encourage entertainment companies to produce more movies and television programs domestically.
The proposal would mark a broader federal role in an industry where production incentives have traditionally been offered by individual states competing for studios, crews and related economic activity.
Trump said he wants congressional leaders from both parties to move quickly on legislation designed to increase entertainment employment and reverse the movement of production away from the United States.
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