In Mike Johnson's district, the political mood is mixed for the GOP

House Speaker Mike Johnson's northwest Louisiana district is showing a mixed reception to the Republican tax-and-spending package he pushed through Congress, according to the Associated Press. Ahead of the November election, voters in the Shreveport-Bossier City area described benefiting from provisions like the new deduction for tipped income, even as cuts to food assistance are being felt by local residents relying on a nonprofit's daily lunch line, according to PBS NewsHour.

Johnson, who has held his seat since 2016 and calls the legislation the largest tax cut in American history, said it delivers "real money for real people" while Republicans cut "wasteful government spending." The nonpartisan Tax Foundation found Louisianans saw an average $2,900 tax deduction this year, though actual refund increases averaged only about $350 nationwide. The measure includes roughly $4 trillion in tax breaks alongside more than $1 trillion in cuts to SNAP and Medicaid through new work requirements, and it is projected to add over $3 trillion to the federal deficit over a decade.

Locally, bar worker Madison McDonald said the tipped-income deduction saved her about $3,000, and Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian C. Whittington said more than 180 deputies benefited from the overtime deduction. But rising gas and grocery prices left some, including state Rep. Dodie Horton, struggling to explain the increases to constituents. At Shreveport's Christian Service center, Calvin Ray Marshall said he lost SNAP benefits after failing to meet new 80-hour monthly work requirements, while Kenny "KeKe" Heads worried his benefits would lapse before he finds a job.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →