A swing-district Democrat disparaged Trump\u2019s landmark overtime tax break despite his national firefighters union\u2019s support, prompting his GOP opponent to accuse him of a \u201cflip flop.\u201d
\nNazareth, Pennsylvania\u2019s Bob Brooks \u2014 running against Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., in a toss-up seat \u2014 is the president of the commonwealth\u2019s firefighters union, setting up an apparent discrepancy with the national council, though the Democrat\u2019s campaign says his concerns about the cuts are more nuanced and that it is the Republican who is harming first responders on the issue.
\nThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) provides a maximum annual deduction of $12,500 on qualified overtime compensation, phasing out after $150,000 of gross income or $300,000 for joint filers, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
\nBrooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association \u2014 which is a subsidiary of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) \u2014 criticized the OBBB\u2019s provisions during an appearance on the progressive \u201cMeidas Touch\u201d podcast in May.
\n\u201cDonald Trump just did it here [in Pennsylvania]. He was up at the [Mount Airy] casino. But literally, he brought a guy up on stage and claimed he was a fireman and profiting from the no-tax-on-overtime, which 90 percent of our guys didn\u2019t get the benefit from anyways, but the guy wasn\u2019t a paid fireman,\u201d Brooks said, referring to a Stroudsburg-area first responder whom Trump introduced at a Mount Pocono rally in December.
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\u201cI just don\u2019t understand how they keep spewing the garbage,\u201d added Brooks, a former Bethlehem firefighter of many years who notably served in top union roles.
\nThe man Trump introduced was indeed a volunteer firefighter but also a paid police officer in Monroe County who would therefore qualify for the no tax on overtime provision in his other first responder role.
\nConversely, the IAFF came out in support of Republicans\u2019 tax policies that included the elimination of levies on qualified overtime pay.
\n\u201cFirefighters and emergency medical workers shouldn\u2019t be penalized for choosing a career in public service,\u201d IAFF president Edward Kelly previously told the New York Post.
\nKelly called the new overtime rule a \u201cneeded fix\u201d for his 350,000 members whose jobs demand \u201clong hours.\u201d
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\n\u201cPresident Trump respects the contributions lAFF members make to our country and recognizes the importance of ensuring these brave men and women can keep more of their hard-earned money,\u201d Kelly told the paper.
\nMeanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police also wrote an April letter to Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, expressing support for House legislation ending taxes on overtime, noting it positively affects law enforcement officers nationwide.<\/p>\n
In response, a spokesperson for Brooks said the Democrat \u201cran into burning buildings for 20 years [and] knows what hard work is, and he knows that first responders deserve to keep more of their hard-earned money.\u201d
\nThe spokesperson said Brooks does support \u201cno tax on overtime\u201d and \u201cno tax on tips,\u201d saying that instead it is Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa.; his opponent; who doesn\u2019t understand the issue.
\n\u201cRyan Mackenzie is a life-long politician who wouldn\u2019t know a hard day\u2019s work if it hit him in the face,\u201d Brooks\u2019 spokesperson said.
\nA source familiar with the matter said that, despite the IAFF\u2019s endorsement of Trump\u2019s policy, Brooks\u2019 comments to Meidas Touch reflect how some firefighters do not qualify for the benefit, adding that Brooks supports fixing that discrepancy.
\nThey added that Brooks would however not actually support any effort to repeal such no-tax-on-overtime benefits.
\nIn a statement on his website about rural Carbon County being hurt by Washington policies, Brooks said that he would \u201cwork to repeal\u201d the OBBB to restore higher SNAP funding, which also included the overtime policy.
\nThe source also accused Mackenzie of voting to cut funding for first responder support through Community Project Funding Grants (CFP) \u2013 a contention Mackenzie\u2019s camp denies.
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The grants plan preceded Mackenzie\u2019s entering office in 2025, and there was later bipartisan agreement to forgo the spending bill that included the grants in favor of a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded rather than adopt a new framework. The Republican voted in favor of it along with several Democrats.
\n\u201cNo CPF funding was allocated in FY 2025 as a result of the decision by congressional leaders on both sides to support a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution,\u201d Mackenzie said in a statement, noting that Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., supported the same CR.
\n\u201cBob Brooks is a proven conman who was found\u00a0by a court to have stolen over $100,000 from his own family,\u201d Mackenzie said in response to the attacks.
\n\u201cHis latest flip-flop proves once again that this fraudster is only in it for himself.\u201d
\n\u201cInstead of standing with firefighters and the over 29 million Americans who saw record refunds from tax relief on overtime, Bob Brooks supported repealing these tax cuts and advocating for massive tax increases on everyone. Now he is now trying to trick voters by changing his unpopular position and thinking no one will notice.
\nThe House Republicans\u2019 campaign arm told Fox News Digital that voters can proverbially see the truth through the controversy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBernie Bro Bob Brooks\u2019 radical high-tax agenda would devastate working-class Pennsylvanians. Voters know Brooks wants them to keep less of their hard-earned money.\u201d National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Reilly Richardson said.
\nBrooks\u2019 website indicated the IAFF has also endorsed Brooks \u2014 who enjoys support from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
\nFox News Digital reached out to IAFF for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"