Bipartisan lawmakers introduced a federal tax credit for movies made in the United States, answering President Trump’s call to stop Hollywood production and jobs from fleeing overseas.
Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of House members to back the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act. The bill would create a 20 percent federal tax credit for films produced in America.
The push lines up with one of President Donald Trump’s stated priorities after he returned to the White House: saving the American movie industry and putting U.S. film jobs first. Trump appointed Hollywood veterans Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as the first Special Ambassadors to Hollywood to help drive that effort.
Washington Reporter reported the lawmakers’ move and the bill’s core design. House backers include Reps. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas; Linda Sánchez, D-Calif.; Brian Jack, R-Ga.; Laura Friedman, D-Calif.; David Kustoff, R-Tenn.; Judy Chu, D-Calif.; Mike Carey, R-Ohio; Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y.; Vince Fong, R-Calif.; and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J.
Most of those members represent states with long film and television histories. The coalition spans both coasts and both parties, a rare alignment on an industry file that has bled work abroad for years.
Trump has already urged Republicans and Democrats to craft legislation and approve a federal production incentive without delay. He framed the goal in plain terms: what Americans watch should be made in what was once the motion picture capital of the world.
"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."
Trump also said Congress should move quickly on the incentive itself.
"Congress should approve, immediately, a Federal Production Incentive to create Entertainment Jobs in America. It can be done quickly, accurately, efficiently and, importantly, will benefit ALL of America. What we watch on the Silver Screen should be made in what was once the Movie and Motion Picture Capital of the World. Let’s get this done!"
That message now has concrete legislative backup. The new bill’s sponsors say a 20 percent credit for U.S. production would reverse the outflow of work and keep more projects on American soil.
American spending on film production has fallen steadily since the coronavirus pandemic. In 2025, nearly half of the films made were filmed abroad. Even long-running American staples have followed the money overseas, including productions tied to titles like Little House on the Prairie.
Voight has pressed Congress to respond. He has described calls from industry figures who say they want to shoot in the United States but cannot make the numbers work.
"I received a call from one of the producers of one of our big blockbuster series of films, and he said to me, ‘Jon, we can’t make films in Hollywood. We can’t make films in the United States.’"
Voight also said industry stars tell him they “would like to work in the United States, but it’s not economically possible.” Those accounts match the bill’s stated purpose: stop the shedding of film jobs overseas and keep production at home.
Schiff’s presence on the bill stands out given past clashes with Trump. In earlier fights, Schiff claimed a Trump-backed D.C. race wasted taxpayer money before the funding record undercut that charge.
The same pattern showed up when an IndyCar driver corrected Schiff over cost claims tied to that event. On Hollywood jobs, though, Schiff is now aligned with the White House priority.
Backers of the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act say the credit would restore more than 145,000 jobs a year and produce $250 billion for American workers if enacted. Those figures are the sponsors’ claim for the measure’s impact, not an independent score.
The mechanism is straightforward. Productions that film in America would qualify for the 20 percent federal tax credit. The design is meant to close the gap with foreign locations that already lure projects with their own incentives.
That is the same onshoring theme that has drawn other Democrats toward Trump’s film agenda. Schiff has previously backed Trump’s push to bring film production home, and related coverage has tracked Democrats breaking ranks on Hollywood jobs.
Not every Democrat is in that camp. Separate reporting has covered lawmakers such as the Colorado Democrat who would not rule out impeaching Trump, a reminder of how sharp the partisan split remains on other fronts.
Trump’s appointments of Gibson and Voight gave the effort two recognizable industry names. Voight has used the role to relay producer complaints and urge Congress to act. The new bill gives that message a legislative vehicle with Republican and Democratic names on it.
The geographic spread matters. California members sit alongside colleagues from Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, and South Carolina. The list mixes districts that still host production with states fighting to win it back.
No bill number or full text was released in the initial account, and no introduction date was fixed in the reporting. The operative policy detail is clear: a 20 percent federal credit aimed at films produced in the United States, sold as a direct answer to runaway production.
For workers who build sets, run crews, and staff post-production, the choice is practical. Either Congress makes it viable to shoot here, or more projects keep leaving. The bipartisan group just put a concrete incentive on the table to keep that work at home.
When even deep-blue California Democrats will stand with Trump to defend American film jobs, the runaway-production problem has outrun the usual partisan script.
