Sen. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who led the first impeachment effort against Donald Trump, now says he is "in strong agreement with the President" on a federal tax incentive to stop Hollywood's accelerating job losses.
The unlikely alignment surfaced after Trump posted on Truth Social calling on Congress to act fast. The president had just met with actor Jon Voight, who serves as U.S. special ambassador to Hollywood, and came away pressing Republican and Democratic leaders alike to draft legislation that would create a federal production incentive for the American film and television industry. Fox News reported that Schiff responded on X with a full-throated endorsement of the same goal, a striking turn from a senator who has maintained fierce opposition to Trump since he retook office.
The numbers behind the push are stark. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the Hollywood industry has lost 49,000 jobs since 2022, a collapse driven by the COVID-19 pandemic's lingering damage and the burst of the streaming bubble. For more than a century, Southern California was the undisputed capital of American entertainment. Today, productions are leaving, not just for Georgia and New York, but for Canada and the United Kingdom, where governments offer generous tax breaks that undercut anything California currently provides.
Trump did not hold back. He characterized the state of the entertainment industry as a "complete and total disaster" and pointed directly at the lack of incentives keeping productions on American soil.
On Truth Social, the president laid out his position plainly:
"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."
He went further, citing Voight and others in the industry by name as advocates for the approach. "There is no incentive to be there, and it is hurting California very badly," Trump wrote, adding that federal tax incentives could "Make our Movie and Television Production Business GREAT AGAIN, perhaps GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE!"
The proposal fits a pattern. Trump has consistently looked for ways to bring jobs and economic activity back inside American borders, whether in manufacturing, energy, or, now, entertainment. His willingness to champion an industry that has spent years openly hostile to him says something about where his priorities sit. While Hollywood celebrities have made anti-Trump commentary a staple of late-night television and awards shows, the president is focused on the workers behind the cameras who are losing paychecks.
Schiff's response was not hedged. The senator who once led the charge to remove Trump from office posted on X that he wanted bipartisan action, immediately.
"I am in strong agreement with the President. Congress should immediately take up and pass a federal film tax incentive to bring back these good-paying jobs that we've lost to other countries."
He followed up: "Let's work together, Republicans and Democrats, to get this done, and bring the movie magic back to America." For a senator who has built much of his national profile on opposing Trump at every turn, the public alignment is notable. It was not long ago that Schiff accused the administration of misusing taxpayer funds for a Trump-associated event, a charge that fell apart when private funding was confirmed.
Whether Schiff's endorsement represents a genuine legislative commitment or a political calculation to protect California jobs remains an open question. But the words themselves, "strong agreement with the President", are hard to walk back.
Part of what makes the federal push urgent is that California's own attempt to compete fell short. The state Legislature moved to more than double California's Film and Television Tax Credit Program to $750 million, a significant expansion designed to keep productions from fleeing to rival states and foreign countries.
But Gov. Gavin Newsom installed a $5 million state corporate tax credit cap covering the next three years. Fox News reported that the cap effectively undercut the Legislature's expansion. The result: California's elected lawmakers tried to throw the industry a lifeline, and their own governor limited its reach.
Meanwhile, competitors are spending aggressively. Georgia now allocates more than $1 billion in tax breaks for film and television productions. New York offers roughly $800 million. Canada and the United Kingdom have their own generous programs. Against that kind of competition, California's capped incentives look inadequate, and productions keep leaving.
The 49,000 jobs lost since 2022 are not abstract. They are camera operators, set builders, electricians, caterers, drivers, and editors, working people whose livelihoods depend on productions staying in the country. When a film shoots in London or Toronto instead of Los Angeles, those paychecks go overseas. That is the reality Trump and, now, Schiff are both acknowledging.
Even with bipartisan interest, the legislative calendar presents a challenge. Fox News noted that Congress faces a truncated schedule, with September compressed, October largely consumed by midterm campaigning, and November launching a lame duck session. If lawmakers do not move quickly, the proposal could stall, leaving the industry to bleed jobs for another cycle while competitors abroad keep spending.
No formal legislation for a federal film production incentive has been publicly introduced, based on available reporting. Trump urged congressional leaders to "craft Legislation to save the Movie, Television, and Entertainment Business in America," but the specifics, structure, eligibility, dollar amounts, remain undefined. Schiff called for Congress to "immediately take up and pass" an incentive, though it is unclear whether he plans to introduce a bill himself.
Jon Voight, for his part, has been working the issue from inside the administration. As U.S. special ambassador to Hollywood, Voight met with Trump before the president's Truth Social post. Trump credited Voight and others in the industry for pushing the tax-incentive approach. The specifics of that meeting, when it occurred, who else attended, what was discussed, have not been disclosed. Trump has also used public events to stay visible, including waving the green flag at the Freedom 250 IndyCar race in Washington.
The broader dynamic is worth watching. Hollywood has spent years treating Trump as a villain. Celebrities have lined up to mock him on talk shows and at fundraisers. Some entertainers have dared their own fans to walk away after taking public shots at the president. And yet, when the jobs disappear and the tax incentives dry up, it is Trump offering a way forward, and a Democrat who tried to impeach him agreeing out loud.
That tells you everything about where the real leverage sits. When an industry loses 49,000 jobs, ideology takes a back seat to survival, and the people who built their careers opposing this president are now asking him for help.
