PA firefighters union chief and House candidate rips Trump tax break his union backs

A swing district Democrat downplayed Trump’s landmark overtime tax cut despite support from the national firefighters union, prompting his GOP rival to accuse him of “flip-flopping.”

Bob Brooks of Nazareth, Pa. — running in a toss-up seat against Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa. — is president of the state’s firefighters union, an apparent inconsistency with the national council, but the Democrat’s campaign says his concerns about the cuts are more nuanced and that it’s the Republican who is hurting first responders on this issue.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) provides a maximum annual deduction of $12,500 on qualified overtime compensation, according to the Internal Revenue Service; It phases out after $150,000 in gross income, or $300,000 for joint filers.

Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, an affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), criticized OBBB’s provisions during an appearance on the progressive “Meidas Touch” podcast in May.

“Donald Trump did it here [in Pennsylvania]. he was there [Mount Airy] casino. But literally, he brought a guy on stage and claimed that he was a firefighter and that he was profiting from the lack of overtime tax; 90 percent of our guys didn’t get the benefit anyway, but the guy wasn’t a paid firefighter,” Brooks said, referring to the Stroudsburg-area first responder Trump promoted at the Pocono Mountain rally in December.

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“I don’t understand how they keep dumping,” added Brooks, a former firefighter who worked in Bethlehem for many years and held top positions in the union.

The man Trump introduced was actually a volunteer firefighter but was also a paid police officer in Monroe County and would therefore be eligible for the no-tax-for-overtime clause in his other first responder role.

In contrast, the IAFF emerged to support Republicans’ tax policies, which included eliminating taxes on qualified overtime wages.

IAFF president Edward Kelly previously said: “Firefighters and emergency medical workers should not be penalized for choosing careers in the public service.” New York Post.

Kelly called the new overtime rule a “needed fix” for its 350,000 members whose jobs require “long hours.”

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“President Trump respects the contributions LAFF members make to our country and recognizes the importance of ensuring these brave men and women can keep more than their hard-earned money,” Kelly told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police wrote a letter to Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, R-Y., and Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, in April, expressing support for House legislation ending overtime taxes and noting that the legislation has positively impacted law enforcement officers across the country.

In response, a spokesman for Brooks said the Democrat “faced 20 years of burning buildings” [and] “He knows what hard work is, and he knows that first responders deserve to have more of their hard-earned money kept for them.”

The spokesman said Brooks supports “no tax on overtime” and “no tax on tips” and instead supports Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa.; his rival; not understanding the subject.

“Ryan Mackenzie is a lifelong politician who wouldn’t know what a tough day he’s had if it hit him in the face,” Brooks’ spokesman said.

A source familiar with the matter said that although the IAFF supports Trump’s policy, Brooks’ comments to Meidas Touch reflect that some firefighters do not qualify for the benefit, and Brooks supports correcting that discrepancy.

But they added that Brooks would not actually support any effort to repeal such tax-free overtime benefits.

Inside a statement Brooks said on his website that rural Carbon County has been hurt by Washington’s policies and that he would “work to repeal” OBBB to restore higher SNAP funding, which includes the overtime policy.

The source also accused Mackenzie of voting to cut funding for first responder support through Community Project Funding Grants (CFP); Mackenzie’s side denies this claim.

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Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Allentown, speaks at a Trump rally at the Mount Airy Casino near Pocono Mountain. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

The grant plan comes before Mackenzie takes office in 2025, with a bipartisan agreement subsequently to abandon the spending bill that includes grants in favor of a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government rather than adopting a new framework. Republicans also voted in favor, along with many Democrats.

“No CPF funds have been appropriated in Fiscal Year 2025 as a result of the decision by congressional leaders in both parties to support a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution,” Mackenzie said in a statement, noting that Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., supported the same CR. he said.

“Bob Brooks is a proven hustler. to create “He was alleged by a court to have stolen more than $100,000 from his own family,” Mackenzie said in response to the attacks.

“His latest tumble proves once again that this fraudster is only in this for himself.”

“Instead of standing with firefighters and the more than 29 million Americans who are seeing record back pay for overtime, Bob Brooks supported repealing those tax cuts and advocating for massive tax increases for everyone. Now he’s trying to deceive voters by changing his unpopular position and thinking no one will notice.”

The campaign arm of House Republicans told Fox News Digital that voters were able to see the truth through debate.

Bob Brooks’ campaigns in Allentown, left; President Donald Trump campaigns in front of a No Tax on Overtime sign in Georgia, right. (Joe Lamberti/Getty Images; John Bazemore/Associated Press)

“Bernie Bro Bob Brooks’ radical high tax agenda would devastate working-class Pennsylvanians. Voters know Brooks wants them to keep less of their hard-earned money.” said Reilly Richardson, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

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Brooks’ website notes that the IAFF is also affiliated with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has also expressed support for Brooks, who has the backing of Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the IAFF for comment.