White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller brought a one-two combo to his old Senate stomping grounds on Thursday, according to Senate aides.
Why it matters: With the market melting down, the White House wants to stay on offense on judges and ensure the GOP presents a united front on tariffs.
- Miller is essentially calling for more cavalry for President Trump’s attacks on the judiciary, which has blocked some of the president’s boldest, and most controversial, moves.
- At the same time, he wants the Senate to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts while also defending Trump’s tariff-happy finger.
Between the lines: Expect an additional $6 trillion in tariff revenue over the next decade, Miller told GOP chiefs of staff on Thursday.
- That number was also offered by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on “Fox News Sunday,” and assumes the tariffs will be permanent.
Miller is enormously influential in the West Wing, but the former Senate staffer also has a feel for how to light (and put out) fires on Capitol Hill.
- He acknowledged to the group the legislative process can get bumpy and he understood their bosses were taking some heat on tariffs.
- Stocks were cratering while Miller spoke, on their way to their biggest one-day decline since March of 2020.
- But Miller told them to hold the line and trust the president.
Zoom in: He argued Trump’s plan to lift burdensome regulations, plus extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — along with another $6 trillion in new revenue from tariffs —would lead to an enduring manufacturing boom.
- Top White House officials promised senators on Monday they would show their math on how the president’s agenda would lead to 3% growth and lower deficits, we scooped.
- Today, the White House provided their official analysis, which included estimates of an additional $4.1 trillion in revenue, relative to CBO’s projection if the tax cuts expire.
- They didn’t include the potential economic impact of Trump’s aggressive tariffs.
The bottom line: Some Senate Republicans remain hopeful the tariffs will be temporary or are just a negotiating tool.
- The $6 trillion estimate, over 10 years, should destroy that optimism.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to note that Miller said $6 trillion over ten years (not $600 billion.)