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A swing-district Democrat disparaged Trump’s landmark overtime tax break despite his national firefighters union’s support, prompting his GOP opponent to accuse him of a “flip flop.”
Nazareth, Pennsylvania’s Bob Brooks — running against Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., in a toss-up seat — is the president of the commonwealth’s firefighters union, setting up an apparent discrepancy with the national council, though the Democrat’s campaign says his concerns about the cuts are more nuanced and that it is the Republican who is harming first responders on the issue.
The 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.
Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association — which is a subsidiary of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) — criticized the OBBB’s provisions during an appearance on the progressive “Meidas Touch” podcast in May.
“Donald 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’t get the benefit from anyways, but the guy wasn’t a paid fireman,” Brooks said, referring to a Stroudsburg-area first responder whom Trump introduced at a Mount Pocono rally in December.
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“I just don’t understand how they keep spewing the garbage,” added Brooks, a former Bethlehem firefighter of many years who notably served in top union roles.
The 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.
Conversely, the IAFF came out in support of Republicans’ tax policies that included the elimination of levies on qualified overtime pay.
“Firefighters and emergency medical workers shouldn’t be penalized for choosing a career in public service,” IAFF president Edward Kelly previously told the New York Post.
Kelly called the new overtime rule a “needed fix” for his 350,000 members whose jobs demand “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 of their hard-earned money,” Kelly told the paper.
Meanwhile, 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.
President Donald Trump dances at a campaign event at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta on Oct. 15, 2024. (John Bazemore/AP)
In response, a spokesperson for Brooks said the Democrat “ran 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.”
The spokesperson said Brooks does support “no tax on overtime” and “no tax on tips,” saying that instead it is Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa.; his opponent; who doesn’t understand the issue.
“Ryan Mackenzie is a life-long politician who wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if it hit him in the face,” Brooks’ spokesperson said.
A source familiar with the matter said that, despite the IAFF’s endorsement of Trump’s policy, Brooks’ comments to Meidas Touch reflect how some firefighters do not qualify for the benefit, adding that Brooks supports fixing that discrepancy.
They added that Brooks would however not actually support any effort to repeal such no-tax-on-overtime benefits.
In a statement on his website about rural Carbon County being hurt by Washington policies, Brooks said that he would “work to repeal” the OBBB to restore higher SNAP funding, which also included the overtime policy.
The source also accused Mackenzie of voting to cut funding for first responder support through Community Project Funding Grants (CFP) – a contention Mackenzie’s camp denies.
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Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Allentown, speaks at a Trump rally at Mount Airy Casino near Mount Pocono. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
The grants plan preceded Mackenzie’s 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.
“No 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,” Mackenzie said in a statement, noting that Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., supported the same CR.
“Bob Brooks is a proven conman who was found by a court to have stolen over $100,000 from his own family,” Mackenzie said in response to the attacks.
“His latest flip-flop proves once again that this fraudster is only in it for himself.”
“Instead 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.
The House Republicans’ campaign arm told Digital that voters can proverbially see the truth through the controversy.
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.” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Reilly Richardson said.
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Brooks’ website indicated the IAFF has also endorsed Brooks — who enjoys support from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Digital reached out to IAFF for comment.
