Key House lawmakers backing a federal film and television production incentive are formalizing their effort on Capitol Hill with the creation of the Congressional American Film & TV Production Caucus.
The new caucus, announced Wednesday, is being organized as supporters continue work on legislation that would establish a nationwide production credit. According to the announcement, the group will “work to revitalize, strengthen, and expand film production across the United States.”
The founding members are Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA), Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA), Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), giving the effort bipartisan representation from Georgia, California, Texas and New York.
Organizers are pointing to a sharp contraction in domestic production activity as the reason for the push. They cited the loss of more than 100,000 film and television production jobs since a 2022 peak, along with a 20% decline in production spending, while output has grown in the U.K. and Eastern Europe.
The caucus is also framing the issue as an international competitiveness problem. Supporters cited subsidies offered by foreign countries as a major lure for productions, arguing that individual states cannot compete on their own against those overseas incentives.
A tax-credit push with bipartisan backing
The formation of the caucus comes as advocates emphasize support from both parties for a federal production incentive. President Donald Trump recently announced his support for a federal incentive, and supporters are hoping that endorsement helps build momentum for congressional action when Congress returns after the midterms.
The membership of the new caucus reflects a strategic focus on the House committees that would matter to any eventual bill. Moran, Sánchez, Malliotakis and Suozzi sit on the Ways & Means Committee, which writes tax law. Jack serves on the Rules Committee, a key panel for getting legislation to the House floor.
Friedman, a former film producer, said the issue has become urgent because other countries are aggressively competing for production work.
“Film and television work is leaving this country because 65 other nations decided to compete for these hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs,” Friedman said in a statement. “A national film tax credit is how we bring that work home, and this caucus is a key step to build support for it.”
Moran also linked production activity to local economic impact, arguing that the benefits extend beyond sets and soundstages.
“Every production that sets up here ripples out, supporting the businesses around it and pumping money into local communities,” Moran said. “We need to keep that going and keep American storytelling in America.”
Supporters have not announced a timeline for introducing legislation, though it could come in the coming weeks. Friedman and Jack appeared Tuesday on a press call organized by the Motion Picture Association to discuss the urgency of establishing a production credit.
What happens next?
The next major question is when lawmakers will formally introduce the legislation tied to the caucus’s goals. For now, the group’s launch gives the federal incentive effort a visible House platform as supporters look to translate bipartisan interest into congressional action.