Staff Reports
Spencer Pratt — yes, that Spencer Pratt — recently posted a photo from the Oval Office and confirmed a private meeting with President Donald Trump. According to the New York Post, Pratt urged the president to back a federal film‑production tax credit (the Post even reported a 25% figure). That one meeting is the latest flare in a larger, well‑funded push by Hollywood players to get Washington to subsidize movie and TV making across the country.
A surprise Oval Office pitch
Put bluntly: a reality‑TV hanger‑on pitching a huge federal tax giveaway is a strange lobbyist lineup. Still, Pratt’s visit fits into a clear pattern. High‑profile figures like the president’s “special ambassadors to Hollywood,” Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone, plus studios and unions, have been pressing for a national production credit for months. The 25% number comes from the New York Post and hasn’t been independently verified by other outlets, but the broader lobbying effort is real and serious.
Why a federal film tax credit would likely fail
Before anyone signs a blank check, look at the facts. State film credits — the model Hollywood wants to scale up — often cost more than they return. Audits, most notably of Georgia’s big program, show these credits can be revenue‑negative when you count what the state gives up. Economists call this the “but‑for” problem: many projects would have filmed in the U.S. anyway, so taxpayers end up subsidizing profits, not creating lasting local industries. Add stackable state incentives, complex rules, audits, and billions in potential payouts, and you have a policy ripe for waste and gaming.
Politics, optics and the wrong kind of bailout
There’s also the politics. Hollywood routinely pillories conservative voters and applauds policies that undermine traditional values. Why should taxpayers who disagree with that worldview subsidize the very people who attack them? Beyond principle, the practical politics of a federal credit are ugly: states will race to top up the federal offer, driving subsidies higher without guaranteeing long‑term jobs or real industry anchors. If President Donald Trump is tempted by flashy pitches from celebrity surrogates, he should at least insist on ironclad guardrails — or simply say no.
Real solutions, not headline‑grabbing handouts
If Washington wants to help American filmmaking, there are smarter ways that don’t involve blanket giveaways. Encourage targeted labor credits that reward real U.S. hiring, require clawbacks and performance metrics, ban stackability with state subsidies, and set strict caps and sunsets. Even better: pressure states — and California in particular — to fix the root problems that drive production abroad: high taxes, tangled regulation, and public‑safety issues. Don’t let a celebrity photo op become a federal boondoggle. Taxpayers deserve reforms, not rescue packages for an industry that can lobby but won’t reform itself.
