GLENDALE, Calif. — In the oppressive mid-day heat outside the historic Alex Theatre, a high-powered delegation of California Democrats joined forces with entertainment union leaders on Tuesday to spearhead an urgent national campaign. Their mission is clear: build insurmountable legislative momentum to pass a sweeping federal film incentive before the end of the year, a move they argue is essential to stopping the relentless bleeding of American film and television production jobs to foreign shores.
Senator Adam Schiff, alongside eight Democratic members of the House of Representatives hailing from Southern California, delivered a stark message to the gathered crowd of industry workers, organizers, and press. The lawmakers argued forcefully that the United States government can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines while at least 65 foreign countries aggressively utilize lucrative tax credits, subsidies, and financial incentives to lure away the backbone of American entertainment infrastructure.
“We are so close to getting this done,” Senator Schiff declared, standing under a punishing 100-degree sun in Glendale. “Whatever we can do to get this done, that is job No. 1. It just can’t wait. It’s too important. The losses so far have been too extraordinary.”
The public rally marks a critical escalation in a nearly two-year legislative effort that has steadily gained traction in Washington. Last month, federal lawmakers officially introduced a comprehensive bill designed to establish a substantial 20% to 30% transferable tax credit specifically targeting domestic labor costs for qualified feature films and television series. According to updates provided by Schiff’s office, the bicameral proposal has successfully secured the backing of 12 United States senators, evenly split with six Democrats and six Republicans. Among the latest notable additions to the list of cosponsors are Sens. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, and Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, signaling a broadening base of bipartisan support that proponents hope will carry the measure across the finish line.
The legislative window of opportunity, however, is exceptionally narrow. Lawmakers and industry advocates will have roughly five weeks during the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress following the general election to push the bill through both chambers and onto the president’s desk. Representative Laura Friedman, whose office organized Tuesday’s high-profile press conference and morning briefings, expressed cautious optimism regarding the timeline, noting that the stakes could not possibly be higher for the regional and national economy.
“We need to have this on the president’s desk by mid-December, as far as I’m concerned,” Representative Friedman said in an interview following the event. She added that she deeply hopes the legislation will ultimately pass in essentially its current form, likely incorporated as a vital component of a larger, broader end-of-year tax package.
Reflecting on the grueling path the legislation has traveled, Friedman emphasized the persistent, methodical strategy behind the scenes. “This has been almost two years of constant work. It hasn’t just come together in the last few weeks. It’s been a snowball effect. It started out as this idea, and then we just kept building and building and building. So I feel like we have a great momentum.”
The proposed federal credit structure contains several specialized provisions aimed at addressing regional hardships and specific sectors of the entertainment ecosystem. Notably, the proposal includes a dedicated 5% bonus for productions that choose to film in designated disaster areas. Under the current parameters of the bill, this specific disaster bonus would apply broadly to the entirety of Los Angeles County through January 2030, offering a vital economic lifeline to a region still recovering from the devastating impact of last year’s catastrophic wildfires.
Furthermore, the bill incorporates targeted bonuses designed to protect and encourage independent filmmaking, as well as incentives for productions that set up cameras in rural opportunity zones across the country. Industry experts note that when these proposed federal credits are combined with existing state-level incentive programs offered by major production hubs like California and New York, the total effective tax credit could easily climb to 50% or more. Proponents argue this aggressive stacking capability will create a powerful fiscal deterrent against overseas poaching, easily surpassing the financial incentives currently offered by competing international territories.
Labor leaders at Tuesday’s rally underscored that the threat from abroad is both systemic and existential. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the executive director of SAG-AFTRA, delivered a blistering assessment of the global competitive landscape, pulling no punches as he described the erosion of America’s traditional dominance in entertainment production.
“It is fair to say that these other countries—they recognize the quality of these jobs—that’s why they put these measures in place,” Crabtree-Ireland said, addressing the assembled union members and media. “That’s why they are eating not only our lunch, but our breakfast and our dinner as well. And we have to change that. This is our opportunity to do it.”
The urgency driving the union coalition was further reinforced by a comprehensive industry report published on Monday. Compiled by a coalition of major entertainment labor unions, the report documents a staggering, quarter-century decline in U.S. production market share relative to global spending. According to the data, the United States’ share of global film production plummeted from 74% down to 42% over the past 25 years. In the television sector, the drop was equally stark, with the U.S. share sliding from 94% down to 64%, even as the overall volume and financial footprint of both global industries expanded considerably during the same period.
The push for federal intervention has also crossed traditional partisan lines in Washington. Back in August, President Donald Trump publicly called on Congress to “immediately” pass a federal film production incentive, bluntly declaring in a public statement that “Hollywood is a Complete and Total Disaster!”
Meanwhile, major studio representatives have urged a steady, strategic hand as the legislative process accelerates. The Motion Picture Association (MPA), which represents the major film and television studios, has consistently sought to emphasize that the federal bill is designed to provide broad economic benefits not just to traditional industry powerhouses like California and New York, but to all 50 states. At the same time, the MPA has adopted a slightly more cautious stance regarding the legislative timeline, stressing that while moving quickly is essential given the state of the industry, it is equally vital to “get this right” to ensure the long-term viability and administrative efficacy of the tax credit program.
For the hundreds of thousands of below-the-line crew members, craftspeople, actors, and writers who have weathered years of industry contraction, labor strikes, and runaway production, however, patience has entirely run out. Union leaders made it unequivocally clear on Tuesday that their members cannot afford further bureaucratic delays or extended debate.
“When this passes in this lame-duck session, it will immediately impact production in 2027,” said Mike Miller, vice president of IATSE. “And there are hundreds of thousands of entertainment industry workers that are counting on it.”
