Can D.C. Save Hollywood? Senator Adam Schiff on Bringing Production Home.

The episode opens with stark data: Los Angeles County’s motion‑picture sector shed more than 42,000 jobs between 2022 and 2024, a loss that ripples through restaurants, florists, and countless support services. Production has been fleeing not only to other U.S. states but also overseas, with a third of American film and scripted series shot abroad in 2022, climbing to 45% last year. Senator Adam Schiff frames the crisis as a competitive tax‑incentive problem, proposing a federal credit that would sit on top of existing state credits, starting at a 15% baseline and scaling upward to match generous foreign programs like the United Kingdom’s 30‑40% rebates.

Schiff emphasizes that bipartisan momentum is finally emerging after years of partisan resistance. He notes that Republican lawmakers are watching for a clear signal from the White House, while the administration has floated tariffs as an alternative that most experts deem ineffective. By positioning the credit as a tool to preserve middle‑class, below‑the‑line jobs—carpenters, grips, wardrobe staff—Schiff hopes to broaden the coalition beyond Hollywood liberals. The proposal also mirrors successful state‑level incentives in Georgia and New Mexico, which have attracted major productions but risk losing them if federal support does not materialize.

The conversation shifts to the looming Paramount‑Warner merger, which many fear could inflate streaming subscription prices and trigger further layoffs. Schiff argues that congressional oversight and potential conditions on the deal could protect jobs and keep content costs down for consumers. He stresses that both the federal tax credit and merger scrutiny must appear on the legislative agenda, especially as cost‑of‑living concerns dominate upcoming elections. While optimism is tempered by the reality of a divided Congress, Schiff’s strategy hinges on making the economic and cultural stakes of the entertainment industry unmistakably clear to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.