It has been clear for months that David Ellison is a supporter of the idea of federal film tax incentives, which has been gathering support in the Legislature. Why wouldn’t it be? As a studio head and ambitious leader of Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery joint venture, his entertainment empire will benefit from the United States offering a stackable incentive as well as individual state tax credit programs.
But on Monday, the same day California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other state regulators filed suit to block the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros., new details emerged about Ellison’s actions in support of this bill following his previous announcement of support.
Paramount Skydance CEO and chief legal officer Makan Delrahim is meeting with Republican members of the House Ways and Means Committee on a bipartisan bill Monday evening. Hollywood Reporter And he confirmed. (POLITICODaniel Miller was the first to report on the trip.) A D.C. source confirmed that the trip is one of several Ellison has taken in support of the bill.
Previously, Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Laura Friedman had been rallying support for a federal tax stimulus bill, though President Donald Trump’s animosity with Schiff was largely viewed in the industry as a liability. While it was not clear Monday night which lawmakers would carry the bill Ellison is pushing for, a separate source indicated that Friedman and Schiff were still involved.
While it is not surprising that Ellison would support this initiative, his participation could be useful in convincing Trump to consider the idea. Since proposing a “100% tariff” on films produced in other countries several times in 2025, the president has remained largely silent on the subject of domestic film and television production. However, he appears to still be interested in domestic entertainment production, having met in May with one of his “special ambassadors” in Hollywood, actor Jon Voight and his team of Steven Paul and Scott Carroll, about the idea of federal film incentives.
Trump remained cordial with David and his father, Larry Ellison, in June of 2025, calling David “wonderful” and saying he would “do a great job” running Paramount-Warner Bros. Shared Discovery. On June 12, the Justice Department signed off on the proposed deal, though a lawsuit filed Monday by 12 state attorneys general has stymied Ellison’s plans.
