President Trump told White House officials that they should use the Republican-backed tax plan to punish the NFL, according to a report from The Washington Post.
Aides reportedly began looking into how to punish the league, and those ideas spread to Capitol Hill.
White House and Capitol Hill aides told the Post about the remarks.
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A White House official told the publication that the president was venting when he made the remarks and that the ideas were never put into action.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
The report comes after Trump on Monday disinvited the Philadelphia Eagles from the White House, citing protests during the national anthem last season.
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country,” Trump said in a statement late Monday.
“The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better,” he continued.
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at NFL players who take a knee during the national anthem at games as a mean to protest social and racial injustices in the U.S.