Thursday, November 30, 2017

Yeah, They Were For It Before They Were Against It

Democrats supported tax reform before they opposed it
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel took aim at Democrats yesterday for their opposition to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act currently making its way through Congress.
“Democrats in Congress vowing to oppose the bill should remember what they themselves once supported,” writes McDaniel in the Washington Examiner. She offers a pretty good list:
  • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said last year he favored cutting the corporate tax rate to make U.S. businesses competitive worldwide. 
  • House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was on the same page: “It is long past time for tax reform that would lower the corporate rate.”
  • Expanding the child tax credit? Former Sen. Tom Daschle and Pelosi called on President Bush to do just that in 2003. 
  • How about axing the Alternative Minimum Tax? None other than Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wanted to replace it with a simpler flat rate during his presidential run.
The bottom line? Passing any major legislation is difficult – it requires genuine compromise and sacrifice. But the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a good-faith effort to give middle- and working-class families a boost. Now, says McDaniel, Democrats “are nowhere to be found.”

Read more of McDaniel’s op-ed here.

President Trump talks taxes in Missouri
President Donald J. Trump traveled yesterday to St. Charles, Missouri, to speak about the crucial need to pass tax reform. The President emphasized the crippling effects of overtaxation on small businesses and pushed for reform that will “usher in a thrilling new era of opportunity and growth for this Nation.”
The proposed Republican plan is the most ambitious in decades: It cuts taxes for middle-income families, doubles the amount of income that’s taxed at a rate of zero, and expands the child tax credit. It also provides relief from the estate tax and sharply reduces the corporate rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. Still not enough? How about a one-time bargain rate on corporate earnings brought home that will flood trillions of dollars back into the U.S. economy.
“This is the right plan; this is the right time,” concluded President Trump. “This is good for the country, and that’s ultimately what it’s all about.”

Watch the President’s full remarks here and learn more about his goals for tax reform.

Taking action on North Korea
Yesterday President Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping following North Korea's missile launch this week. President Trump emphasized the pressing need for China to use all available levers to convince North Korea to end its provocations and return to the path of denuclearization.
Yesterday’s call follows one between President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-In on Tuesday. Both leaders underscored the grave threat that North Korea’s latest provocation poses not only to the United States and the Republic of Korea, but to the entire world. Such tests only serve to undermine North Korea’s security and deepen its diplomatic and economic isolation.

View the readouts of President Trump’s call with President Xi Jinping here and President Moon Jae-In here.

PHOTO OF THE DAY


President Donald J. Trump visits Missouri to deliver remarks on tax reform | November 29, 2017 (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

POTUS TODAY

Today, President Trump will meet with the Crown Prince of Bahrain at the White House.
Tonight, the President and First Lady Melania Trump will participate in the National Christmas Tree Lighting at the White House – carrying on a 95-year tradition with special musical performers and Christmas festivities. Watch LIVE at 5pm ET.

COMING UP

Tomorrow, President Trump will meet with the Prime Minister of Libya to discuss bilateral engagement between the two countries and reaffirm America’s support for Libya’s unity government.

No comments: