Family is one of the most important institutions in America. It’s where we first learn our values, our relationship with God, and the support system many people have for the rest of their lives. The foundation of many families, especially mine, is the mothers who make it all possible. This week on Mother’s Day, we take the time to celebrate moms all over the country and everything they do around the clock to support their families.
My mother is the hardest working person I’ve ever known, and she was always committed to providing for her family. When my father was injured in an accident at his auto-repair business, he was out of commission for a few months. Money was tight growing up, and we certainly couldn’t afford to turn away any business, so my mother stepped up to the plate and did all of the mechanic work with my father guiding her. She was always working to provide for our family, even taking a job in a factory so we could have health insurance. And when most people took a break on the weekends, she was in the church where my father was a preacher, helping prepare and lead the Sunday services.
Coming from a family where both parents were always working, I’ve made it my mission in Congress to help working families wherever I can. Motherhood is a full-time job around the clock with no sick days, and raising a family is the most important job a parent will ever have. With 70 percent of mothers today working outside of home and women owning 4 out of 10 businesses in America, the last thing a working mother should have to spend her limited time doing is navigating an overly-complicated federal tax code. It’s why President Trump and I simplified the tax process and cut taxes across the board, so people can spend less of their time and money on the federal government and more on their family.
The historic tax cuts President Trump and I passed into law doubled the standard deduction to give families an easier time during tax season, and we gave tax cuts to working families all across the country. While Nancy Pelosi may call it “crumbs,” the average family in Missouri saved roughly $1,400 in tax cuts last year. I worked closely with President Trump’s daughter Ivanka to double the child tax credit, which gave every family with children under 18 a raise. Now that the child tax credit is refundable and available to families of all income levels, the families who need it the most are finally benefiting. Altogether, the changes President Trump and I made to the tax code mean that a family of four making up to $55,000 now owes nothing to the federal government.
Moms have the hardest job in the world, and they certainly deserve more than just one day to celebrate everything they do. Whether you take your mother out to dinner, surprise her with flowers or a gift, or just call and tell her how much you appreciate her, I hope you take the time to thank your mother and make life a little easier for her this week. To all of the moms reading this, I hope you have a happy Mother’s Day!