Signaling that the priorities and values of the Midwest no longer take a back seat to those of the coastal elite, for the third time in less than eight months, this week President Trump once again visited our great state.
Last August, I joined our President in Springfield to officially kick off our push for comprehensive tax reform to reduce the tax burden on American businesses, farmers, families and workers. Three months later, I once again joined the President in St. Charles as we continued to push for historic tax reform to benefit our economy. Less than one month later the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was officially signed into law.
This week, the President returned to the heartland to meet with Missourians from all across the state who were benefiting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Dave Johnson from Mid-Am Metal Forming shared that in addition to giving out bonuses to employees, they were now hiring at all facilities across our state. Kevin Baker from Great Southern Bank shared that the bonuses they distributed were used for everything from much needed repairs to long overdue family vacations. And from College of the Ozarks, employees described how their tax cuts bonuses helped them pay medical bills and save for retirement. Dr. Jerry Davis, College of the Ozarks President, made sure to let President Trump know that unlike what Nancy Pelosi thinks, the tax cut bonuses were not just “crumbs” for folks in Missouri.
These stories are just some of the many I’ve heard about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is helping Missourians. Whether it was meeting the folks at the AT&T Call Center in Cape Girardeau who were using their new tax cut bonuses to buy a washing machine for their family or the individual at the Bank of Advance in Dexter who told me they were using their bonus to pay for their daughter’s college education expenses – these great stories are repeating themselves all across Missouri and all across the country. I started this week at Lowe’s in Rolla where I got to meet employees who received bonuses, new benefits and higher wages as a result of our tax cuts legislation. It’s incredible to watch a piece of legislation that was signed into law just a few months ago already having such a noticeable impact. More than 4 million Americans have received bonuses, wage hikes or new benefits since the passage of this relief while American employers are no longer looking abroad to locate, but are investing hundreds of millions of dollars right here in the U.S. to grow their workforce and expand operations. In addition, numerous utility companies have used the new tax law to reduce rates and bring down the cost of the monthly home heating bills their customers are paying.
Hearing these stories makes me even prouder of all the hard work and long nights we spent writing and passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I am truly honored to have played a role in putting more money in Missourians’ pockets. Over the past year as I’ve worked with President Trump and his Administration, I’ve seen how the President operates. He listens to multiple points of view, takes in all of the information, puts thought into what needs to be done and decisively takes action. But our work on tax cuts isn’t finished.
Several weeks ago, the President shared with me what he again said publically during the roundtable in St. Louis, that he is now ready to look at “phase two” of tax cuts for hard working Americans. The impact of our tax cuts legislation so far has been incredibly successful, but there is more we can do to help working families, provide greater relief to our farmers and further incentivize employers large and small to want to invest here in the U.S. We are the greatest nation on earth with the greatest workforce on earth. You will find no more disciplined, hardworking, and family oriented employee than right here in southern Missouri - I know that, and with his third visit in such a short period, our President knows that. I look forward to continuing to work with our President to reverse the policies of the previous Administration which sought to punish the American worker, rather than reward them for years of dedication and hard work.
