Tax Reform

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, now on one final matter, for more than 20 years, Hope House in Spokane, WA, has offered vulnerable women refuge from the streets and a safe place to sleep. Unfortunately, the need is great. Even after stacking bunk beds in every available inch, the shelter reaches capacity every single night. Last year, more than 2,000 women had to be turned away.

But there is good news this morning. Premera Blue Cross, a major health insurer in the Pacific Northwest, announced that it will make a $1 million contribution to the organization that operates Hope House. The gift will jump-start the nonprofit's plan to build a brand-new shelter with 120 beds--triple the current capacity.

Across the State, in Everett, WA, another organization called Cocoon House serves at-risk and homeless youth. They are also receiving a donation of $1.6 million to finish funding a brand-new youth center.

What has made all of this possible? Well, that would be tax reform. Premera's president and CEO explained that America's new 21st century Tax Code is allowing his company to devote major new resources to help investment and philanthropy.

The women of Hope House and the children of Cocoon House are not alone. There are stories like this all over our country. Just how many Americans' lives will be changed for the better by tax reform when all is said and done?

There are the big donations to countless nonprofits such as these serving homeless women and children, higher take-home pay for American families to help them make ends meet, more investment and more job opportunities over the long term now that our Tax Code gives our job creators a fairer fight with overseas competitors, and, of course, special bonuses, raises, and new benefits for 4 million American workers and counting.

We can add Premera workers to that list, by the way. They are getting $15,000 bonuses as well. Every single Democrat voted to block these good things--every single one of these guys over here. They did all they could to stop tax reform from happening. Now that the law they opposed is unleashing so much good news, they are in a tricky spot.

My colleagues across the aisle are falling back on the same old rhetoric. They are trying to divide Americans, pitting different groups against one another. Now they are even proposing to claw back tax reform. Well, with a Republican Congress, that is not going to happen. Democrats may want to repeal tax reform; that is, repeal the bonuses, the raises, the family tax cuts, and the huge donations to life- changing organizations. They may want to repeal all of that, but Republicans set out to take money out of Washington's pocket and put it back in the pockets of the American people, who know best how to use it. We will make sure that is exactly where it stays.

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