Welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron

Floor Speech

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell you that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is working. It is working in South Carolina's Fifth Congressional District, and it is working across the country. It is working for individuals and families who are seeing more money in their paychecks each month, and it is working for the companies that are investing the savings from tax reform into their employees.

Over the past few weeks, I have spoken with and visited the businesses of South Carolina that are putting these savings right back into the local communities. Early this month, LPL Financial announced that they will be investing these savings into their employees by increasing its 401(k) match to 75 percent and reducing the time for new hires to qualify for this match by 6 months.

As Congressman Wilson said, this personally touches 2,000 constituents in the Fifth District of South Carolina. That is 2,000 more families that now have a greater opportunity to save and see the light of a brighter future ahead.

Mr. Speaker, just today, I visited a UPS store in Gaffney, South Carolina. Because of tax reform, UPS has announced over $12 billion in investments and an increase in pension funding.

During my UPS visit, I put on a uniform and assisted a delivery driver during a ride-along. I heard directly from the hardworking employees about how this news will impact them and all of their loved ones.

I don't think I speak just for myself when I say that we want jobs to come and stay in America. We want businesses to expand and to hire people in our communities. By reducing tax rates and simplifying the Tax Code, we are allowing companies to make these investments in their employees, in their communities, and in growing their businesses.

I look forward to continued opportunities to learn, see, and talk about the success of this tax reform. We promised fairer taxes, higher wages, and more jobs. As Congressman Wilson says, we have delivered.

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his citation about UPS. I have had the same honor to put on the brown uniform to deliver packages. I found out something: the UPS employees--also FedEx, DHL, and others--are remarkable people delivering American-made products to the American people. What wonderful companies these are, and what wonderful employees they are.

Now I would like to go over some of the specific positive changes to our Tax Code that occurred under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

An average middle class family in South Carolina will save $2,311 thanks to the tax cuts.

The child tax credit was doubled. I want to give a lot of credit because the reason it was doubled was the great work of our U.S. Senator Tim Scott, working with Ivanka Trump Kushner. This was their effort to work to make this child friendly, family friendly, looking out particularly for persons who are single-parent households. The child tax credit was doubled, from $1,000 to $2,000, making it easier for single mothers and new families to provide for their children.

The bill also removed the mandate that required you to buy healthcare or pay a penalty. So now people aren't penalized by the government for not being able to afford healthcare and health insurance.

The standard deduction doubled to $24,000 for married couples filing jointly. This makes it simpler for couples to file their taxes because they will use the standard deduction and won't have to itemize their return.

Corporations that employ people create jobs. Their tax cuts dropped from 35 percent to 21 percent. Time and time again, I have heard from businessowners who plan to use their extra income to reinvest in the company, create jobs, provide bonuses, and raise wages. When taxes are low, businesses thrive and jobs are created in the Reagan tradition.

I am grateful for the leadership of Speaker Paul Ryan, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Brady, and I appreciate the opportunity of working with them, in addition to President Donald Trump, for delivering meaningful tax relief to the American people. They deserve it.

Local success of the law was first heralded in the Second Congressional District of South Carolina, the central part of South Carolina, by Lou and Bill Kennedy of Nephron Pharmaceuticals in Cayce, announcing 125 new jobs and a 5 percent pay increase. They said that they made this decision as a direct result of the tax bill.

In fact, I am really grateful that Lou put together a barbecue where I was present with Governor Henry McMaster and Attorney General Alan Wilson. She made the announcement right there at the barbecue to the extraordinary employees of Nephron Pharmaceuticals. They may have been the first; they were certainly not the last. I was so grateful.

I was going through Walgreen's to pick up some pictures that I was having developed and I ran into Bill Mooneyhan. Bill is the president of the local Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He announced: Hey, Joe, because of the tax savings, our business, our auto repair shop, is going to add a new bay and create new jobs.

I said: Hey, Bill, because you announced this to me, you have just volunteered for a press conference, which I am really grateful that we were able to have with the National Federation of Independent Business, NFIB, led by Ben Homeyer in South Carolina.

NFIB is the largest small business organization in America, and it is bottom's up. The leadership really follows the directions of their local members. So all of us truly appreciate NFIB.

In February, I visited with Norman Dunagan, owner of Whiskey Alley restaurant and Dumpster Depot, which is a recycling facility in Aiken, South Carolina. I took this opportunity to congratulate him on his expansion resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. He opened a third business last year due to the confidence in President Donald Trump and the House Republican leadership. All three of his small businesses are thriving and providing much-needed new jobs.

That day I also met with Clancy Cipkala, president and CEO of Solara Hospitality of West Columbia. Solara Hospitality is providing bonuses for their hotel hourly associates due to the tax cuts passed by the Republicans. In Orangeburg, South Carolina, South State Bank provided a $1,000 bonus to their employees. In a rural area like Orangeburg, a $1,000 bonus can make a huge difference for families. It can provide an opportunity for families to buy extra school supplies, pay down debt, make an investment in the future, start or add to an emergency fund, or take a much-needed family vacation.

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