[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9361-H9365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1915
              HISTORIC TAX REFORM FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include any extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Louisiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, we have heard a lot in this 
debate today. One thing is abundantly clear. Virtually every 
hardworking citizen in this country recognizes our genuine need for tax 
reform.
  Let me summarize some of the facts that have been presented today.
  The burdensome 70,000-page U.S. Tax Code has grown to be unreasonably 
complex, increasingly unfair, and filled with special interest 
loopholes. American companies are taxed at the highest rate in the 
industrialized world, and the government takes even more from our 
small-business owners and our entrepreneurs. As a result, our economic 
growth is stagnant, companies have gradually shifted their 
manufacturing and operations overseas, and families are struggling just 
to keep up.
  Today, the hurdles in our system seem almost insurmountable for 
hardworking people as they are afforded fewer and fewer opportunities 
for economic mobility.
  For previous generations, it was a different deal. We had the 
American Dream. The American Dream was defined by a simple promise: if 
you were willing to work hard and sacrifice and play by the rules, you 
could make a better life for yourself and your family. But today, our 
outdated Tax Code has pushed that dream beyond the grasp of more and 
more people.
  The good news is we can fix this problem, and we are going to do that 
in this Chamber tomorrow. For the first time in over 30 years, Congress 
has a historic opportunity to pass landmark tax reform that will be a 
turboboost to this economy, and it is going to lead us to a fairer 
system, as we said so many times, with more jobs and bigger paychecks 
for everyone.
  Our Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, H.R. 1, will deliver significant tax 
reductions for low- and middle-income earners, and it will help 
Americans in every level of our economy. The bill, which draws from 6 
years of intensive work and expert analysis from more than 40 different 
congressional hearings, lowers individual income taxes by consolidating 
the existing seven brackets into four and doubling the standard 
deduction for everyone.
  It also establishes a new family tax credit. It provides higher 
education benefits. It repeals the death tax. It preserves deductions 
for mortgage interest and charitable donations and property taxes, and 
it incentivizes saving for retirement.
  Tax returns will become incredibly simple for the first time in my 
lifetime because 9 out of 10 Americans will be able to complete their 
annual filing on a form the size of a postcard.
  The bill's business tax reforms are equally seismic because we are 
going to slash our draconian corporate tax from 35 percent, the highest 
in the world, to 20 percent, and we are going to institute the lowest 
rates for small business job creators since World War II. U.S. 
companies will finally be allowed to compete again on a level playing 
field and bring their jobs and operations back home from overseas.
  The independent Tax Foundation estimated that our plan will result in 
the creation of approximately 975,000 full-time American jobs and an 
increase in family incomes of 4.4 percent, on average. In Louisiana, 
for example, that would mean 13,293 new jobs and $1,857 of additional 
after-tax income for our average middle class families.
  The American people have long deserved a simpler, fairer, and 
effective system that rewards hard work and allows taxpayers to keep 
and invest more of what they earn. Our plan will finally provide that 
relief and spark the dramatic economic growth our Nation has so 
desperately needed.
  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is about more than just smart legislation. 
It is about a revival of that American Dream I referenced. That has one 
agenda that should unite every single one of us, and we hope all of our 
colleagues will support this historic landmark piece of legislation 
tomorrow.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Budd), a great American small-business owner himself.
  Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from 
Louisiana, for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, as my colleagues in this body know very well, it has 
been many years since we have reformed our Tax Code. Over the last few 
decades, Congress has cut some taxes here and there, but we are overdue 
for meaningful tax reform.
  Hardworking taxpayers in North Carolina are right to ask why it has 
been so long since we have even reformed our Tax Code. The unfortunate 
truth is that, for many years, Congress has thrown up the white flag in 
defeat against K Street lobbyists, and they settled for preserving the 
status quo. However, tomorrow, we have a rare opportunity to finally 
deliver a tax bill that puts working families first. The Tax Cuts and 
Jobs Act would be the biggest overhaul to our Tax Code in 30 years.
  To quickly summarize, this bill would collapse our tax brackets from 
seven to four; it would double the standard deduction and get rid of 
many lobbyist loopholes; and it would slash the corporate tax rate to 
20 percent, which would allow America to compete and to win.
  The nonpartisan Tax Foundation found that, if we passed this bill 
into law, American workers would see a 3 percent increase in their 
wages, and our country would see nearly 1 million full-time jobs 
created
  Madam Speaker, yesterday, my office received a letter from a 
constituent of mine that said: ``As a manufacturer and constituent, I 
urge you to support tax reform and legislation that will fix our Tax 
Code that has held manufacturers back for far too long.'' This is just 
an example of the many letters I have received in favor of this reform 
effort.
  In addition to letters of support that I have received, studies show 
that, if we pass this bill, a typical household would see their taxes 
cut nearly $2,000.
  Let's think for a second what this means. Instead of the IRS taking 
it, families could spend it on their children. They could put it in 
their savings, or they could pay off debts.
  I am supporting this bill so we no longer hold manufacturers back 
from success. I am supporting this bill because it would make life 
simpler and easier for job creators, savers, and hardworking families.
  Last week, in this body, I addressed the fact that there are certain 
provisions within this bill that my colleagues and I may differ on, and 
I noted that that is just always going to be the case, but I also 
suggested that we ask ourselves three questions.
  The first question was: Does this bill cut taxes for the vast 
majority of hardworking American families?
  The second was: Will it bring back jobs?
  And the third question was: Will this bill simplify the tax filing 
process for working families next year and in the years to come?
  Madam Speaker, the answer to all three of those questions was 
``yes.'' I urge my colleagues to vote tomorrow in favor of the Tax Cuts 
and Jobs Act.
  Last year, President Trump promised to cut taxes for working 
families, and that is exactly what this bill will do.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Arrington).
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I thank my dear friend and 
distinguished colleague from the State of Louisiana

[[Page H9362]]

for his strong leadership and for hosting us this evening, this Special 
Order, on such an important issue.
  Madam Speaker, tax reform in west Texas and in rural America is about 
giving our hardworking and middle class families a break in allowing 
them to keep more of their hard-earned money. According to the 
nonpartisan Tax Foundation, our plan would increase wages by over 3 
percent, create roughly 1 million new jobs, and raise the after-tax 
income of the average middle-income family by nearly $2,600.
  It is about simplifying the Tax Code and reducing the burden on 
taxpayers so that they don't have to spend a combined almost 9 billion 
hours and $100 billion just to prepare their taxes every year. Under 
our plan, 9 out of 10 Americans, as my colleague mentioned, will be 
able to file their taxes on a form as simple as a postcard.
  It is about getting off the backs of our job creators, which are our 
small businesses, and letting them create more jobs for their 
communities. Our plan would reduce the tax rate on our Main Street job 
creators to the lowest it has been since World War II.
  It is about making America competitive again by leveling the playing 
field for American producers and manufacturers.
  Our plan would lower the corporate tax rate and bring jobs back to 
America, and it would also boost the average American household income 
by $4,000 and, in some studies, as high as $9,000.
  It is about giving our family farmers and ranchers a reason to invest 
in new tractors and equipment, combines and cotton strippers, so they 
can do what they have been doing: be more productive even at feeding 
and clothing the American people.
  This plan allows our farmers and ranchers, as well as our small 
businesses, the ability to write off the full cost of new technology 
and equipment immediately, and it is about eliminating the duplicative, 
unfair, and un-American death tax that prevents family farmers, 
ranchers, and small-business owners from passing down their hard-earned 
American Dream to the next generation after they paid taxes on it their 
entire lives.
  Today, more than 70 percent--listen to this--more than 70 percent of 
family businesses don't make it to the second generation; 90 percent 
don't survive to the third generation. That is unacceptable.
  Tomorrow, Madam Speaker, marks an historic moment, the likes of which 
we haven't seen in over 30 years, to change the current economic 
trajectory of this country and restore freedom and opportunity for all 
hardworking American families. Let's seize it. Let's deliver on our 
promise, and let's give much-deserved relief to the American people and 
a much-needed boost to the American economy.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Texas, who is always eloquent.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).
  Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, it has been more than 30 years since 
Congress passed meaningful tax reform. In those three decades, we have 
seen unbelievable progress in technology, communications, 
manufacturing, and so much more. I am thrilled we now have a chance to 
pass meaningful tax reform, an opportunity to finally move to a Tax 
Code that works for families, small businesses, and Americans across 
the board.
  We have a once-in-a-generation chance to bolster middle class 
prosperity, strengthen our economy, and help America's global 
competitiveness. These are not just abstract concepts. These are real 
people, families, businesses, and workers.
  Over this past year, I have traveled through the 35 counties that I 
represent, and I have been so impressed by the countless Kentuckians 
who are working to bring jobs of the future into rural America. Unlike 
these innovative entrepreneurs, our Tax Code is, unfortunately, stuck 
in the past.
  Like many of my constituents in the First District, I run a family 
farm and have experienced the challenges of dealing with an outdated 
and cumbersome Tax Code. know firsthand the difficulties small 
businesses face when they try to operate, grow, and hire more workers 
while battling a Tax Code that does not work for them. Passing tax 
reform is finally within reach, and I enthusiastically support swift 
passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

  Throughout our Nation's history, small businesses have served as the 
backbone of our communities. These companies provide high-quality jobs, 
contribute to their local communities, and invest money right here at 
home. That is why I am dedicated to enacting tax relief that allows 
American small-business owners to keep more of their hard-earned tax 
dollars, to grow their businesses, and to compete globally.
  This bill will create almost 13,000 new jobs in the Commonwealth of 
Kentucky and will raise after-tax income for middle class families by 
almost $2,000. More than 59,000 taxpayers in the First District itemize 
their taxes, and because of the near doubling of the standard deduction 
and other simplifications, many of our taxpayers will have much simpler 
returns. And for our Nation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will generate 
economic growth adequate to increase Federal tax receipts by $1 
trillion.
  In the First District of Kentucky, there are nearly 44,000 taxpayers 
who earn small business income. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, small-
business owners will benefit from the new lower 9 percent tax rate on 
the first $75,000 of their business income for owners earning less than 
$150,000. Families and small businesses will have more opportunities to 
succeed with this framework.

                              {time}  1930

  Additionally, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduces the number of 
deductions and credits aimed at special interests and other well-
connected groups, which will create a simpler, more level playing field 
for American taxpayers. Getting rid of these special privileges in the 
Tax Code will ensure that all Americans, not just those who can afford 
their own tax preparers, get to keep more of their own money.
  President Trump, my colleagues in Congress and I have promised to 
deliver tax reform in a big way. I am proud to be keeping this promise 
now. My constituents deserve a system that enables them to keep more of 
their hard-earned money and spend less of their time dealing with our 
overly complicated Tax Code.
  I think it is important to address a concern that I have heard 
throughout the tax reform debate, one that I take very seriously: our 
national debt, which currently tops $20 trillion and is growing every 
day. The debt is a serious problem that poses an impediment to growth, 
a burden on our future, and a threat to our national security.
  While I am glad to finally hear bipartisan interest in addressing 
this challenge and getting the deficit under control, I think it is 
clear that any solution must include reducing government spending, 
particularly on mandatory programs that are the major drivers of our 
debt. I look forward to continuing to work towards this goal.
  The last time we addressed our Tax Code was when President Reagan was 
in office. Sticking with the Tax Code we have had for decades, one that 
leaves U.S. businesses and workers behind, is not an option. Now, I 
have high hopes for the future with this tax reform framework.
  I will continue fighting for reform that will benefit Kentuckians and 
our Nation as a whole, and I look forward to supporting progrowth 
solutions that have proven to benefit our Nation and our citizens.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, there is a trend here 
tonight. Those who are addressing the House this evening have had their 
own experience with this burdensome Tax Code. They have been small-
business owners, entrepreneurs, job creators, and farmers, like my 
friend from Kentucky. I appreciate their zeal for this issue.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Garrett), 
a former prosecutor, an Army veteran, and always a good voice to 
reason.
  Mr. GARRETT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for 
yielding.
  Madam Speaker, the last time this Nation passed major tax reform, 
yours truly weighed 112 pounds at the beginning of wrestling season. I 
had a full head of hair, I never set foot west of Mississippi, nor 
outside the United States of America.
  Madam Speaker, the last time this country addressed tax reform, the 
Soviet Union was welcoming a new leader

[[Page H9363]]

named Mikhail Gorbachev. It has been too long.
  It is an honor to represent the Fifth District of Virginia because I 
think it is historically unique. I have spoken from this podium and 
this floor about the amazing characteristics of that particular 
historical region.
  Among the great individuals from the Fifth District of Virginia was a 
flawed man, an imperfect man, a slaveowner named Jefferson, who gave us 
a near-perfect document, named the ``Declaration of Independence.''
  While not perfect, Jefferson had perfect insight, and, perhaps, you 
could argue he was prescient when it is said that he said: ``I predict 
future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from 
wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of 
them.''
  It has been enlightening tonight to stand on this floor. If you are 
watching at home, I suppose that you can turn the volume down on C-
SPAN, because I don't intend to yell, as so many others have before me. 
And I will tell you that it is funny to listen to my colleagues across 
the aisle who say: This is a 429-page bill.
  I would point out that saying the number of pages doesn't actually 
make the bill longer and that the Affordable Care Act, that they had us 
pass, so that we could find out what was in it, was 2,300 pages with 
over 20,000 pages of regulation. So there is a little disingenuity, at 
the very least, for them to lament the first real overhaul in our 
draconian tax structure in nearly two generations by suggesting that 
429 pages is a long document, when such a hearty and robust undertaking 
is afoot.
  Madam Speaker, I would submit that the government needs the people 
and not the other way around. That is what makes us the United States 
of America.
  It is a clever ploy to attack the rich and the job creators, but let 
me point out the fact that 97.3 percent of taxes are paid by the top 50 
percent of wage earners. So, therefore, when you attempt to cut taxes 
for working class people, someone who is in the 51st percentile will, 
indeed, receive a tax cut, but they are, by no means, rich.
  It is a clever ploy to attack corporations, because corporations 
don't have faces, but people do.
  And who do corporations provide jobs for?
  People.
  President Obama acknowledged that our corporate tax structure was 
among the most backward in the world, and it needed to be addressed, 
but he didn't address it. President Obama acknowledged that the 
Affordable Care Act had ``real problems,'' but no one on the other side 
of the aisle will address them. So, too, did President Clinton. That is 
two Presidents from the other side of the aisle in a row, but no one 
will address them. Instead, we will create fear and demagoguery and 
attack faceless corporations, because faceless corporations don't have 
faces, but people do.
  We need to stop destroying jobs and opportunity and prosperity 
through the demagoguery of class warfare, attacking corporations, 
without acknowledging that the very people who benefit from their 
existence are the people who have the opportunity to send their 
children to college, to make memories on a vacation, to pursue and 
achieve dreams, to marry the love of their life with the very incomes 
achieved by these corporations.

  Now, let's talk a little bit about corporations, because I know 
something about corporations, and we know something about corporations 
in Virginia's Fifth District.
  Dan River Mills stood in Danville, Virginia--a company started in 
1881. It closed its doors in 2006. In 2008, the smokestacks from Dan 
River Mills that had been a symbol not only of the skyline of that once 
thriving town, but also an identifying factor in the landscape of the 
city, were torn down as jobs went away.
  Another corporation, Burlington Industries, Klopman Mills, in 
Pittsylvania County, hurt Virginia, and prospered from 1940 through 
2007. When they left, over 1,000 jobs went with them as well. And the 
real estate for the property that once employed generation after 
generation, sending innumerable children to college, and fulfilling the 
humble dreams of working class Virginians, sold for a paltry $750,000.
  Vaughan-Bassett Furniture--and I would commend to anyone watching at 
home, the book ``Factory Man,'' by Beth Macy, which chronicles John 
Bassett, III's struggle to keep 700 furniture jobs in this country, in 
my district--that corporation changed people's lives and gave them 
jobs.
  Lane Manufacturing, for generations it was a tradition--in my part of 
the world, at least--that a young woman, prior to being married, might 
receive a Lane cedar chest--a hope chest. In fact, no less an 
iconoclast than Shirley Temple was used to peddle Lane cedar chests as 
something that would be an aspirational goal for a young, working class 
woman, as she set forth on pursuing the dreams of her life. From 1902, 
until just about 15 or 20 years ago, hundreds and hundreds of jobs, in 
Alta Vista, Campbell County, Virginia, left.
  Broyhill. So many companies--some still around--all shadows of their 
former selves, as corporate money and jobs went offshore.
  And why?
  Because we have incentivized the departure of the very means by which 
our families have prospered and done so in order to vilify an entity 
incapable of defending itself, while neglecting to understand that the 
beneficiaries of the opportunity created thereby were their very 
neighbors and those who, in their demagoguery, they said they worked to 
protect.
  Last year, in Danville, Virginia, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber 
Company, who is still there--God bless them--had a cookout for the 
employees of Goodyear Tire, and the family members, thereof, and 
anybody who had ever worked for Goodyear Tire. They thought maybe there 
would be 800 or 1,000 people who attended this cookout. By the time it 
was over with, you couldn't get a pack of hotdog buns from a Food Lion 
within 30 miles, because that 1,000 people became 2,000 people, and 
became 3,000 people, and became nearly 4,000 people. These people 
didn't come to eat a hotdog with Goodyear Tire. They came to eat a 
hotdog with their family, their friends, and their community.
  I stood last week at Piedmont Precision Machine Company, in Danville 
Pittsylvania. I looked at $1.6 million worth of new equipment that 
allowed this American small business to continue to compete with 
competitors abroad. And the rich man, who owned the company, said: Tom, 
I am going to have to take a loan to pay my taxes. But if you pass this 
bill, we will make some money, I will get more equipment, and we are 
going to hire some more people.
  So understand that people don't come to eat hot dogs with Goodyear 
Tire and Rubber Company, they come to eat hot dogs with their family 
members, their community, and people who have seen generation after 
generation receive opportunity, by virtue of their hard work, and 
opportunity provided by the very entities vilified by our opponents, 
without acknowledging the beneficiaries of the opportunity they provide 
are the very ones they purport to protect.
  So Piedmont Precision Machine Company toils on. We work to attract 
more employers in Danville and Pittsylvania, and Henry County, and 
Martinsville area. Maybe Kyocera is going to come. We hope so. We think 
that if we get those jobs, we think that we might be able to move 
manufacturing jobs in high-tech to southside Virginia from Northern 
Virginia and California. But what I am hearing from the job creators is 
they want to see this thing get done. And when those jobs come from 
California, Northern Virginia, China, and India to Campbell County, 
Bedford County, Lunenburg County, and Mecklenburg County, it will be 
because we acted in a brave, bold manner, despite the divisive rhetoric 
that denies the reality that people benefit from opportunity, and 
opportunity is best provided, not by the government, but by people of 
initiative.
  Now, I have heard so much rhetoric about what you oppose if you 
support this tax bill, so let's see if we can't flip that shoe onto the 
other foot. If you oppose this bill, you oppose lowering rates for 
working and middle-income families, while retaining the highest rate. 
That doesn't sound like a tax cut for the rich to me.

  If you oppose this bill, you literally oppose doubling nearly the 
standard

[[Page H9364]]

deduction from $6,350 to $12,000 for an individual filer; and you 
oppose, if you oppose this bill, doubling the standard deduction from 
$12,700 to $24,000 for a married couple.
  Why would people oppose that? Do they think the government can make 
better decisions with the money they earn than they can?
  If you oppose this bill, then you oppose simplifying the Tax Code by 
eliminating years of carve-out deductions made for special interests.
  Quite literally, a convoluted Tax Code benefits who?
  Tax attorneys and accountants.
  I suppose that the other side of the Chamber is the party that has a 
vested interest in keeping tax attorneys and accountants at work. I 
want to see people in Mecklenburg County at work.
  If you oppose this bill, you oppose establishing a family tax credit; 
you oppose raising the child credit by $600 per child; and you oppose 
establishing a new credit of $300 per family member so that you might 
be able to help your mom, dad, aunt, uncle, or a disabled relative, who 
you choose to help in your home.
  Why would people oppose that?
  If you oppose this bill, you oppose reducing small business taxes to 
the lowest rate since the Second World War.
  If you oppose this bill, you oppose establishing a super low 
nonpercent rate for small startup businesses making less than $75,000 a 
year in income.
  Why would you oppose startups?
  If you oppose this bill, you oppose removing incentives that drive 
businesses to take money and jobs overseas. Don't talk to me about 
that. We know something about that in Virginia's Fifth.
  So, finally, let me submit this: for the folks at home, who are smart 
enough to figure this out on their own, if you pay $100 more because a 
deduction is eliminated and your taxes are cut by $1,000 or more, as 
would be the case for a family of four making $58,000 a year, that is 
not a tax increase.

                              {time}  1945

  I have never, to my knowledge, other than the United States Army, 
worked for anything resembling a corporate entity in my life, but I 
know a lot of human beings who have, and I have seen what happens when 
we, through our divisive rhetoric, drive them away.
  This isn't about corporations. This isn't about the rich. This is 
about human beings.
  I think it was succinctly summarized, if perhaps by accident, by my 
colleague in the other Chamber, Senator Schumer, who said:

       It is our research that indicates that if you pass this, 
     some people's taxes might go up by 2023.

  Think hard. What that acknowledges is that between now and then, 
people's taxes go down.
  While Mr. Jefferson also said that:

       The fruits of the working class are safest when the 
     assembly is not in session.

  I would submit that if indeed these problems exist, they should work 
with us to improve our Tax Code, which hasn't been touched since I 
literally weighed 112 pounds and had a full head of hair, and to start 
being part of the solution and stop being part of the problem.
  Again, the government depends upon Americans, not Americans upon the 
government.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, we have heard some compelling 
arguments here on the floor in the last few hours and some important 
facts have been shared.
  I appreciate so much the eloquent words of my colleagues from Texas 
and Kentucky and Virginia and Pennsylvania and Florida and all over 
this great land of ours who have shared with us the importance of this 
landmark bill and this historic vote that we will take in this Chamber 
tomorrow.
  I just thought there were a few more facts that were important to 
summarize here at the end of our debate this evening.
  I wanted to quote the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because they looked at 
this bill and they gave an exhaustive review of this, as so many have. 
This is their summary: ``The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a growth bill, 
achieving faster economic growth, encouraging job creation, and getting 
more money in Americans' pockets each year.''
  I think that is a pretty good summary of what the bill will do and 
what it will accomplish.
  We brought just a couple of graphics here to illustrate the national 
impact of this landmark reform. When we pass this bill and we get this 
to the President's desk, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will lead to the 
creation of an additional 975,000 new full-time jobs across this 
country.
  It will raise after-tax income for middle class families by $2,598 
each. That is an increase of 4.4 percent. That is real money to 
families who are struggling to make ends meet around this country.
  It will generate economic growth sufficient to increase Federal tax 
receipts by $1 trillion. That is real money. That is a real boost to 
the American economy.
  I brought another graphic here to show what this will mean in my 
district, by way of example, in Louisiana. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 
will mean a whole lot for my State.
  It will lead to the creation of an additional 13,293 jobs in my State 
of Louisiana alone. Those are good-paying, full-time jobs. It will 
raise after-tax income for middle class families in Louisiana by 
$1,857. That is real money. That will mean a lot to the families in my 
State.
  More specifically, let me talk about the Fourth Congressional 
District in northwest and west Louisiana, 15 parishes, about one-third 
of our State by land area; good, hardworking, God-fearing Americans. 
Let me tell you what it will mean to the people of Louisiana's Fourth 
Congressional District.
  Here are just four highlights. It will be a larger child tax credit. 
In my district, there are 53,918 taxpayers who claim the child tax 
credit every year. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will increase the child 
tax credit from $1,000 per child to $1,600 per child for each of those 
families.
  Let me give you another one: the tax relief for small businesses. 
This is a big thing in my district. 49,929 taxpayers in the Fourth 
Congressional District of Louisiana have small business income, and 
that is a business that a taxpayer operates. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 
reduces taxes for small-business owners.
  First, the bill implements a new, lower 9 percent tax rate on the 
first $75,000 of net business income for active small-business owners 
earning less than $150,000 through their businesses. That is a whole 
lot of people, a whole lot of LLCs and small companies in my district.
  Second, the bill lowers taxes on small business investment by 
creating a new 25 percent small business tax rate. That is capped at 25 
percent. That is a big deal to people who are struggling to make ends 
meet.
  Number three, a third feature, the elimination of the alternative 
minimum tax, the AMT. 4,049 taxpayers in the Fourth Congressional 
District of Louisiana are impacted directly by the AMT. The Tax Cuts 
and Jobs Act eliminates that factor.
  Another one is simpler taxes. Listen to this number: 67,543 taxpayers 
in the Fourth Congressional District, in my district back home in 
Louisiana, itemize their taxes.
  As a result of the near doubling of the standard deduction and other 
simplifications, many taxpayers will have much simpler returns. It is 
estimated, as we have said so many times tonight, that nine out of ten 
Americans will be able to file their taxes on a form the size of a 
postcard. That is a big change and a great simplification for the 
people of my district. We owe this to them.
  I wanted to share a few other facts that I think are important to 
highlight tonight, Mr. Speaker.
  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is more than just a win for our American 
economy. It is a win for our American values. Let me give you a couple 
examples of that.
  First, it is a win for free speech. The bill incorporates the 
language of our Free Speech and Fairness Act, which we filed as a 
standalone piece of legislation earlier this year in February. That 
will stop the IRS from policing the speech of churches and charitable 
organizations. That is a huge relief for men and women of faith, in 
particular, who watched the IRS breathe down the necks of nonprofits 
and religious entities, threatening to take away their tax-exempt 
status if they dare talk

[[Page H9365]]

about the moral and social and political issues of the day. That is a 
big win for free speech and a big win for them.

  This bill is also a big win for American families. Let me give you a 
few examples of important features of how this helps the family in this 
country. The adoption tax credit has been restored. This is section 
1102 of the bill. Now, this is a critically important thing to advance 
the policy, to advance and encourage and incentivize adoption in this 
country. This is something that all of us should agree on.
  Over 60 percent of adopted children are adopted by middle- and low-
income taxpayers in this country. Almost half of the children adopted 
from foster care live in families with household incomes at or below 
200 percent of the Federal poverty level.
  Listen to this statistic: a study reported by the Federal Children's 
Bureau showed that the government saves between $65,000 and $127,000 
for each child who is adopted rather than placed in long-term foster 
care.
  Studies comparing children who remain in foster care to children who 
are adopted show that adopted children are 54 percent less likely to be 
delinquent or arrested, 19 percent less likely to become teen parents, 
and 76 percent more likely to be employed.
  Can we all agree that the adoption tax credit being restored is an 
important part of this bill?
  I think we can.
  Here is another way it helps families, Mr. Speaker: the family tax 
credits. This is something that everybody back home should pay 
attention to. The child tax credit, section 1202 of the bill, this 
increases the child tax credit, as I mentioned a moment ago, from 
$1,000 per child to $1,600 per child. It provides a credit of $300 for 
each parent and nonchild dependent to help all families with their 
everyday expenses.
  The child dependent care tax credit helps families care for their 
children and other dependents, such as a disabled grandparent who may 
need additional support.
  Here is another feature: unborn children are recognized in the 529 
education savings account provisions of the Tax Code. Our tax reform 
bill allows a 529 education savings account to be opened, for the first 
time, for an unborn child or a child in utero. We recognize the 
humanity and the sanctity of life of the unborn child.
  Here is another feature: the marriage penalties are finally removed. 
For too long, we have effectively penalized married couples in this 
country simply for being married. Our Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changes 
that. In most cases, married couples will no longer be penalized just 
for their choice to be married.
  Mr. Speaker, I will close with just a few more remarks. A lot has 
been said here tonight, more will be said in the morning preceding our 
vote, but this is a big day for Congress and a big day for the country.
  It has been over 30 years since we last updated our tax system. For 
reference, I was in the eighth grade the last time tax reform was 
accomplished in this Chamber. Many of those entering the workforce 
weren't even born yet the last time Congress fulfilled this 
responsibility.
  Today, Americans are struggling to make ends meet, to find decent-
paying jobs, and to prepare for retirement.
  We must do right by our children and our grandchildren and give them 
a better future than our own. Fortunately, my Republican colleagues and 
I have put forth a framework to do just that.
  We have discussed for the last few hours in this Chamber as we have 
been talking that our plan will create more jobs, fairer taxes, and 
bigger paychecks for working class Americans and small businesses.
  When businessowners are able to keep more of their profits, they will 
invest that money in their companies and in their employees, and that 
will spur economic growth, because they will expand their facilities, 
they will create and expand new product lines, they will add more jobs, 
and that is good for all of us.
  Passing meaningful tax reform isn't about sticker shock talking 
points that we have heard so much about. It is about real everyday 
Americans who want to grow their businesses, offer better wages to 
their employees, provide for their families, but who have struggled to 
do so because of our oppressive and outdated tax policy.
  Our plan puts Americans first and it offers real relief to those who 
need it most.
  The Federal Tax Code today is more than 70,000 pages long. For 
context, that is more than 60 times longer than the King James Bible, 
and it contains none of the Good News.
  It is time to simplify this Code and it is time to unleash the free 
market in our American economy again. We have that chance. This will be 
the biggest Christmas gift to the American people in over 3 decades. It 
is truly historic and it is long overdue.
  Mr. Speaker, we urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
vote for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on this floor tomorrow. Let's make 
history together. Let's do right by the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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