[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 6, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1424-H1431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               TAX REFORM

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the topic of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?

[[Page H1425]]

  There was no objection.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, this is the second week of the tax truth 
squad effort to share the facts, the real facts about the Tax Cuts and 
Jobs Act, and the impact it has already had on the American economy and 
the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here with my fellow colleagues 
representing Michigan and Illinois. These two States include diverse 
industries and diverse people, from farmers, to bankers, to 
manufacturers.
  I am humbled to represent the hardworking people of the 10th 
Congressional District and the Midwest. This is exactly what the Tax 
Cuts and Jobs Act has done: helped our constituents work every day 
supporting their family and helped their local economy.
  My colleague before me proceeded to speak about we should pay 
attention to the needs of those close to and living in poverty. Well, I 
wish he had stayed. I grew up in poverty.
  Like many in Michigan, I grew up in a large family. I have six 
brothers and sisters. My dad had a good job building trucks in a line 
at General Motors. My mom often had a full-time job to help make ends 
meet. That is why I committed to supporting policies that create real 
economic growth and economic opportunity for families like the one in 
which I grew up.
  I was but a young pup in 1986, the last time our Tax Code was 
modernized. Since then, the Tax Code grew to 74,000 pages of rules and 
regulations that have only confused people. You would need to be a 
wizard to understand what is in the Tax Code as it stood at the end of 
the year. That is why I promised my constituents, when I came to 
office, when I ran for office, I would work hard to achieve meaningful 
tax cuts and reforms for the American people.
  I believe Americans can, and should, make independent decisions about 
the use of their own money, the money they work for, not the 
government. The government shouldn't come first. The Tax Cuts and Jobs 
Act allowed hardworking individuals and business owners to do just 
that.
  Across the Nation and back home, we have already seen the direct 
impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. More than 400 companies have 
already announced pay raises, bonuses, and increased 401(k) 
contributions and benefits, or, in the case of utility companies, 
lowered rates.
  Direct bonus announcements have already reached over $3 billion 
across this Nation. Let me repeat that: $3 billion. Companies in 
Michigan have already committed more than $180 million in bonuses to 
employees.
  A couple of examples: Fiat Chrysler, one of the State's largest 
employers, is reinvesting its tax savings to its employees in our 
community, in addition to giving a $2,000 bonus to 60,000 employees. 
And that is in addition to profit sharing as part of their contract.
  Fiat Chrysler announced it will move heavy-duty Ram truck production 
from Mexico to Macomb County: a $1 billion investment that will create 
2,500 jobs.
  In my district, Michigan's 10th, Lakestone Bank & Trust, a small 
community bank, operating in Lake Lapeer, St. Clair, and Macomb 
Counties, gave hourly employees $1 an hour raise. I know some consider 
that to be crumbs. Where I grew up, $1 an hour more is real money. They 
gave all of their salaried employees a $1,000 bonus saying: ``We are 
very appreciative of all Lakestone Bank & Trust employees and certainly 
what they have accomplished over the years. . . . This is a once-in-a-
lifetime opportunity, and we know we want to reinvest much of the 
savings''--in the tax bill--``back into our bank, and the first place 
we are going to put it is into the hands of our employees. Employees 
are our most important asset.''
  Stories like this are not unique. From CVS to Chipotle, and AT&T to 
Wells Fargo, they are reinvesting tax reform savings in our hardworking 
employees in our communities throughout the country.
  This is the second week of the tax reform truth squad--we are calling 
it--an initiative where Members from States across the Nation are 
invited to tell their stories about the benefits of tax reform. There 
are countless stories they are anxious to express.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Walberg), one of those Members, my colleague, serving on the 
Energy and Commerce Committee, a defender of a strong rural economy and 
a good friend, representing the Seventh Congressional District.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
appreciate the opportunity to talk about the truth.
  We heard so much dismissal of the tax cut plan before we passed it. 
Now that we passed it, not only did we read it beforehand, but 
rereading it again we are seeing the truth is working out.
  As I travel around, Mr. Speaker, the Seventh District of Michigan, 
optimism about the new tax cuts is hard to miss.
  I have people coming up to me at the grocery store, at gas stations, 
even in church, saying: You know, Congressman, we heard a lot of 
reports that this wasn't for middle class people, but I saw my paycheck 
in February and, it is true, I got a raise because the government is 
taking less out of it.
  I have heard from a number of workers excited about their bonuses and 
pay raises and from businesses that are looking to expand their 
operations.
  Just last week, I toured Lowe's home center in Adrian, Michigan, to 
visit with their team. Because of the new tax law, their employees are 
receiving $1,000 bonuses and expanded maternity and parental leave.

  I toured Cintas' Lansing operations. The tax cut afforded their 
employees $1,000 bonuses, and they reported to me that day that they 
jumped now on a plan that they were holding off, but now they are going 
to build a $17 million facility to add on to their operations.
  We already heard about Fiat Chrysler giving out $2,000 bonuses to all 
of their workers. They are also moving production of the Ram heavy-duty 
truck plant back from Mexico to Michigan--I wanted to reiterate that--
that is coming home and creating 2,500 new good-paying jobs.
  We have also seen announcements from DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, 
utilities in Michigan and in other States, that their customers can 
expect to see lower utility bills, thanks to the tax cuts. In fact, 
they have submitted a request to the PSC for almost $400 million in 
rate reductions. That is real money.
  As Vice President Pence said last week when we welcomed him to the 
Motor City, tax reform is working for Michigan.
  Here is even more good news: the benefits are just beginning to kick 
in.
  This tax season is the last time taxpayers will have to file under 
the old and broken Tax Code.
  Under the updated Code, individuals and families at every income 
level will see tax relief.
  The standard deduction is nearly doubled to protect more of people's 
hard-earned income from taxation.

                              {time}  1715

  The child tax credit is expanded from $1,000 to $2,000 to help with 
the cost of raising kids.
  With these new reforms, the typical middle-income family of four will 
receive a tax cut of more than $2,000.
  On top of that, the law will help small businesses thrive, boost job 
creation here at home, and make our economy stronger and more 
competitive, like it ought to be, in the United States and in Michigan.
  For families across Michigan, the new tax cut law means bigger 
paychecks and more money in their pockets, not in the Federal 
Government's pockets. And that is where it belongs.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity at any time to put forward 
truth, but, more importantly, truth that is optimistic, that builds on 
our people, that builds on letting them do for themselves with the 
resources they have earned.
  Mr. Speaker, I express appreciation to my colleague for holding this 
``truth squad'' opportunity again tonight because people need more of 
that. They need more optimism that comes from truth that impacts them 
in a growing and positive way, and I am glad to be part of it.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Walberg for his comments. I 
failed to recognize that I serve with Mr. Walberg on the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce, on which he is a subcommittee chair. So I 
thank him for joining us.

[[Page H1426]]

  I made a notation that I want to share with everyone tonight as we 
move forward. With the changing of the standard deduction, with the 
nearly doubling of the standard deduction, about 90 percent of 
taxpayers will be able to file their taxes on a form about this size. 
They will be able to file their taxes like this, rather than the pile 
of paperwork they have dealt with for years. Here it is on a larger 
scale.
  Most are going to be able to simply file their wage and compensation 
income and use the standard deduction. They will be done except for a 
few other tax credits we will talk about, the tax credit they can get, 
for example, on investment tax credit or family child credit. We will 
talk about that. But most Americans can file like this. That is one of 
the things we wanted to achieve, one of the great achievements of the 
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
  Mr. Speaker, next I yield to Congressman Fred Upton, who represents 
Michigan's Sixth Congressional District, the former chairman of the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, another colleague of mine from 
Michigan, the senior member of our delegation, experientially only, not 
age, with decades of experience in Congress focusing on job creation 
and economic opportunity for our State and for our Nation.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and my good friend for 
yielding and for hosting this hour tonight. I look forward to the 
comments by all my colleagues from Michigan and Illinois.
  Let me just start out by saying a couple of things. I had a great 
ninth grade teacher, Mr. Denekas. We learned about how the government 
worked. You pass a bill in the House and you pass a bill in the Senate. 
I learned later on that the House bill is always better than the 
Senate. But in this case,  John Shimkus and I--and he is going to be a 
speaker from Illinois a little bit later on this evening--were two 
conferees on this bill.
  I have got to say that, as we debated this bill, there were some 
elements that were not so good. But at the end of the day, as this bill 
meshed together, we took the best elements of both the House and the 
Senate bill and we got a bill that the President was able to sign.
  I can remember being trashed left and right back in November and 
December about what this bill was going to do or not going to do: it 
wasn't going to provide real tax relief to the working class; companies 
weren't really going to give bonuses; this was all just going to be 
bogus arguments.
  Now, at the end of the day, 2-plus months since the bill was signed 
and became enacted, my constituents are finding out good things about 
the bill. Yes, they are getting real take-home pay increases from the 
jobs that they do. Yes, they are getting bonuses.
  I was at a small, little almost farmers market, multigenerational 
market down in Niles, Michigan, just north of Notre Dame, Shelton's 
Farm Market. They have 83 employees. The owners gave every employee 
there a bonus. I talked to one of them who literally stocks the 
shelves. He got $600.
  He said: You know, Mr. Upton . . .
  I said: Call me Fred.
  He said: This wasn't just crumbs. This made a real difference.
  I said: What are you going to do with that $600?
  He said: You know, my wife has cancer, and I bought her a new dress.
  He was so excited that that increase in the take-home pay was 
actually going to do some real benefit for him and his family.
  I was at a groundbreaking at Pfizer, my largest employer, in Portage, 
Michigan. Not only did they announce that they are going to, in the 
next couple of years, invest $6 billion--that is B as in ``big''--in 
new facilities here in North America, they also announced that they are 
going to give $100 million in bonuses for all of their nonexecutive 
employees. That is real money, and that is thanks to tax reform.
  Mr. Walberg talked a little bit about some of the utilities in 
Michigan. A little bit earlier today, I was with the chair of Consumers 
Energy, a very important player; and the chair of DTE Energy as well. 
Yes, because of the reduction in the corporate tax rates, they are 
going to pass on those savings, as they want to, to the consumers. In 
the case of Consumers Energy, they are going to give back $200 million 
in rate relief to virtually every one of their customers that they 
serve across the board. That is good news. It has to be approved by the 
Public Service Commission, but, in fact, that money is going to be 
there.
  So whether it is a small business who is now goin to get a lower rate 
in that passthrough rate, which means a lot, keeping your deductions on 
healthcare, seeing the highest corporate rate being reduced to 21 
percent--and I remember well that debate that we had between Mitt 
Romney and Barack Obama back in 2012. In September of 2012, the 
question was on tax reform, and even Barack Obama said that he would 
support lowering that corporate tax rate to 25 percent, because we were 
already at the highest corporate tax rate in the world. That is what 
this bill did, and thank goodness.

  The last point I would make is I was tired of economic growth being 
at .7 percent or 1 percent. We can do better than that. This bill is 
now starting to lead the way to see that happen. In fact, the report 
even this week, I think, is predicting a 3.5 percent growth rate for 
calendar year 2018.
  That is a far cry from where we were just a few years ago. I dare 
say, in large part, it is due because workers are, in fact, getting 
more money from their paychecks. We have reduced the corporate rates so 
companies, instead of having an incentive to go overseas, as they did 
with my largest employer in one of my counties a few years ago, they 
now have a reason to come home and invest that money here.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman for hosting this hour. I 
look forward to the other folks' comments tonight.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Upton for joining us. I 
appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to talk about how 
the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has impacted his district and the State of 
Michigan.
  Let me state, as we get our next speaker to come forward, that in my 
district alone, the average savings for the average filer in my 
district is $2,700 a year.
  Now, I know that some of the colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle refer to that as crumbs, as meaningless, but that is real money 
that allows people to make a difference in their lives, to move 
forward, make decisions about fixing their houses, go on vacation, put 
a downpayment on a new car, all things that wouldn't be possible.
  More importantly, that is money they worked for. That is not money 
somebody gave them. That is their money to begin with, and they get to 
keep it. That is what is so important about it.
  Mr. Speaker, our next speaker who wants to come forward and talk 
about his district is Representative Shimkus, who, as Mr. Upton said, 
was a conferee on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to Congressman  John Shimkus, who represents the 
15th Congressional District, a member of the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, a conferee on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and who has been an 
advocate for smaller government for years.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for 
yielding. It is great to be here with my friends from the State of 
Michigan.
  As a Republican, sometimes people ask: What is the difference?
  I always say: Well, Republicans, we believe in less government, 
individual responsibility, lower taxes, more personal freedoms and 
liberties.
  From my time here in Washington, I have always wanted a fairer, 
flatter, simpler Tax Code. We shouldn't have to fear filing our income 
taxes. We shouldn't have to fear whether we have the receipts.
  I think the other thing that was always frustrating about the Tax 
Code is you never know if you have done enough of the itemizing that 
you are actually going to get anything or not. And then, have you 
forgotten something that you are not recouping?
  So having said that, that is why--and I am glad Congressman Mitchell 
raised this issue, the fairer, flatter, simpler Tax Code.
  Before we passed the bill, 80 percent of my constituents did not 
itemize. Under this tax reform, 90 percent of all of my filers--90 
percent--will be able to do it on this simple postcard. And it is easy 
to find. People can pull it up at fairandsimple.gop to check it out.

[[Page H1427]]

  Congressman Upton was correct: this process worked. We had a House 
bill and we had a Senate bill, and then the two sides merged to keep 
some of the deductions that people really thought were important, and a 
great compromise that was working.
  So the question is: Is the proof in the pudding?
  In other words, is it operating as advertised for either side?
  I think we are down here to say it is operating as advertised and we 
can proudly stand down here and tell some of these stories.
  What we did is we posted a question on our newsletter to ask people 
to respond, and I want to share some of these responses. These are on 
the individual side. I will talk about the corporate side in a minute.
  Ken and Pam from St. Joseph--we call it St. Joe--they say: 
``Personally we have seen an increase in our net wages each week. With 
our business, we seem to have an increase in other companies starting 
new things.''
  Gregg from Charleston says: ``More money in my take-home check.''
  A pretty simple statement.
  James from Marine says: ``My retirement check just went up. Thanks.''
  Jeff from Carlyle says: ``Positive results only so far, just as 
expected with a commonsense tax cut.''
  Carl from Collinsville, which is my hometown. I am glad Carl is 
happy. He says: ``I am seeing more on my paycheck each week. Keep up 
the good work.''
  So that is just on the individual side.
  Then we briefly want to talk about what is going on from business. 
You know, these are great announcements. I had the chairman of the 
Committee on Ways and Means, my good friend, Kevin Brady, tell me 50 
percent of all manufacturers in this country are planning expansion. 
Not 50 percent of the manufacturers in Illinois or Michigan; across the 
country. That is pretty awesome.
  So what is going on in my district?
  Griffith Trucking, Broadway Express, Heartland Peterbilt, and 
Heartland Classics--which are in Effingham and Newton--gave $1,000 
bonuses to 65 full-time employees.

  FedEx has a big distribution hub in my district, same place, in 
Effingham. FedEx has committed to more than $3 billion in wage 
increases, bonuses, pension funding, and expanded U.S. capital 
investment.
  Charter Communications is raising their minimum wage to $15 an hour 
as a result of this tax cut plan.
  It is great to see Congressman Roskam on the floor. He will get a 
chance to speak later. He was a major architect of this. I am very 
proud that he comes from Illinois. These stories are attributed to 
Peter's great work.
  The other one I wanted to mention--of course, I live in the metro St. 
Louis area. Boeing has a big presence in St. Louis, but a lot of their 
great workers, probably their best workers, live on the Illinois side. 
Boeing has announced employee-related and charitable investments of 
$300 million as a result of the tax law.
  So great things are happening.
  I want to follow what Fred Upton said, in that we as a body were 
tired of being in a malaise.
  Is this all we can hope for?
  We wanted an economy that would grow and create jobs and be vibrant, 
that people would be excited about going back to the workforce, working 
hard, taking home more of their pay, investing it into the market or in 
their retirement savings; and that is just what we are having.
  Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of my colleagues here on the floor, so I 
could talk a long time on the benefits of the bill. I am very, very 
excited about it.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Mitchell for organizing this tonight.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Shimkus for the enthusiasm, 
the detail on the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
  Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue on this conversation and talk a 
little bit about the trade States, because it has had a great impact 
not only on Illinois, but also on Michigan.
  Joining us at this point is Congressman  Mike Bishop, a neighbor of 
the 10th Congressional District, a member of the Committee on Ways and 
Means that had a direct impact on this bill. He has been a leading 
advocate for a fair and simple Tax Code. He represents the Eighth 
Congressional District.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to Congressman  Mike Bishop.

                              {time}  1730

  Mr. BISHOP of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding and for leading in this effort.
  It is very exciting back in the great State of Michigan, the comeback 
State of Michigan, our home State. After years of stagnant economic 
growth, our workforce is finally experiencing the benefits of a 
modernized Tax Code. So far, more than 4 million hardworking 
Michiganders have received bonuses, notices of increases in their take-
home pay, and have benefited from higher wages.
  Across Michigan, I have had the opportunity to travel not only in my 
district, but across this great State, and I have seen firsthand great 
things, so many great stories to tell, sitting down with folks, hearing 
about the new tax law and how it is impacting their community and how 
it is impacting their businesses. I take away from this a number of 
really excited testimonials from everyone that I sat down with.
  For example, Dan, a small-business owner from Rochester Hills, 
Michigan, shared with me that, as a result of tax reform, he was able 
to invest in his new car wash by buying new equipment.
  Erwin, a constituent from Oxford, Michigan, is seeing extra money in 
his monthly take-home pay.
  I stopped by the Fiat Chrysler truck assembly plant to talk with 
workers about the new Ram truck production line that is relocating from 
Mexico all the way back to Michigan, where it belongs, bringing with it 
2,500 new jobs. As you can imagine, there is extreme excitement within 
the four walls of that beautiful plant.
  Michigan is the auto capital of the world. We produce more than 2.2 
million cars and trucks. We produce more cars and trucks than any other 
State in the Union, and we are excited and proud to be the auto capital 
of the world, the State that put the world on wheels.
  The Fiat Chrysler decision will provide more than $1 billion in U.S. 
investment and $2,000 bonuses, $2,000 for each employee, all as a 
result of tax reform.
  In Lake Orion, Michigan, Complete Automation, they employ about 250 
employees. I visited their operation to talk with the employees about 
the new benefits they will soon be seeing. As a result of tax reform, 
employees will see in their 401(k) contribution a match of 50 percent, 
up to 4 percent of their investment in their 401(k).
  That is a big deal for a lot of people. It is a great deal for their 
family. It is a great deal for them individually, but it is a great 
deal for their family.
  And I also say this. With the average tax cut in my district of about 
$2,500 per family, average family, that is not crumbs. That is real, 
real relief for families that could really use it right now.
  The takeaway from all these conversations that I have had across my 
district is that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is working. America's 
optimism is rising, and the workforce is taking notice. We are finally 
creating an environment that fosters economic growth and brings jobs 
back to the United States and back to my home State and the comeback 
State of Michigan. And this is just the beginning.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his feedback on 
the impact of the Tax Cuts bill, and I thank him for taking time out of 
his schedule.
  Next, I have the privilege of recognizing a key player in the effort 
to reform our Tax Code and cut taxes, the chairman of the Ways and 
Means Subcommittee on Tax Policy. I thank the gentleman for his 
leadership on this and, hopefully, continued success on our tax laws.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Sixth District of 
Illinois (Mr. Roskam).
  Mr. ROSKAM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for 
yielding.
  You know, I think it is so interesting. We are all coming together, 
various States, to celebrate these accomplishments and to take a step 
back: how far we have come in the past year or the past several months 
where you look back and, basically, there was a national consensus that 
had developed, and the consensus was nobody

[[Page H1428]]

liked our Tax Code--I mean nobody. Nobody could defend it because it 
was absurd. It was so complicated.
  Those of us who are from the Chicago area, we know that the last time 
the Tax Code was updated was when the Bears won the Super Bowl, so that 
is 30 years ago. And yet we have got this Tax Code that had been a 
complete throwback. The Tax Code was such a throwback that the last 
time it was updated, 1986, the internet didn't exist, basically, as a 
commercial enterprise.
  There was no shared economy, per se. Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, all those 
things, they didn't exist. Global supply chains were nowhere nearly as 
connected as they are today, which all begged the question that we 
needed a Tax Code to update things.
  Now, here is what was interesting: The hyperbole that surrounded the 
debate on the tax reform bill as H.R. 1 kept moving in and, ultimately, 
came to a crescendo, passed through the House, passed through the 
Senate, and was signed into law, it was described by, God bless them, 
our friends on the other side of the aisle as the worst bill ever, 
Armageddon, and, obviously, now, the famous line that the result of 
these things were crumbs. Well, none of that turned out to be true. 
This was a terrific bill.
  Let me just give you a couple of examples, Mr. Speaker, of people in 
my constituency who have written publicly or they have written to me 
privately about this bill.
  Here is Mary from Wheaton, Illinois, my hometown. She said: ``Our 
family is already feeling the positive impact of the changes made in 
the Tax Code. Our daughter and her husband just had their first baby 
and will be able to take advantage of the doubled child tax credit next 
year. Throughout our extended family, those who work for big and small 
businesses alike are witnessing immediate effects. Companies are 
investing the anticipated benefits of the new tax law in the form of 
bonuses, pay raises, capital improvements, and new hires. And that's 
just the beginning. The true value of this Tax Code will become even 
more evident in the months and years ahead.''

  Mary is absolutely right.
  Or another person, Nicole, from Elgin. She says: ``Thanks to the new 
tax bill, my family will be saving an estimated $4,000 on our taxes 
next year. Not only that, but I'm getting a $1,000 bonus and an extra 
$1,500 in my employee pension account from my employer as a result of 
the changes.''
  Or how about an enrolled agent, Stephen, from Wayne. He prepares 
people's taxes. He says: ``As an enrolled agent entering my 35th tax 
season, I am anxiously awaiting the smiles I will be getting from my 
clients when I inform them how much they will be saving on their 2018 
tax return . . . the clear majority of my clients will be paying lower 
tax rates in 2018 due to the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.''
  And then I will go to the end of his note. He says: ``I haven't been 
able to say this very often over the past 35 years, but I am actually 
looking forward to this tax season.''
  So we know that these things are true. We know that they are 
manifesting themselves.
  I have got a constituency where there are about 30,000 people who get 
hit hard by the alternative minimum tax, and they are not going to be 
hit by the alternative minimum tax. They are going to be spared that 
tax.
  There are many other examples in the State of Illinois where you see 
real progress being made.
  Up by me in Chicagoland, MK Incorporation, a fleet management 
company, is giving $1,000 bonuses to 150 employees.
  Ameren Illinois, the customers are using both electricity and natural 
gas. They will see a combined savings of lower utility rates.
  We have talked about AT&T already today: $1,000 bonuses to 10,000 
Illinois-based employees and, nationwide, over $1 billion increase in 
capital expenditures.
  There is example after example after example after example.
  Look, if all the critics can do is basically say, well, this isn't 
enough or this is crumbs, they have not been to my constituency. To 
tell a family that I represent, Mr. Speaker, that $1,000 is crumbs is 
just patently obtuse. $1,000 is real money: $1,000 is getting ahead on 
a car payment; $1,000 is the ability to move forward and say we are 
going to go on a little extra special vacation, we are going to put a 
little bit more money toward our college fund, we are going to put a 
little bit more money toward our retirement. And that is just one 
particular example.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for organizing this, and I 
very much appreciate his bringing us together to celebrate these 
things.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I will ask the gentleman to stay for just 
a moment for a real quick question.
  First, I would say that the Bears is his example--and my example is 
Steve Yzerman was a rookie in the NHL and captain of the Detroit Red 
Wings. If you ask a young hockey fan now who Steve Yzerman is, they 
would look at you blankly. That is how long ago tax was tackled.
  I have a question for the gentleman. Ninety percent of our taxpayers, 
we believe, are going to file a standard deduction, but we kept--we 
talked about it a great deal. We kept some key tax cuts in the Tax Code 
to actually help families.
  Can the gentleman briefly talk about, maybe, the family and child tax 
credit and what we did with that and why we think that is important.
  Mr. ROSKAM. What we did with it is we doubled it so that the family 
tax credit is now doubled. So, you know, when folks say, ``Well, I 
don't like this tax plan,'' really? You don't like doubling the child 
tax credit?
  So there was very much an intentionality, as you know, to say we 
value family, we value children, we value domestic life, and, toward 
that end, we are going to support it through the Tax Code. So there was 
a very specific design not just to keep it, but to enhance it.
  Mr. MITCHELL. I want to be clear with folks. There is a child and 
family tax cut, the earned income credit, and the higher education 
credit, and those are all credits against your tax liability. This is 
not simply a deduction. After taxes are determined, those are credits 
back, not a tax deduction.
  Mr. ROSKAM. Right.
  Mr. MITCHELL. People don't understand the difference some days.
  Mr. ROSKAM. That is right.
  So, to the gentleman's point, a deduction is a decrease in a taxable 
liability; a credit is a credit. Once the tax is calculated, the credit 
is an amount that comes off of that tax liability, so it is a very 
significant thing. Said another way, credits are more valuable than 
deductions.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for clarifying that, 
and I certainly hope people listen to the difference because some 
people don't understand that. I appreciate the gentleman taking time to 
join us tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman representing the 12th District 
of Illinois (Mr. Bost), a small family business owner himself.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for holding this Special 
Order tonight. And I also say, just because we are following a theme, 
if we put in perspective how long ago it was that we did tax reform in 
this Nation, I was running for my first political office for county 
board. I had a mullet, and it looked good--at least my wife told me it 
did.
  But let me tell you that, after we passed this tax reform--I come 
from deep southern Illinois, nowhere near Chicago, a very rural 
district, a little bit of metropolitan--a typical family of four will 
receive a break of over $2,000 per year.
  Now, folks, I don't know how it would be in your district or in your 
hometown if you are listening to this tonight, but that is not crumbs 
where I come from. Some of the folks here in Washington may think that 
that is the case, but that is not.
  Let me tell you that I have been around my district talking to 
people; and you go to barber shops and coffee shops, and my wife and I 
own a beauty salon, and you hear from the people how much they are 
saving, so much so that we actually asked for people to start replying 
on our Facebook and to tell us what their story was.

  I am just going to give you a few of these. I know that we are on 
limited time, but I am going to tell you that Bobby from Makanda, here 
is what he writes:

       I am a police officer and my wife is a high school teacher. 
     Combined, the new tax rates save us over $300 a month. We 
     have two teenage children. The additional income will help us 
     save for upcoming college expenses.


[[Page H1429]]


  Terry from Royalton writes:

       My wife is an educator and I am in healthcare. Since these 
     changes have affected my pay about the same as hers, we know 
     how much it changes our monthly income. About $300.

  His statement is:

       Hey, Nancy, if that is crumbs in your world, it's not in 
     mine.

  Tracy from Wood River writes:

       Tax reform allows more money for college, more money to be 
     put towards paying off our home, provides more activities for 
     our children, and allows us to save more money for the 
     future.

  These are just three stories of countless that we have heard. 
Countless have come in not only from individuals on the individual tax 
rate, but the business tax rate as well: expansion of business, growing 
of business, using it to expand the 401(k)s of their employees, giving 
increases in pay to their employees.
  The bottom line is this: The tax reform allows people to keep more 
money of their paycheck. It allows them the opportunity to use that 
money in the way they see fit, not how the government wants to use it. 
They earned that money. It is theirs. They should be able to keep more 
of it to spend and save as they please. This new tax reform does just 
that.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for joining us this 
evening.
  Next is Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who serves on the Energy and 
Commerce Committee as well as on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Like 
many Members around here, he is a very busy man.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman representing the 16th District 
of Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger) to talk about tax cuts in his district.

                              {time}  1745

  Mr. KINZINGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. This 
was a great thing we did. It had been--I was 8 years old the last time 
the Tax Code was reformed, and I think this is something we, frankly, 
ought to do every decade; at the worst case, every two decades; 
definitely not every 30 years. So it is about time to get it done.
  I wish this could have been bipartisan. I think there are a lot of 
fantastic things in here, and I think it is quite obvious that the 
economy is showing some really big benefit as a result. I think it is 
hard to hide that. It is hard to pretend that that is not the case, 
even though some of our friends try to do that, but it is quite obvious 
it has worked.
  I just want to tell a few stories of my district, the 16th District 
of Illinois. I was at a tax reform roundtable last month at the 
Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce, and I heard from my local business 
community about how this bill affects them and what they would like to 
see moving forward. One gentleman from Walnut, Illinois, in Bureau 
County, was really excited about the tax cuts his small business would 
receive. He plans to increase hourly wages and hire 7 to 10 new 
employees over the next 2 years. That, my friends, is not crumbs. That 
is important.
  The tax relief for businesses, large and small, is being shared with 
employees all over. Over the last few months, more than 300 companies, 
and counting, have announced plans to add people, add bonuses, add to 
retirement benefits, and give back to the U.S. economy.
  Employees at UPS in my district, Home Depot, Bank of America, Ryder, 
AT&T, U-Haul, and many others with Illinois locations will receive 
these bonuses and benefits.
  A few weeks ago, I went to the Fiat Chrysler plant in Belvidere, 
Illinois, and I met with employees who were excited and encouraged by 
the $2,000 bonus they will receive in the second quarter of this year.
  According to the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic 
Policy, 85 percent of Illinoisans will see a tax cut next year, and the 
nonpartisan Tax Foundation has estimated that the State of Illinois 
stands to gain tens of thousands of jobs from this reform.
  This is great news. By bringing the Tax Code into the 21st century to 
reflect current day is real and tangible in terms of the benefits it 
will put into our economy.
  Our future is bright, our economy is growing stronger, and, with tax 
relief, the American Dream is once again on the horizon for folks in my 
district and across the country. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Kinzinger for joining us this 
evening. I appreciate the detail in his district.
  We are going to continue with Illinois for a bit here. I guess it is 
Illinois' night for awhile.
  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the Representative from the 14th District 
of Illinois, Congressman Randy Hultgren, who has consistently been a 
voice of business owners across America through his work on the 
Financial Services Committee.
  Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Mitchell for yielding.
  Illinois is a high-tax State. We have seen Illinois State taxes 
continue to go up, so it is a welcome relief that Congress has brought 
Federal tax relief to the people of Illinois, and especially I am 
grateful for the residents of the 14th Congressional District, the 
suburbs of Chicago, who are seeing great relief and especially the 
benefits that come to small businesses, truly the energy and the engine 
behind Illinois' economy.
  They are going to receive immediate benefits from a reduced tax 
burden and more flexible accounting rules. I am also pleased that the 
final version of the legislation included this portion of my bill, 
which was to lower taxes on Illinois' largest employers, which is small 
businesses, and it is called the Bring Small Businesses Back Tax Reform 
Act.
  Further, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced corporate tax rates to 21 
percent and includes provisions to deter U.S. companies from moving 
their headquarters and investments abroad and encouraging them to bring 
income and jobs back home again. Again, this is welcome news for 
Illinois residents.
  Numerous companies who employ residents of the 14th Congressional 
District have announced new investments and new hiring and giving more 
money to their employees, wages, bonuses, trainings, and more. Just a 
sampling of these are: AbbVie, American Community Bank, First Midwest 
Bank, EMKAY, Boeing, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Wintrust Financial, Home 
Depot, Walmart, CVS, and Starbucks.
  American manufacturers are hiring more workers. In my district, a 
Geneva manufacturer has already brought on two new employees to manage 
the equipment the company invested in under the new expensing rules. A 
Will County food distributor plans to hire two new employees in 2018, 
with the money the company saved through tax reform, and the list goes 
on and on.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time Americans were given the truth about the Tax 
Cuts and Jobs Act. Eighty percent of U.S. households will see a tax cut 
in 2018, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, but only 17 
percent of Americans actually think they will.
  In fact, the bill lowers individual rates for low-and middle-income 
Americans across the board and doubles the standard deduction for both 
individuals and families. If you are one of the 70 percent of Americans 
who currently take the standard deduction, getting an immediate rate 
cut and a doubling of the earnings you can keep tax free will make a 
big difference to you and to your family.
  This bill does not cut Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security, 
period. This bill does not get rid of the medical expense deduction or 
the charitable deduction. Those are protected and expanded. The bill 
did not take away healthcare from Americans. Eighty percent of the 
people who pay for the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate tax are 
families making less than $50,000 a year. This bill gets rid of the 
individual mandate penalty so struggling families aren't burdened by 
yet another tax.

  It is clear: the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is already delivering positive 
results to Illinois individuals, families, and small businesses; and to 
Americans everywhere. It is good news, and more good news is coming.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Hultgren for joining us. I 
appreciate him taking the time to explain the importance of this in his 
district.

[[Page H1430]]

  My next speaker has extensive experience on economic development and 
creating a better business climate.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to Congressman Darin LaHood, representing the 
18th District of Illinois, a member to both the Joint Economic 
Committee and Ways and Means Committee.
  Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Mitchell for yielding. I 
thank him and Congresswoman Mimi Walters for putting together and 
organizing this Special Order in order to highlight the effects of the 
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on families in Illinois and across the country.
  Thirty-one years is way too long. That is what it took before we 
passed comprehensive tax reform at the end of last year. And in my 2\1/
2\ years here, I couldn't be more proud to support the bill. And when I 
went in to looking at the legislation in the bill, I really looked at 
two things as we looked at comprehensive tax reform. One is, how do we 
help middle class and lower middle class people across this country and 
in my district? And secondly, how do we get the economy roaring again?
  We, for almost 9 years, had a very sluggish economy and stagnant 
wages. How do we get the economy healthy, robust, vibrant again? We 
succeeded on both those counts with this bill, and I am very proud to 
support it.
  This historic tax reform law is making a real difference for our 
families and our workers. But you don't have to take my word for it. 
Take it from the hardworking people I have spoken with across Illinois' 
18th District. The workers I have spoken with are already seeing the 
results of the new withholding tables, which is no surprise.
  In fact, the median family of four in my district will save $2,593--
again, let me repeat that, $2,593 every year from this new law. This 
figure is certainly not crumbs, as some people would describe it.
  When half of Americans say they are living paycheck to paycheck, this 
is real money for them. The benefits have already gone beyond lowering 
the rates, with more bonuses and pay raises being announced every 
single day.
  One example from my district is the Five Senses Spa in Peoria, 
Illinois. This is a small business. And for over a decade, the owner, 
Paola Hinton, has provided clients with relief from the stresses of 
their life at her spa. With the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, 
Five Senses Spa is now providing tax relief to their employees. After 
calculating the savings from her business that she saw through the Tax 
Cuts and Jobs Act, Paola handed out $500 bonuses to all of her 
employees as a ``thank you'' for their hard work. This is real money 
that the employees can put towards expenses, new purchases, or even 
saving up for things like education or a home or a new car.
  But tax reform also has positive effects beyond larger paychecks. 
Last month, I spoke with a constituent named Chris, who is a small-
business owner, and also the fire marshal for Springfield and Sangamon 
Counties. Chris attended a roundtable discussion I hosted in 
Springfield and talked about how the new depreciation rules, as a part 
of the tax reform law, have already incentivized building owners to 
upgrade their sprinkler and safety equipment, which has benefitted his 
small business. Safer buildings and up-to-date fire prevention are a 
win-win for everyone.
  I was glad to hear that even our local fire marshal was seeing the 
real effects of commonsense tax reform and reforming our Tax Code. 
Stories like these are coming from every district across this great 
country, and the benefits of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act show no sign of 
slowing down, and that is good news for all Americans.
  It should be clear by now that letting workers keep more of their 
hard-earned paychecks is a recipe for a healthy economy, and I am 
excited to see how this bill continues to improve the lives and 
security of all American families.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, could the Congressman stay one moment for 
a quick question?
  Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, sure.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, he was talking a little bit about the 
depreciation allowance and what that depreciation means for small 
business--especially small business.
  One of the important things we did was to change how the taxes are 
structured for a path we call pass-through to small businesses. Maybe 
he could explain that briefly, what was done to help small business be 
viable and grow in this country.
  Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, I think we acknowledge that small businesses 
are the lifeblood of our economy. They create the most jobs in our 
economy. So when we looked at comprehensive tax reform, we obviously 
talked to those small businesses, those independent folks, and said: 
What can we do to help you in terms of lowering the rates, 
depreciation, expensing?
  We took that into account, and now you are seeing the results of 
that. So when you talk to small businesses on the real effect, what 
does that mean? What do they do with those savings?
  Well, they are hiring more people, they are investing in higher 
wages, they are investing back into their companies, which has a 
downstream effect throughout this country, and those are real results; 
and, again, that is a positive nature, which will continue into the 
future, and we are awful proud of those provisions.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. LaHood for detailing that, and 
I appreciate him taking time this evening.
  We now will rotate back to Michigan, a fellow freshman, good friend 
of mine, also a proud Yooper. I am proud to introduce my fellow 
colleague in the freshman class from the northern regions of Michigan, 
who, throughout this process, served on the Budget Committee and had 
input into what this bill is.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield to Congressman Jack Bergman from the First 
District of Michigan.
  Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, what a great opportunity to really stand up 
here and smile and talk to the American public with the words of 
constituents from Michigan's First District, because these are not my 
words. These are their words over the last 2\1/2\ months or so since we 
passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
  You know, in November 2016, the great people of Michigan's First 
District sent me to Washington with a direct, yet simple, mandate: Get 
Washington, D.C., out of our pockets and off our backs. For a marine, 
that is a pretty simple mission-oriented instruction.
  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was the first major step to accomplishing 
that goal. Since we passed tax reform, I have travelled throughout many 
of the First District's 32 counties talking with constituents, business 
owners, and hearing their individual stories. Farmers, businesses, both 
large and small, and families are already seeing the benefits that tax 
reform brings, and we are just getting started.
  Many of these small companies said: Well, I don't know yet, but I 
have got to meet with my accountant around the middle of April, and 
then we will really see.
  But now they are starting to see wage increases and bonuses, and 
business expansions are all beginning to roll in and take effect, and 
it is long overdue in our neck of the woods. And when I say, ``our neck 
of the woods,'' that is not a figurative statement. That is a literal 
statement.
  You know, many families in our district live paycheck to paycheck, 
and even a small crisis could send them into a tailspin. An extra $100 
or $150 in a paycheck in my district is not crumbs. It is not 
Armageddon. It is a big plus. It gives that family flexibility to live 
their life and to raise their kids and be a proud community--wage-
earning members of that community.
  That $1,000 a year may mean a new set of snow tires. And by the way, 
we only have, roughly, a little over 2 weeks of winter left, but we use 
our snow tires up there through about mid-May. That is just the way it 
works.
  That money might go for the kids to play on a sports team. Hockey is 
not a cheap sport to put your son or daughter in. Or it could be, 
possibly, just saving up in that family rainy day fund for an 
emergency.
  We hear of businesses from Boyne City to Marquette expanding, growing 
their staff, raising wages, all a result of a fairer and simpler Tax 
Code.
  You know, when I talk to some folks, they say: You know what, I don't 
mind working. I am proud to work. The dignity of work is what makes me 
strong as an individual, what makes me strong as a mother or a father.

[[Page H1431]]

  They just think, in some ways, it is just not fair if you don't earn 
your wage. So there is a certain sense of pride that goes along with 
that.

                              {time}  1800

  We all know that if you are looking for thanks, running for office 
probably isn't the field of work you should get into. Yet everywhere I 
go in the district these last couple of months, constituents have been 
coming up to me saying: Thank you.
  They don't know who I am. We get to talking, and they say: You are 
the guy on TV. Yeah. Well, thank you for what you did. Thank you for 
passing tax reform.
  Just a few weeks ago, I was at the Home Depot in Petoskey, and a 
gentleman who was working there pulled me aside and thanked me for 
getting tax reform done. That allowed him to keep more of his check 
plus a sizable bonus that was paid by Home Depot.
  In the Upper Peninsula, U.S. Special Delivery gave all 200 employees 
$1,000 bonuses after tax reform passed because of the money that they 
will save as a company on their taxes this year.
  A couple of weeks back, when I was in Traverse City, Traverse City 
State Bank announced that they are giving out new bonuses.
  So many more businesses in the First District are raising wages, 
adding workers, giving bonuses, and expanding.
  We know that this is just the beginning, and Americans can expect 
much more in the days ahead because of the energy that we have put into 
the growth of our American economy.
  Mr. Speaker, this confirms the very core beliefs that I have and 
conservatives all throughout the country believe in. If we get the 
Federal Government off our back, where it is not supposed to be, and 
out of our pockets, we will unleash unprecedented economic potential 
for the citizens of our great country.
  I would just close with one note, and that is I am Scandinavian, and 
there is a wonderful delicacy that you can only afford at the holidays, 
and I think more people are able to afford it now, and it is called a 
crumb cake, and it is great.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Bergman, and we are 
wishing for spring in northern Michigan sooner than mid-May.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to wrap up this evening by talking a little bit 
about what all my colleagues spoke about: our principles.
  Our principles were that people who worked hard should keep more of 
their money, that their families and their pocketbooks should come 
first and not government come first. We have achieved that with the Tax 
Cuts and Jobs Act.
  How did we achieve that?
  We almost doubled the standard deduction. For a married couple, the 
standard deduction is $24,000 this tax year--$24,000, and you pay no 
taxes.
  We lowered the individual tax rates for all tax brackets.
  We simplified the Tax Code so that taxpayers can file their taxes, 90 
percent of them, on a form about this size. No, you don't have to mail 
a postcard. You put it in an envelope. But the good news is you don't 
need multiple pages. You don't have to hope that you have got a wizard 
to help you. Ninety percent of Americans can fill out a few items on 
here, include the W-2, and send it on in.
  We expanded, as was discussed earlier, the child tax credit from 
$1,000 to $2,000 for single filers and married couples to help parents 
with the cost of raising their children. We made that fully refundable 
up to $1,400. That is, even if your taxes are zero, you get a refund 
from the government for $1,400 to help you with childcare and taking 
care of your dependents.
  For taxpayers that the standard deduction did not work as well, we 
kept a number of important deductions, the three most popular ones: 
Charitable deduction, kept that; the home interest deduction, we kept 
that; and State and local taxes.
  What that means is, for 95, 98 percent of my tax filers in the 10th 
Congressional District, even if they fill out their deductions rather 
than do the standard deduction, they are much better off.
  Since the tax reform bill passed, as I stated earlier, 400 companies, 
in about 70 days, have given a pay raise or a bonus or both, increased 
benefits, 401(k) contributions.
  In the case of utilities, you heard in Michigan, almost $400 million 
a year in rate cuts, something we hadn't thought about, hadn't 
anticipated--real money saved by our consumers.
  Four million people have received a special tax bonus, resulting in 
about $3 billion injected into the economy. In Michigan, it is $180 
million already.
  That is real money. It is not economic Armageddon. I am proud to have 
been part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We will continue with the Tax 
Truth Squad every week through the summer to send a message to the 
American people that we are looking out for their paychecks and the 
well-being of their family.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________