[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               TAX REFORM

  Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Madam President, speaking of the economy, by now 
it is no secret that under the last administration, our Nation's 
economic recovery was slow, stunted, and almost exclusively focused on 
the largest urban centers. Between 2010 and 2016, that is where more 
than 90 percent of the population growth happened; it is where nearly 
three-quarters of new jobs went. Most everywhere else--in our smaller 
cities, small towns, and rural areas--families heard a lot of talk 
about what my Democratic colleagues called an ``economic recovery,'' 
but they saw few or none of the effects in these small towns and small 
communities. So it is no surprise that after seeing their communities 
suffer under 8 years of Democrats' policies, millions of Americans are 
ready to take a different route. That is why they elected a Republican 
President and Republican majorities here in Congress. And we set about 
implementing our agenda to take money and power out of Washington and 
put it back in the hands of middle-class families and small businesses 
all across our country.
  But even as the positive effects of these policies have become more 
and more obvious, they continue to encounter near-complete party-line 
opposition at every turn. I recall that just 2 or 3 days after 
President Trump signed our historic tax reform into law, several of my 
colleagues across the aisle were offering some dramatic predictions.
  On Christmas Eve last year, the senior Senator from Montana took to 
the Bozeman Daily Chronicle with a piece titled ``Tax bill a disastrous 
plan, fails Montana and our future.'' Quite a pronouncement. It 
reminded me of the Democratic leader of the House. She said our plan to 
give tax cuts to middle-class families and businesses would bring about 
``Armageddon.'' Armageddon.
  How are these prognostications holding up? The new Tax Code is 
causing Northwestern Energy to pass along millions of dollars in 
savings to Montana utility customers. My friend Senator Daines recently 
shared what tax reform already means to Montana small business owners. 
In Chester, at Stricks Ag, it means bonuses of nearly $1,000 for each 
employee. In Missoula, at Big Sky Brewing, it means worker bonuses and 
money to purchase new equipment. The same goes for Cabinet Mountain 
Brewing in Libby. Over in Thompson Falls, tax reform gave Thompson 
River Lumber the breathing room to buy their first new forklift in 19 
years.
  These are the workers and job creators whom Senator Daines bet on 
when he voted for tax reform and helped make all of this possible. He 
voted for Montanans to send less to the IRS and keep more of their own 
hard-earned money to save or invest as they see fit. It is too bad 
their senior Senator took the opposite approach and tried to block 
these tax cuts from happening, let alone that Democratic leaders in 
both Chambers now say they will repeal tax reform if they get the 
chance. But Republicans will keep picking up the slack and will keep 
standing up for the American people.

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