[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19416-19417]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TAX CUTS AND JOBS BILL

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, last week, the Senate came another step 
closer to providing real tax relief to the middle class and providing a 
much needed boost to our economy. Yes, I am talking about the passage 
of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
  That bill spent years in the making. As my chief legislative focus 
for many years, tax reform is not some off-the-cuff effort. No, we have 
been researching, holding dozens of hearings, commissioning bipartisan 
working groups, and working with our friends on the other side of the 
Capitol and down the street at the White House for some time now.
  This bill is going to put another $2,200 in the pockets of the 
average American family. This bill is going to boost the economy. It is 
going to grow jobs and finally help end the wage stagnation we have 
been faced with for years.
  This bill is going to unleash the American spirit, bringing 
businesses back home where they started and encouraging other 
businesses to both come from abroad, as well as to grow from within. 
Once again, America will be open for business.
  I have not been alone in this process though, not by a long shot. In 
fact, tax reform has been a priority for many of my colleagues, 
including some who are no longer serving. I am talking, of

[[Page 19417]]

course, about people like Congressman Dave Camp and Senator Max Baucus, 
who did a lot to move this effort forward. I feel gratified to have 
been here and to have worked with my colleagues to get this far.
  As efforts this year began in earnest, we set out to build on the 
work of our former colleagues and to give low- and middle-income 
Americans some much needed relief and to give our country an 
opportunity to compete in the global economy. Our bill will do that, 
but as we all know, these great reforms are not quite yet promised to 
the American people. There is still work to do as we work to iron out 
our differences with the House and make sure every section of this bill 
is ready to be eased into law or passed into law.
  That said, I think we deserve to celebrate a little bit and, more 
importantly, to thank everyone for their work to get us to this point. 
So many people--both in and out of Congress--have worked hard to get us 
this far, and I want to express my appreciation for their efforts. Of 
course, I can't thank everyone in a single floor speech, but I do want 
to thank some who may be within earshot of this Chamber.
  First and foremost, I need to thank Secretary Mnuchin and Director 
Cohn for their commitment to this effort and their help in getting it 
done. It is good to finally have an administration that is willing to 
lead out on tax reform. I also want to thank the distinguished majority 
leader who also did so much to secure the details of the bill and 
shepherd it through the Senate. Furthermore, I want to thank Chairman 
Brady and Speaker Ryan over in the House of Representatives, as well. 
They, too, have been great partners and leaders in this endeavor.
  I also need to thank the staff from the leader's office, including 
Sharon Soderstrom, Brandan Dunn, Antonio Ferrier, Hazen Marshall, Erica 
Suares, Terry Van Doren, Don Stewart, and Jane Lee.
  Of course, I want to thank the Members of the Senate Finance 
Committee who put in countless days, weeks, and months in preparing 
this legislation and helping to get it passed. All of our majority 
Members contributed greatly to this process, and I am most grateful.
  I also want to thank the tax legislative assistants from each of the 
committee members who helped to craft this bill; namely, Chris Allen, 
Sam Beaver, Joseph Boddicker, Chris Conlin, Shay Hawkins, Randy 
Herndon, Bart Massey, Monica McGuire, Mike Quickel, Zachary Rudisill, 
Andrew Siracuse, Robert Sneeden, Derek Theurer, and Mark Warren, all of 
whom did an outstanding job in helping us to produce this bill.
  I also thank the committee's legislative directors: Charles Cogar, 
Ken Flanz, Chris Gillott, Brad Grantz, Amber Kirchhoefer, Kurt Kovarik, 
Jessica McBride, Sarah Paul, Landon Stropko, Jay Sulzmann, Stephen 
Tausend, Pam Thiessen, and Christopher Toppings.
  In addition to all of the Senators and staff on the Finance 
Committee, I need to thank some others. As we all know, this process 
has been a joint effort with our friends on the Budget Committee. I 
need to thank Senator Enzi, once again, for his leadership on that 
committee to give us the reconciliation instruction that made this all 
possible. Additionally, I would like to thank members of his staff, 
including Joe Brenckle, Jim Neill, Betsy McDonnell, Matt Giroux, Paul 
Vinovich, Becky Cole, Eric Ueland, Thomas Fueller, and the rest of the 
Budget Committee team.
  Closer to home, I thank the staff of the Finance Committee, who have 
done so much of the heavy lifting here. I need to single out Mark 
Prater, my chief tax counsel, who has served the committee for decades, 
and whose knowledge and expertise on these matters is recognized by 
everyone here and by pretty much everyone everywhere else. I also 
express my thanks to the rest of my committee tax staff: Jennifer 
Acuna, Tony Coughlan, Christopher Hanna, Alex Monie, Eric Oman, Marty 
Pippins, Preston Rutledge, and Nick Wyatt.
  Additionally, I need to thank my staff director, Jay Khosla, who 
quarterbacked the staff through this whole ordeal and who has spent 
many years with me as we have laid the groundwork and started 
construction on this undertaking. I want to thank the other members of 
my senior team as well, including Matt Hoffmann, Jeff Wrase, Julia 
Lawless, Jennifer Kuskowski, Chris Armstrong, and Bryan Hickman. I need 
to thank the communications staff on the committee: Katie Niederee, 
Nicole Hager, and Joshua Blume.
  I also need to thank a couple of former staff members: Chris 
Campbell, my former staff director, who worked for years on this 
effort. While he is now at Treasury, I am sure he is celebrating right 
now along with us. I would also like to give a thank-you to Jim Lyons, 
my tax counsel, who, unfortunately, passed away a little over a year 
ago. He contributed greatly to this effort for a number of years, and 
his steady presence has definitely been missed.
  Other bodies deserve our thanks as well. Tom Barthold and his team at 
the Joint Committee on Taxation made themselves available at all hours 
to help us get this bill written and ready to pass, as did the staff at 
the legislative counsel's office, led by Mark McGunagle and Jim 
Fransen, as well as those who work with Elizabeth MacDonough in the 
Parliamentarian's office.
  I am so grateful to all of you for your sacrifices and talents that 
have allowed us to craft this impressive package.
  Unfortunately, though, there are too many people to thank in a single 
floor speech. So, please, let me express my gratitude to the countless 
individuals who have helped in this endeavor over the years. This would 
not have been possible without you.
  Before I close, I would like to reiterate that we are not yet there 
though. I know I will not rest and that I can count on the rest of you 
to keep going until we have this over the finish line. We are so close 
to finally giving the American people the Tax Code, and, in turn, the 
economic growth not only they but their children and grandchildren 
deserve. It is my solemn commitment to keep working and get this done 
for all of us.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.

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