Mike Pence: The Trump administration agenda is working for Kansas City
When I visit Kansas City Wednesday, I will deliver an important message to the hardworking men and women of Kansas and Missouri: Our agenda is working for America’s heartland.
Simply look at our historic tax cuts. Last December, thanks to the strong support of Kansas and Missouri Republican leaders in Congress, President Donald Trump signed into law a huge tax cut and reform package. Nearly seven months later, our tax cuts are already growing the economy and putting more money in the pockets of working families across the Kansas City metro area and beyond.
Under these tax cuts, the first $24,000 of income for a married couple — nearly double the previous income threshold — is now 100 percent income-tax free. We also doubled the child tax credit to $2,000. And we cut out the core of Obamacare by eliminating the failed individual mandate penalty, so you’re no longer forced to buy unaffordable, government-mandated health insurance.
All told, under our plan, a typical family of four in Kansas and Missouri will save over $2,200 on their taxes every year. The typical farm household will save nearly twice that amount.
We also cut taxes on businesses large and small, and job creators across the region have already responded by using their tax-cut savings to create jobs, grow their businesses and invest in their workers. Since Trump signed these tax cuts into law, more than 66,000 Kansas and Missouri workers have benefited from the tax cuts in the form of pay raises, better benefits and bigger bonuses.
And this is just the beginning. As businesses continue to respond to our tax cuts, we estimate that the average savings for Kansas and Missouri workers will rise by nearly $4,000 in the years ahead.
The Show-Me State and the Sunflower State are represented by strong Republican leaders in our nation’s capital who helped pass Trump’s historic tax cuts, including the contingent from the Kansas City metro area. This includes Reps. Kevin Yoder, Sam Graves and Vicky Hartzler, in addition to Sens. Pat Roberts, Jerry Moran and Roy Blunt.
These leaders are fighting tirelessly for a brighter future for Kansas and Missouri’s working families, farmers and small businesses. But the same cannot be said of their Democratic colleagues in Congress, all of whom voted against cutting your taxes — including Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri.
But the evidence is clear: Our tax cuts are already helping working families in Kansas City and beyond, and so is the rest of our agenda.
Our administration is rolling back the heavy hand of government — eliminating 22 federal regulations for every new rule put on the books. We’ve been unleashing America’s boundless energy resources to power our factories, farms and homes. And our president is fighting tirelessly to break down trade barriers, so Kansas and Missouri farmers and manufacturers have new opportunities to export and expand.
The results we are seeing in Kansas City and across the country are nothing short of remarkable. Since Kansas and Missouri elected Trump, businesses large and small have created nearly 3.7 million new jobs across the country. And the economy is booming here in Kansas City — with nearly 42,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate that’s fallen by a fifth since our inauguration.
But make no mistake: The best is yet to come. We will continue to keep our promises to you. Our president made that clear once again on Monday when he nominated Brett Kavanaugh to be the next justice on the Supreme Court. Like all the principled jurists appointed by Trump, Kavanaugh will uphold all the God-given liberties enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.
Under President Donald Trump, the forgotten men and women of America are forgotten no more. And with the continued support of Kansas and Missouri, I know we’ll finish what we’ve started, and we’ll make America great again.
Mike Pence is vice president of the United States.