By Rep. Adrian Smith
Recent discussions I have had with President Trump and my congressional colleagues highlight both the significant challenges and the opportunity we will soon have to get our country back on the right track. After four years of inflationary spending under the Biden-Harris administration, voters have demanded a change in leadership and policy. The tragic consequences of open border policies have grown more severe during the last four years, and anti-growth Biden-Harris policies have squelched American energy production.
These policy failures demand decisive action, and I am ready and eager to work with the Trump administration to get to work to deliver the winning agenda Americans have chosen in the ballot box. There is no time to waste to implement better policy which will unleash American prosperity while bringing fiscal responsibility. Moving legislative solutions across the finish line will require use of the reconciliation process, and I look forward to working hard with my colleagues and the new administration to accomplish this.
This week, in our first hearing of the 119th Congress, the Ways and Means Committee looked at the work we have been doing to prepare to address expiring tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) which spurred so much wage growth and economic benefit. Following TCJA’s enactment, wages for millions of American workers went up, domestic investment by impacted companies increased by 20 percent, American corporations stopped moving their headquarters overseas, and federal revenue outpaced projections for growth.
In the years leading up to TCJA’s landmark passage, the Ways and Means Committee diligently laid the groundwork by soliciting feedback from Americans, sharing ideas, and working together to construct sound legislation. Without this we would never have been able to produce such a successful legislative product in 2017. In recent months, we have worked hard to do the same thing. As we work to apply the feedback we’ve received, I am committed to providing farmers, manufacturers, and other rural businesses with the certainty, permanence, and simplicity in the tax code they need to plan for the future and succeed financially.
The American people have also clearly called upon the federal government to restore the rule of law to the southern border and end the outgoing administration’s war on affordable energy. While President Biden promptly reversed successful Trump-era policies such as Remain in Mexico and restricted federal oil and gas leases, House Republicans advanced legislation to unleash energy production and close the border by passing H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act and H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act. H.R. 1 would have cut red tape across all energy industries to boost domestic production and exports and expressed disapproval for President Biden’s cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline. H.R. 2 would have reinstated Remain in Mexico and mandated completion of the border wall. Unfortunately, both bills were ignored by Senate Democrats and President Biden.
While coming together to implement these policies in an expeditious, effective manner will be a challenge, it’s important to remember the mandate the American people have set. As we work to bring the best ideas forward, we must not let differences of opinion get in the way of accomplishing what we can for the American people.
President Trump’s return to the presidency is a historic achievement. As we prepare to work together, I am committed to setting up the best ideas for success. We can and we will encourage economic growth, protect Americans by securing our border, promote energy abundance, and restore fiscal sanity to Washington.