Trump and Republicans deliver gift that keeps on giving for Americans

The American people have been given an amazing gift this Christmas: a once in a generation set of tax cuts that will save the average middle class family more than $2,000. President Trump and Republicans in Congress kept their promise, working together to create and pass the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and they did so without a single Democratic vote.

American taxpayers will remember that when they go to the polls next year during midterm elections. They will remember repeated invitations from Republicans to their Democratic colleagues asking them to take part in crafting a tax bill for the good of the country and all Americans. They will also remember the repeated rejection by Democrats of bipartisanship. These Democrats will be held accountable for playing politics instead of supporting a much needed tax cut for the middle class.

{mosads}The final tax plan decreases individual tax rates across seven tax brackets and nearly doubles the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples filing together. It cuts the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, doubles the child tax credit to $2,000, and gets rid of the unworkable ObamaCare individual mandate penalty.

The plan maintains deductions that encourage Americans to pursue higher education, buy a home, and give to charity. Not only does it let Americans keep more of what they earn, it also encourages our job creators to grow their businesses here at home, enriching our communities and putting even more people to work.

With all of these provisions and its average $2,000 tax cut, this is one big gift for the American middle class and a boon for our nation’s economy. Within a day of Congress passing the bill, a number of companies announced they would ramp up benefits to their employees and increase wages. AT&T and Comcast announced Christmas bonuses for employees. Boeing announced $300 million in new investments. Wells Fargo and Fifth Third Bancorp said they will raise minimum wage for their employees. There’s no doubt American workers and companies are already seeing the benefits of tax reform.

For our part, the Republican National Committee has been hard at work engaging Americans across the country to share and build support for the tax cut plan. Nationwide, we’ve reached out to more than half a million people on this issue alone. We’ve met with Americans from all walks of life and heard their concerns. Some are living paycheck to paycheck, while others need help growing their small businesses. Some are burdened with childcare expenses, while others are trying to build their rainy day fund. Every single one of them could use a tax cut and an extra $2,000, and I’m pleased to say that the Republican tax plan was built with them in mind.

This fact alone should resonate with every single Democrat who shamefully voted against tax relief for their constituents, especially those lawmakers who once claimed to be for tax reform before turning against it and choosing instead to play petty partisan politics. It’s an unavoidable stain on the record of red state Democrats facing reelection next year, particularly since President Trump won many of those states by large, even double digit, margins. That includes Senators Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Jon Tester of Montana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Bill Nelson of Florida, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.

Voters in those states and across the country saw President Trump and Republicans stand for them and fight for their interests with this bill. Meanwhile, they saw their own elected Democrat senators sit on the sidelines, only chiming in to try to obstruct the process. Americans deserve better than that. They deserve elected officials who commit to delivering real results instead of delivering lies and misinformation to the people they represent. That’s why next November, these voters will head to the polls and cast their ballot for the people who kept their promise and did their job.

Ronna McDaniel is chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.