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There is a moment each year when the President enters the House chamber, the room falls silent, and our nation pauses to take stock of where we stand. Tonight, I will be in that room, ready to celebrate how far we have come and hear President Donald J. Trump’s vision to keep delivering results for Upstate families and hardworking Americans across the country.
They are the backbone of this country, and for too long the only people politicians in Washington seemed to care about were those inside the Beltway. The families of Upstate South Carolina deserved better, and President Trump is proving they will wait no longer.
Since President Trump took office, inflation has been cut by more than half, gas prices have fallen to their lowest average in over four years, real wages are growing, and for the first time since 2020, Americans have seen an overall price decline. On housing, mortgage rates have hit their lowest level since September 2022, affordability has reached a four-year high, and national median rent has fallen for four consecutive months. In a state where 13 percent of employment is in manufacturing, these policies are also protecting an estimated 97,000 full-time jobs across South Carolina.
Last summer, Our House Republican majority built on that foundation by passing the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, the largest tax cut in American history. No tax on tips for the workers who earn every dollar on their feet. No tax on overtime for the people burning the midnight oil to get ahead.
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In South Carolina alone, nearly 1 million seniors could benefit from provisions eliminating taxes on Social Security, while 26 percent of employees who regularly work overtime stand to benefit from this tax relief.
The pro-family provisions go even deeper. The Child Tax Credit has been raised to $2,200 per child, delivering direct relief to more than 40 million American families. The standard deduction for families has been boosted to $31,500, meaning 91 percent of taxpayers keep more of what they earn without ever touching a tax form. For families across South Carolina, these are not policy abstractions. A typical family with two children in our state can expect to see between $6,900 and $9,800 in higher take-home pay as a result of these policies, putting real money back in real pockets and investing in the future of the American family.
What I hope comes through in the President’s address tonight is something I believe deeply and hear reflected every time I am back home: this work is far from finished, and those of us fighting for working Americans have no intention of slowing down. Groceries, healthcare, and housing supply are still real pressures on Palmetto State families. Every inch of progress is contested by Democrats who spent four years making life harder for working Americans and have offered nothing but obstruction since.
House Republicans are not treating this moment as a victory lap. We are treating it as a mandate to keep going. There is more to do, and I am confident that the winning is just beginning.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
William Timmons represents the people of South Carolina’s fourth district in the United States Congress.
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3 comments
Trump has never cared about working-class people. He considers them serfs. He would not let a working-class American set foot in Trump Tower or Mar-a-Lago, except as a repair person or servant.
The GOP has done nothing for working-class families since Trump took office. For every dollar they purport to have given with one hand, they have taken away more with the other. The Child Care Credit is way below what Democrats wanted and inadequate for working families. As for Social Security, the Social Security reserve is going to run out in 7 years. Neither Trump nor his GOP cohorts have proposed anything to fix this, other than to cut the benefits of working-class Americans. If this is not fixed, working-class Americans will see their SS check drop by 20%. The majority of Americans don’t pay significant taxes on Social Security, and do not benefit from tax reductions on Social Security. But they sure as hell will understand a 20% pay cut. Of course, as the social security crisis looms, stone cold silence from Trump, and stone-cold silence from Republicans. You guys have been trying to kill Social Security for decades. Its the most beneficial program for the working-class American in history, but Trump does not care about these people. They will never see the inside of the billionaire party room he is building onto the “People’s House” or get to attend his morally bankrupt Great Gatsby parties in Palm Beach.
Republicans blocked the tax credits associated with the affordable care act to expire, and have provided nothing, zip, zero in replacement. Once again, this hurts, you got it, working-class Americans. Republicans have had decades to come up with alternatives, and they have offered nothing. So now, working-class Americans are seeing the cost of health care go through the roof, as their insurance premiums soar, and insurance executives see their multi-million dollar bonuses go through the roof. But Trump does not care if the serfs pay more for health care.
And talk about groceries, housing, cars, car repairs, etc, etc. All are up. In large part due to Trump’s illegal tariffs. Again, working-class Americans foot the bill. But we are not stupid. We know we are paying more. Inflation last quarter was 2.9%+ year over year. When Trump took office, it was 3.0% year over year. Less than a one-tenth of one percent reduction. Meaningless to working-class Americans.
Republicans care about two things: protecting billionaire tax cuts and hiding the Epstein files. Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk pay a lower percentage of their income in taxes than Americans making 75 to 80k a year. But hey, they are the Don’s buddies. Of all the tax cuts since Republicans took office, 95% went to the richest 10% of Americans, leaving the remaining 90% to divvy up the rest. Does not sound like working class help to me. We all know we are worse off than we were a year ago. You guys can lie all you want. It’s what Trump does best. But everyone except the MAGA cult is not buying it anymore. Seniors are choosing between food and drugs, farmers are going bankrupt, and job openings are falling. Trump and the Republicans will do nothing for average Americans except screw them over. They just want to dupe them into believing otherwise or distract them with culture wars.
As for my partisan leanings, I am an independent. Always have been, always will be. So not a Democrat, just a realist.
wtf planet is this bald headed fart living on?
no tax on tips expires in 2028; tax cuts for the ultra rich never expire.
Trumpstein recently signed an Executive Order to increase availability and/or use of the carcinogen glyphosate on our wheat.
Yeah, he “cares” about us, alright!