Jason Smith: President Trump is the first president in my lifetime who cares about working class Americans

(From Eighth District Congressman Jason Smith)

The people of South Central and Southeast Missouri have given me the honor of a lifetime to be your representative, and it’s a responsibility I carry with me every day. 

When I sought to be added to the Ways and Means Committee when I arrived in Congress, it was because of the people I represent – the working families, small businesses, and farmers who make up the backbone of our economy. I thought that from this committee – which has jurisdiction over all taxes, all trade, a large part of health care, Social Security, and welfare – I would be able to fight for our farmers to gain access to markets all over the world, to help small businesses better compete with larger corporations, and to put the interests of working families ahead of those of the wealthy elites in this country. Now that I chair that committee, I have the opportunity to work alongside President Trump to deliver on these priorities.

Lots of Missourians ask me what kind of leader we have in our President, and I could not be more proud to share with you a few of the insights I have had working with him on the policies that affect so many people in our communities. President Trump is the first leader of my lifetime who actually cares about working-class Americans and wants to make fundamental changes to the American way of life specifically to benefit them.

Think about two of the President’s biggest priorities as we work to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, President Trump’s landmark tax cut legislation. The President wants to eliminate taxes on tips and taxes on overtime. In every meeting I have had with the President to discuss tax issues, he has made sure to remind every participant in the room that we need to deliver on these policies. The President understands what a massive boost it would be to hardworking Americans for these two policies to take effect, and the Ways and Means Committee is working on legislation to make that a reality.

Another insight is the President’s understanding that American farmers and American manufacturers have been directly harmed by years of trade policies that benefitted large corporations who moved their operations overseas. 

The President is fighting for farmers who for years have been told to just accept the reality that our so-called allies block American products from being sold overseas using non-tariff barriers. I’ve seen it first-hand, with products like corn in Mexico, rice in India, and soybeans in Brazil. This week, President Trump announced a new agreement with the United Kingdom. Even though the United Kingdom is one of our strongest allies, our farmers know how the UK has discriminated against many of our agricultural products. Because the President was willing to stand up to our allies, our farmers will gain new access to UK markets under this agreement.

We have a generational opportunity in front of us to pass the President Trump’s agenda, and I will be fighting every step of the way for a President who fights for all of us.