Op-Eds

My goal in Congress is to increase liberty and abundancy of life. And, last year, Congress passed President Donald Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts to do just that. One year later, we reflect on the results delivered for the American people. 

This past tax season, the evidence was clear: 97% of tax filers received a tax cut, with nearly $82 billion in relief reaching American families and workers.

The statistics are compelling. Ninety-six percent of those receiving tax cuts earned less than $200,000. Nearly 70% earned less than $100,000. Workers claiming the No Tax on Overtime provision — over 29 million of them — saved an average of $3,100. That’s real money for real families paying for groceries, rent, and their children’s futures. Over 7.5 million workers kept more of their tips, averaging $7,000 in additional deductions. Thirty-five million seniors claimed the Enhanced Senior Deduction, averaging $7,500 in relief.

The Enhanced Child Tax Credit, now permanently doubled, went to nearly 40 million families — 65% of whom earn under $100,000. And over 127 million Americans — 90% of all tax filers — benefitted from the permanently doubled standard deduction, simplifying their taxes while keeping more money in their hands. 

This is what liberty looks like in practice. It’s a parent working overtime keeping more of those extra paychecks. It’s a young family opening a Trump Account to invest in their child’s future — over 5.5 million have already done so. It’s a senior on a fixed income getting real relief. It’s a small business owner keeping more of what they earn and putting it back into their community.

Without this legislation, families across East Texas would have been hit with an average $2,000 tax hike as the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expired. Instead, President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts doubled down on the principle that success should be rewarded, not punished.

Our tax code should reflect our values. It should reward hard work, respect paychecks earned through overtime and honest labor, and give families the security to build their futures. It’s a big, beautiful bill that proves government of, for, and by the people should work for the people — by simply letting them keep more of what they earn.

This is real liberty. This is real relief. 

— U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran, a former Smith County judge and former Tyler City Council member, represents Texas’ first congressional district.