Columns

To kick off 2018, the American Farm Bureau welcomed President Trump to their annual meeting. It was the first time a U.S. president addressed this gathering in 26 years.

There is a lot of work ahead in the new year. Before we undertake a fresh set of challenges, it is good to take stock of the many positive outcomes and accomplishments of 2017.

It is hard to believe 2017 is coming to a close. In the final days of a whirlwind year in Congress, we fulfilled our commitment to send tax reform to President Trump’s desk. This bill to overhaul our broken and overly burdensome tax code for the first time in a generation will grow economic opportunity and improve the lives of people across America.

This is the season of good news, and the economic potential we are currently seeing in our country is no exception.

Empowering people to achieve independence and productivity is our mission on the Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee, of which I serve as chairman. President Trump is urging Congress to focus on welfare reform after we finish our tax code overhaul, and I am eager to dive into this effort to help more Americans reach self-sufficiency.

Tax reform is our main focus in Congress right now, and many beneficial provisions for the agriculture economy are advancing with this effort. We know farmers and ranchers are weathering uncertain times, and as we get closer to putting a tax reform bill on President Trump’s desk, we also need to get moving on the farm bill.

With so many meaningful reforms included in the House’s tax code overhaul, I am particularly pleased about the numerous victories for agriculture.

Over these past few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I have been working day after day on tax reform. The House’s historic vote on November 16 to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was a crucial step closer to a simpler, fairer tax code. As grateful as I am to see tax reform moving forward, there are many other reasons to be thankful this season!