The Brady Briefing: Tax Reform Works, Energy Infrastructure Reform, and More

Tax Day has come and gone, and the truth is that the vast majority of American taxpayers have benefited from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

The Tax Policy Center reported that 91 percent of middle-class tax payers received a tax cut. H&R block reported that taxes are down by an average of 24.9 percent with the average refund up 1.4 percent. Plus, biweekly paychecks went up by $50.

The facts are on our side, but despite tax reductions in every state and DC, the question remains—why did most American’s think their taxes would go up?

Speaker Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues did everything in their power to misrepresent and mislead the American people about the GOP tax cuts. Before and after the bill was signed into law, Speaker Pelosi predicted “Armageddon” for America and even went so far as to say the $1000 bonuses, 401(k) match increases, utility reductions and job growth were merely “crumbs.”

Even the New York Times called it a, “sustained and misleading effort by liberal opponents.”

The goal of tax reform was to let you (not Washington) keep more of your hard-earned paycheck. Because when Washington takes its hands off your money and our economy, that’s when American businesses and families truly thrive.

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Earlier this month, President Trump signed two Executive Orders to improve Texas energy infrastructure. Texas is growing, and we need to ensure that our energy infrastructure is keeping up. These Executive Orders focus on removing burdensome red-tape and streamlining federal processes. They will create more jobs for hard-working Texans, provide affordable energy to customers, and allow our energy sector to contribute even more to our fast-growing economy.

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Texas Central Rail (TCR) recently petitioned to have the U.S. Surface Transportation Board re-evaluate its authority over the High-Speed Rail project between Houston and Dallas. The only reason TCR is trying to reverse the U.S. Surface Transportation Board’s earlier denial is so Washington can impose land-grabbing eminent domain on Texas landowners – force them to sell their family land against their will. I’m fighting them.

TCR’s proposed high speed rail is a privately funded, state specific project. Therefore, they should not be granted any federal authority to take Texas land, nor should they use federal dollars—which come from taxpayers like you—to fund it.

I support infrastructure improvements that address the dynamic growth of Texas, but only when they work for our communities, not against them.

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The 2019 Congressional Art Competition is a nationwide showcase of our most talented high school artists, where one winner from each congressional district gets to display their artwork in the halls of the United States Capitol. Each spring, the competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and is an opportunity to recognize and encourage artistic talent across the nation. If you know of a talented student who wants to submit their art, make sure they know that our submission deadline is this Friday, April 26th. Please visit my website for more information.

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Happy Easter to all who celebrated! I hope your Holy Week was filled with friends, family, and faith as we came together to celebrate the Lord. He is risen!