Trump's First Year Accomplishments

     It has been a bumpy first year for President Trump. Even though he has been thrashed by liberal media, he has pressed forward to deliver on his promises. Here are some of the promises he has fulfilled in his first year.

Tax Cuts for Christmas

    After a two-month long process, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has passed. Trump has touted it as the largest bill of tax cuts since the 1980s. Indeed, it has numerous pro-business, pro-middle class provisions, from which we have already seen benefits. The most immediate benefits are the bonuses and raises many large companies are giving their employees:

• AT&T, the mobile service provider, has given 200,000 non-management employees a $1000 bonus this year, a $200 million dollar investment.
• Boeing, an airplane manufacturer, is investing $300 million in its employees, which includes training, gift-giving, and workplace upgrading.
• Wells Fargo, a banking giant, is raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour, up from $13.50.
• Sinclair, a broadcasting company, is giving nine thousand employees a $1000 bonus, an investment of $9 million. 

     From my home state of Wisconsin, we are seeing benefits as Associated Bank, based in Green Bay and the largest financial institution based in the state, is raising its minimum wage by 50% to $15 an hour and is giving a $500 bonus to 55% of its workers. 

     The tax bill passed 224 - 201 in the House of Representatives and 51 - 48 in the senate, with Senator John McCain abstaining. Other provisions included in the bill are the opening of oil drilling in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge and the lowering of tax rates in every income tax bracket.

Reformed Judiciary

     More judicial nominees have been confirmed in the Trump administration's first year than in any other president's first year in office. Trump has already confirmed twelve nominees, four times that of Obama, who only had three confirmed. Richard Nixon and John Kennedy came the closest to Trump with eleven nominees confirmed each.

     The rapidity with which the judiciary has been reformed can be largely attributed to the genius of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY). Mitch McConnell has battered down every attempt by Democrats to stop the hearings and has devoted much time in each session to clearing the nominees. 

      Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is the best example of McConnell's patience and political genius. In 2016, when Justice Scalia passed away, President Obama recommended Merrick Garland to take Scalia's place on the Supreme Court. McConnell suggested that Obama was a lame-duck president and that a lame-duck president should not have the right to propose the next justice, resulting in McConnell's refusal to hold hearing for Garland. 

     Despite calls from members of the public and his own party to hold hearings for Garland, McConnell did not budge. Nearly one year later, when President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to replace Scalia, McConnell wasted no time in holding a hearing for him, and Gorsuch was confirmed. 

Leadership on the World Stage

     Recently, President Trump has announced that he would be moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. The United Nations voted overwhelmingly to condemn that move to no one's surprise. Nikki Haley, our ambassador to the United Nations, made it clear that "we would be taking names" during the vote. In response to the UN vote to condemn the embassy being moved to Jerusalem, Nikki Haley announced that $285 million would be cut from the UN budget next year. 

     Following Trump's lead, Guatemala announced that it would move its embassy to Jerusalem as well, with many other countries considering a similar move. 

     In November, Congress authorized a nearly $700 billion defense bill. Included in the bill are provisions to give our service members raises, purchases more LCS ships, orders more Join Strike Craft, and allocates $60 billion to the Pentagon war accounts. This bill fulfills a promise by President Trump to modernize our military and make it the most effective military in the world. 

     Lastly, ISIS has been defeated. Trump did not manage the war against the Islamic State. He delegated the entire war effort to James Mattis. Mattis wasted no time in allowing the military to do what they do best: blowing things up and killing the enemy. 

     

     After Trump's delegation of the war to Mattis, the war effort was accelerated and just in time for Christmas, the UN announced that ISIS had been effectively destroyed. 

     President Trump is doing what he said he would do. He has boosted the economy, reformed the judiciary, and modernized the military. 2017 has been a successful year for his administration, and America is looking forward to what he has planned for 2018.

What you need to know about the Senate tax bill

     Friday night, the Senate finally passed a long-awaited tax bill, that reduces taxes and gives more freedom to small businesses.

What's in it?

As Donald Trump insisted, the tax bill will include a massive tax cut for corporations. The rate will go down from 35% to 20%. This is widely expected to boost the stock market and create more jobs.

Pass-through businesses (those that are not incorporated) are given a larger tax deduction of 20% off their revenue. This as Senators Daines and Johnson said, will give Main Street a bigger boost. Coming from Iowa and Wisconsin, respectively, these senators were insistent that the bill could not exclude small businesses.

Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska demanded that drilling rights for oil companies be allowed on the Alaska Wildlife Refuge. These demands were met and drilling operations will reduce the price of oil and give more jobs to Alaska.

Other elements include repealing the ObamaCare individual mandate and increasing the Teacher Education deduction to $500. This deduction is for teachers who pay for many class supplies out-of-pocket. In the bill, the United States tax system becomes territorial, meaning that money is only taxed when it arrives in the United States.

Lastly, tax-payers are allowed to deduct $10,000 from property taxes.

How it passed:

After passing the committee vote on Wednesday, floor debate began on Thursday. The bill was widely expected to pass late Thursday night or Friday. The vote was delayed after many senators expressed concern over the budget report, stating that the bill would add $1 trillion to the national debt after economic growth is accounted for.

This caused concern with senators such as Bob Corker and Jeff Flake. After much discussion Friday night, Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, convinced Flake to vote for the bill and a vote-a-rama was commenced.

Early Saturday morning, after all the amendments were voted added, the final vote finally came and the tax bill was passed 51-49, with Bob Corker being the only Republican to vote against the measure.

What's next?

Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, has begun setting up a conference committee, which will meet with a Senate committee to decide what the final bill will consist of. When McConnell and Ryan finally reach a bill that they are confident will be passed in both houses. If both houses pass the final bill, the President has said he will sign it into effect. Only the Corporate tax reduction will be postponed until 2019 under the Senate bill.

Effects of the bill:

Due to the smaller rates on corporations and small businesses, businesses throughout the country are likely to respond by hiring more workers. Prices are expected to drop and consumer confidence will increase.

In rural states, such as Wisconsin and Iowa, "Main street" will see an economic revival. Smaller businesses will be more prominent in the community.

Gas corporations, such as Exxon Mobil, will begin drilling in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge, resulting in more jobs in Alaska, advocated by Lisa Murkowski, and lower oil prices.

Because of the repeal of the individual mandate of ObamaCare, fewer people are expected to have healthcare.

If the effects of the bill are as positive as they seem on paper, Republicans will most likely see positive election results in 2018. As the majority increases in Congress, they will be able to pass legislation that reflects the party's agenda.