Yesterday, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) joined FOX News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show” to discuss the upcoming six-month anniversary of the tax reform law, as well as tariffs and the need for a new, modern NAFTA.
On the six-month anniversary of the tax reform law and the growing economy:
“So, it is early, but the six-month anniversary is at the end of this week, and Brian it’s unbelievable. There is no part of this economy that isn’t dramatically better because of what President Trump and Republicans did. It’s economic growth, it’s job growth, it’s higher paychecks, small business optimism, and growth is at the highest in nearly half a century.
“And boy for those who Democrats say they care about–– the poor…and women––their unemployment rates under Republican tax reform is at the lowest in history for most of them. So we’re giving people job opportunities and pay raises that they’d given up on under President Obama and the Democrats.
“And so, look, we still have more to do. We’ve leapfrogged to the front, lead pack, of the best tax codes on the planet. And now we need more customers––that’s free trade. And we need more workers––that’s welfare reform, which the Ways and Means Committee passed out [of Committee] just before Memorial Day. And look, that’s the first reform since Newt Gingrich did it in 1996––it can get a lot of families back to work.”
On China tariffs:
“What I tell the President is that you’re exactly right to go after China — they’ve been cheating for a long time and it’s costing us tens of thousands of jobs. The challenge for President Trump, like every President, [is] how do you punish China’s behavior [or] misbehavior without punishing Americans while you do it?
“It’s a tough challenge. And so, my focus has been look go after the unfairly traded goods, go after the cheating. Try to leave alone, if you can, the fairly traded products from fairly traded countries like Canada and Mexico, for example. And so, we’re working with the President on how best to do that. He’s got a strategy. He feels like this is bringing people to the table to try to address things that haven’t been addressed for way too long, and so we’re encouraging him and staying at the table with him.”
On Canada, Mexico, and NAFTA:
“For Canada and Mexico, I’d tell them – probably what you would do – which is stay engaged with this White House, come to the table, let’s end the unfair trade practices. And, by the way, there are some coming from Canada and Mexico, too…. Let’s get a pro-growth modern NAFTA that works for America. I’m not a tariff guy because they’re taxes––the lower the better, zero’s the best. The President’s applying them to try to put pressure on China. And so he’s got a game plan and I think we’ve got to help him hit his target.”