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The White House • April 15, 2019 Happy Tax Cut Day from President Trump! April 15 is a date Americans often dread. But this year, as millions of families finished filing their taxes, most were in for a pleasant surprise: a much lower bill from Uncle Sam. Today marks the first “Tax Day” under President Donald J. Trump’s new, simplified tax code. “When government loosens its grip, there is no summit we cannot reach,” the President said before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed into law in 2017. He promised that historic tax cuts would “breathe new life into the American economy.” He was right. Here are some of the big wins for working families under the new code: A doubled Child Tax Credit—from $1,000 to $2,000 per child A nearly doubled Standard Deduction More than $2,000 in savings for an average family of four earning $75,000 $5.5 trillion in total tax cuts, nearly 60 percent of which goes to families   Just as important, President Trump fixed the business tax code to put American companies—and our workers—on a level playing field with the rest of the world. In addition to lowering our sky-high statutory corporate tax rate, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also allowed businesses to immediately deduct expenses to invest in growing their companies. America is open for business again as a result of those reforms: Real GDP growth hit 3 percent recently for the first time since 2005 Half a trillion dollars in investment poured back into the U.S. in 2018 alone For the first time ever, there are more job openings than unemployed workers Small business optimism soared to a record high in 2018   The middle class is thriving thanks to President Trump’s tax cuts. More: How tax reform is helping American families get ahead A few of the best tax cut myths Congressional Democrats have had a rough year in making predictions, to say the least. Fortunately, when it comes to tax cuts, there’s plenty of real evidence to counter the political spin and deception being thrown at President Trump. Here are just a few of the best examples: “This is Armageddon,” then-House Minority Leady Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said on the tax cut bill. “It is the end of the world.” Fact check: We’re all still here.   Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) claimed that “what has been sold as a job creator and wage booster will, of course, do little of either.” In the first 3 months of 2018, nominal hourly pay for workers grew at its fastest rate in at least a decade.   Clinton Administration economist Larry Summers boldly proclaimed that about 10,000 people would die every year from tax reform if passed into law.   One after another, Democrats lined up to make increasingly unhinged claims about something as simple as reforming America’s tax code. None of it was grounded in fact; all of it was built on hysteria. But once again, President Trump challenged the do-nothing status quo of Washington, and once again, his promises proved to be exactly right. “The vast majority of people did get a tax cut,” tax expert Nathan Rigney told The New York Times this week. That’s actually been clear all along, he said—“just now we have real data to back that up.” Rep. Kevin Brady: Democrats, as usual, were wrong on Trump’s tax cuts Video of the Day This afternoon, President Trump visited with small business owners in Minnesota to discuss the impact of tax cuts on their companies. “Today I am proud to announce . . . that we'll be offering 401(k)s to all of our employees tomorrow,” said Carlos Gazitua, president of Sergio’s Family Restaurants. “We are doing what the tax cuts were meant to do as a small business to compete against big business: invest in our people, invest in growth.”

Strong Jobs Market Spurs Bigger Salary Offers “Americans still think plenty of jobs are available and companies are offering better pay as they compete for a shrinking pool of available labor, new study by the New York Federal Reserve shows,” Jeffry Bartash reports in MarketWatch. “The Fed study is the latest proof the jobs market continues to sizzle. The rate of layoffs each week — known as jobless claims — fell below 200,000 earlier this month for the first time since 1969. The economy also added almost 200,000 new jobs in March after a feeble 33,000 gain in February, keeping the unemployment rate at 3.8%.” Click here to read more. “President Obama used to stir Americans with his powerful calls for national unity. It looks like he has, after all these years, finally forged agreement among leaders in both parties that his health care law made things worse and should be replaced. Bipartisanship blooms in Washington,” Scott Jennings writes in the Courier-Journal. “Voters in both parties know they were duped by Obama’s health care promises. Private insurance customers saw their premiums and deductibles jump to pay for someone else’s health care, but not their own.” “How’s this for unexpected irony: As New York pols move to choke their own economy by nixing new natural-gas supplies, President Trump is racing to the rescue,” the New York Post editorial board writes. “Trump last week signed two executive orders to help ease the way for new oil and gas pipelines and other energy projects. One, seemingly aimed squarely at New York, requires the Environmental Protection Agency to look for ways to make it harder for states to use the Clean Water Act to block pipelines”—a common tactic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), the editors add.   “An Arizona mayor on Tuesday declared an emergency in the city he represents due to what he said was the strain caused by the incoming flow of migrants,” Elizabeth Zwirz reports for Fox News. “Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls shared the news on Facebook, explaining that he ‘proclaimed a local emergency’ in the city ‘due to the migrant family releases overwhelming the local shelter system.’” The Tax Cut that Keeps on Giving “Another Tax Day is behind us, but negative media coverage of President Trump’s signature tax-cut legislation continues,” former Heritage Foundation President and founder Ed Feulner writes in The Washington Times.  “Many reporters and pundits didn’t even wait until the tax cut was signed into law in December 2017 to begin mischaracterizing it,” he writes. “Never mind that the real-world experience of most Americans in the wake of these articles contradicted these gloom-and-doom predictions . . . Unemployment is way down, with jobless claims at their lowest since 1969, thanks in large part to the tax cut. There’s something you don’t hear on CNN and other media outlets.” Click here to read more. “As we pass the 100-day mark of Democratic control of the House of Representatives in the 116th Congress, now is a good opportunity to examine what the American people have to show for it. On issue after issue, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Democratic majority has chosen a path of partisanship, rather than problem-solving,” Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) writes in The Daily Signal. “From ignoring the humanitarian crisis at the border to championing an impeachment resolution, it has been one exercise in out-of-touch politics after another.” “It is high time that Democrat leaders, secure in their walled estates and derisive of the president’s efforts to restore order along our southern border, share the responsibility of supporting and caring for the crowds of undocumented people overwhelming our facilities in Texas, New Mexico and elsewhere,” Liz Peek writes in Fox News. “For months Democrats have denied the emergency at our border, denounced the president for politicizing a ‘manufactured crisis’ and dismissed border patrol professionals who advocate for barriers that might help control the surge. They have steadfastly refused to pass any measures that might alleviate the problem.” “Visiting Africa to promote female economic development, Ivanka Trump on Monday sought to spotlight laws and customs that hold women on the continent back, from restrictions on property ownership to gender-based violence,” Catherine Lucey reports in The Associated Press. Ms. Trump is on a four-day trip to promote W-GDP, a White House global women’s empowerment initiative. “We can and we must address these barriers to women’s equality and countries’ prosperity,” Ms. Trump said. First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Karen Pence honor our Armed Forces Yesterday morning, First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Karen Pence traveled to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to meet with members of our incredible United States Armed Forces and their families. “Our nation’s military service members and their families deserve our care and respect,” the Second Lady said before the trip. “I am always honored to have the opportunity to spend time with those who serve and work tirelessly to protect our freedoms.”   🎬 Watch: The First Lady and Second Lady meet with families of Fort Bragg   Upon arrival, Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Pence were greeted by several Generals and their spouses, including Commanding General Michael Garrett of the U.S. Army Forces Command and his wife. From there, Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Pence had an opportunity to witness elite capability demonstrations from members of the Army Special Operations. The behind-the-scenes visit was “incredibly impactful,” the First Lady said. “The United States Military is a national treasure . . . Thank you to Fort Bragg for welcoming us and letting us inside this tight-knit and admirable community of true heroes.” In honor of April as the Month of the Military Child, Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Pence also visited a student assembly at Albritton Middle School on Fort Bragg. After the school’s chorus performed a welcoming song, the First Lady and Second Lady took questions from the student body. In photos: The First Lady and Second Lady visit Fort Bragg More: Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Pence honor service members and their families Notre Dame: A symbol of faith around the world For nearly 1,000 years, the Cathedral of Notre Dame has stood as a spiritual home for millions. Yesterday, Americans joined the French in watching with shock and sadness as a devastating fire caused significant damage to this architectural masterpiece. On behalf of the American people, President Donald J. Trump offered his sincere condolences this morning to President Emmanuel Macron of France. Members of the Trump Administration joined the President in offering heartfelt thanks to the first responders and unity with the people of Paris. Vice President Mike Pence called the Notre Dame “an iconic symbol of faith to people all over the world,” adding that “it is heartbreaking to see a house of God in flames.” France remains the oldest ally of the United States. On September 12, 2001, the Notre Dame’s bells rang in solemn recognition of the previous day’s unprecedented attacks on American soil. We will never forget. Soon those bells will ring again—and America will do everything it can to help France restore this irreplaceable symbol of hope. Read Press Secretary Sarah Sanders’ full statement on the Notre Dame fire Video of the day: The 2019 Spring Garden Tours Spring has sprung at the White House, and the general public was invited over the weekend to take in the beautiful gardens of our South Grounds! Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead President Donald J. Trump participates in a roundtable on the economy and tax reform at Nuss Truck & Equipment in Burnsville, Minnesota | April 15, 2019