{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/news/press-releases/the-working-families-tax-cuts-law-invests-in-future-generations/", "The Working Families Tax Cuts Law Invests in Future Generations", "2026-07-21", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Click here to watch the video.\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as delivered):\n\n\u201cMr. President, every parent wants to give their kids a better life than they had.\n\n\u201cSo parents spend a lot of time making sure that their kids are ready when opportunity comes their way.\n\n\u201cIn many cases, that involves putting money aside for their future.\n\n\u201cMr. President, opportunity is one of the pillars of Republicans\u2019 Working Families Tax Cuts.\n\n\u201cThat means both creating opportunity and helping more Americans to seize those opportunities and get ahead.\n\n\u201cAnd one of the ways this bill does that is by helping parents to save and invest in their children\u2019s futures.\n\n\u201cThat starts with lower tax bills so parents keep more of their hard-earned money.\n\n\u201cAnd on top of that, we\u2019ve made it easier for parents to support their kids\u2019 dreams with things like the bill\u2019s new Trump Accounts.\n\n\u201cThese new tax-advantaged investment accounts can be a powerful tool for parents and other family members to give the next generation a brighter future.\n\n\u201cBecause Trump Accounts can be used for a broad array of expenses.\n\n\u201cMoney from a Trump Account can go toward education expenses.\n\n\u201cBuying a first home.\n\n\u201cStarting a business.\n\n\u201cOr buying the family farm or ranch when the time comes.\n\n\u201cKids can even opt to use the accounts as retirement savings when they reach adulthood \u2013 a financial priority for every American.\n\n\u201cMr. President, Trump Accounts will help bring big dreams closer within reach.\n\n\u201cParents of children born between 2025 and 2028 can opt in to receive an initial $1,000 balance in their Trump Account from the government.\n\n\u201cOn top of that, numerous companies have already made pledges to contribute to the Trump Accounts for their employees\u2019 children.\n\n\u201cAnd some philanthropists have made similar commitments.\n\n\u201cPlus, as I indicated earlier, any member of the family can contribute to a Trump Account.\n\n\u201cSo an aunt or an uncle, grandma or grandpa, can add money to a Trump Account as a birthday or Christmas gift \u2013 further boosting the amount a child will have available when he or she reaches young adulthood.\n\n\u201cMr. President, even $20 per month can build to a substantial sum of money by the time a baby born this year turns 18.\n\n\u201cAnd the Trump Accounts app even includes modules and other resources for parents and children to learn about investing and grow their financial literacy \u2013 which will help them throughout their lives.\n\n\u201cMr. President, Trump Accounts are a significant tool for parents and their kids.\n\n\u201cBut it\u2019s far from the only thing that we did in this bill to help the next generation get a head start on the American Dream.\n\n\u201cThe Working Families Tax Cuts also made some significant improvements to the traditional 529 education savings plan, allowing those savings to be used for a greater variety of education-related expenses.\n\n\u201cTutoring.\n\n\u201cHomeschool materials.\n\n\u201cAnd vocational and continuing education.\n\n\u201cPlus, we doubled the withdrawal limit for 529s to $20,000 per year.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I\u2019m also proud of how the Working Families Tax Cuts strengthens pathways to meaningful career options for the next generation.\n\n\u201cOn the higher education side, we implemented accountability and reforms that put downward pressure on the cost of college degrees.\n\n\u201cWe also made permanent a policy I authored that allows employers to pay off a portion of their employees\u2019 student loans without the employee having to pay taxes on the repayment amount.\n\n\u201cFor Americans who are interested in learning a skilled trade, the bill is transformative.\n\n\u201cAs I mentioned, it allows 529 savings to go toward vocational education.\n\n\u201cIt also created the Workforce Pell program, which will provide financial assistance to Americans in shorter-term skills and career-training programs \u2013 whether they\u2019re just starting out, or looking to switch careers or develop new skills in their current field.\n\n\u201cMr. President, states are just beginning the process of identifying programs that will qualify for Workforce Pell.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s already generating excitement.\n\n\u201cOne community college president in New York said of Workforce Pell, and I quote, \u2018The potential is absolutely huge.\u2019\n\n\u201cAnother community college administrator in Oregon hailed how Workforce Pell will provide assistance for the college\u2019s truck-driving certificate program.\n\n\u201cA popular program that leads to high-paying jobs, but for which financial aid is hard to come by.\n\n\u201cWorkforce Pell will change that.\n\n\u201cAnd Workforce Pell will also be a gamechanger for mid-career professionals.\n\n\u201cAs Colette Atkins, who works at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, said, and I quote, \u2018We have students that are working already and they can\u2019t step away for two years, but can they step away to do that 8 to 15 weeks to get that training? They sure can. And now there\u2019s financial support to help them do that.\u2019\n\n\u201cMr. President, suffice it to say, Workforce Pell will open new pathways and create opportunities for a lot of Americans.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s getting started thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts.\n\n\u201cMr. President, putting more money in Americans\u2019 pockets.\n\n\u201cHelping them seize opportunities to get ahead.\n\n\u201cAnd creating new pathways to success.\n\n\u201cThat is the Working Families Tax Cuts at work.\u201d", 1, "2026-07-22T07:34:13Z", "2026-07-22T07:35:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/news/press-releases/the-working-families-tax-cuts-law-invests-in-future-generations/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7503658998757601, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}