{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/op-eds?ContentRecord_id=866646CC-A19E-448D-BC80-208A39F0600E", "Were Standing at the Doorstep of History", "2017-12-08", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sen. John Thune \r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\tThe term \u201chistoric\u201d is a bit of a relative term, I suppose. In most cases, it\u2019s in the eye of the beholder. \u201cHistory,\u201d on the other hand, is far more finite. It either is or it isn\u2019t. All of the actions we take in Congress eventually become part of history, and many of them, to one degree or another, are historic. With Congress poised to pass the first major tax reform legislation in more than three decades, I believe we\u2019re about to take one of those historic steps that will mark a critical point in America\u2019s history, and I\u2019m excited about what it means for South Dakotans.\u00a0 \u00a0\r\nThe idea of reforming the U.S. tax code is not new. Since I joined the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee in 2011, we\u2019ve held nearly 70 hearings on tax-related issues. In 2015, I chaired one of the Finance Committee\u2019s bipartisan working groups that made recommendations on how to reform the tax code. When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was in the Finance Committee, we spent nearly 24 hours over several days debating and voting on 63 Democrat amendments to the bill. We spent nearly an entire legislative week debating the bill on the Senate floor, considering amendments and motions from Republicans and Democrats. I\u2019m proud that this process has been open and that it followed regular order.\r\nIs the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act perfect? No, it\u2019s not. But in my experience in Congress, the legislative process very rarely, if ever, yields a perfect outcome. Whether we like it or not, that\u2019s how our democracy works. The bill does, however, represent some of the best ideas we\u2019ve considered over the years, and it would go a long way in providing relief to low- and middle-income Americans throughout the country.\r\nThe Senate bill would double the standard deduction, which would expand the \u201czero tax bracket\u201d for low-income Americans and significantly reduce the tax burden for other filers. It would double the child tax credit \u2013 welcome news for families that are struggling to make ends meet \u2013 and it would cut taxes for taxpayers in all income groups. The bill also makes important reforms to the business side of the tax code that would spur economic growth and create more opportunities for American job creators and their employees.\r\nThe House and Senate have both passed tax reform bills that reflect the same broad principles I\u2019ve just described. It\u2019s now time for the two chambers to negotiate a final bill that we can pass and send to the president. I\u2019m humbled to have been selected as one of only a handful of members to help merge the two bills and, by doing so, get us closer to the finish line. I\u2019m looking forward to the work that\u2019s ahead.\r\nHours before the Senate passed its bill on December 2, I went to the Senate floor to share some thoughts with my colleagues, and I think there are a few points worth repeating. America may have been through a rough patch lately, but she is coming back stronger than ever. America led the world in the 20th century, and this tax bill makes it clear that she is going to do the same in the 21st century. I was reminded of Ronald Reagan\u2019s presidential ad quoting that it was morning in America again. It may not be morning yet, but the dawn is peaking over the horizon.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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//public/index.cfm/op-eds?ContentRecord_id=866646CC-A19E-448D-BC80-208A39F0600E"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4591710641980171, "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"}