The Brady Briefing: Remembering George HW Bush, US House Still Working, New Trade Agreement, Progress with China
The Brady Briefing is a regular feature of USA Daily Times. In this issue, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) focuses on the legacy of Bush 41, the continued progress in the US House, new trade agreement, and progress with China.
By U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX)
George H.W. Bush was a courageous war hero, Texas Congressman, an Ambassador, Director of the CIA, Vice President, and President of the United States. But I believe he would say his favorite title was husband to his beloved Bar, and greatest accomplishment was in raising children who serve their nation with equal dedication and patriotism.
Our country and our state have lost a man of honor who leaves a legacy of love and service for his nation and his family. Cathy and I extend our deepest condolences to the Bush family and join the nation in mourning the death of one of our greatest leaders.
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After losing a true American hero with the death of our 41st President, it seemed entirely appropriate to spend the day with future leaders of our U.S. military. On Saturday, we hosted our annual ‘Academy Day’, during which young people in our district interview with our Academy Board in hopes of securing a nomination to one of our military institutions. It’s always a blessing to meet these exceptional young people who have a heart for service and who stand out from crowd because of their hard work.
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This session of Congress is almost over, but there is still work to be done. Last week I introduced bipartisan legislation — the Retirement, Savings, and Other Tax Relief Act — which will build on the economic successes we see throughout our district, our state, and the country.
The legislation will help families save earlier in life and more over time for retirement and education. It allows small businesses to join together to provide retirement plans to their workers, and it will spur innovation by allowing new businesses to write off more of their initial start-up costs, helping them move from the kitchen table to Main Street.
Our new tax code also deserves a new tax collector. This new legislation offers the first reforms for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in twenty years by redesigning it into a “Taxpayer First” agency, focusing on customer service, while reining in IRS abuses. We create an independent appeals process that puts taxpayers on the same level as the IRS, allowing disputes to be resolved more fairly, affordably and quickly. We modernize the IRS to make sure personal taxpayer information is truly protected. And we prevent the IRS from seizing the assets of American taxpayers without due process.
It’s been a tough couple of years when it comes to natural disasters. We’ve certainly seen our own share of devastation here in Texas. Rebuilding is tough, which is why this legislation also offers temporary tax relief to families and cities that have been impacted by natural disasters. Together, we can–and will—help these communities rebuild.
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The United States, Canada and Mexico formally signed the new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) last week, which will update NAFTA for the 21st century. President Trump has delivered on his promise to obtain provisions that will increase our ability to sell American goods and services, which can be a big win for Texas workers, farmers and ranchers. I look forward to working with the Trump administration to help obtain support for the USMCA by increasing certainty in the durability of the agreement and to ensure that our trading partners will be held accountable.
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I was pleased to learn of the positive developments in the U.S. – China trade negotiations that took place over the weekend at the G20 summit when President Trump agreed not to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. In exchange, the Chinese have agreed to purchase U.S. agricultural, energy, industrial and other products from the United States. I will continue to work with President Trump over the next 90 days to hold China accountable for its unfair trade practices and prevent American workers and farmers from the negative impacts of these tariffs.
Kevin Brady is Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
