President Donald Trump outlined his vision for tax reform Wednesday that he said would streamline the nation's burdensome tax code while cutting taxes for businesses and middle-income Americans — and warning legislators that "I don't want to be disappointed by Congress."
"This is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver real tax reform for everyday hard-working Americans," Trump told employees of the Loren Cook Co., which has been making fans and exhaust systems in Springfield, Missouri, since 1941.
"I am fully committed to working with Congress to get this job done," he said. "And I don't want to be disappointed by Congress.
"Do you understand me?" Trump asked. "The United States is counting on it."
In presenting his ideas, the president said his reform plan would be "pro-growth, pro-jobs, pro-worker and pro-American."
"In recent years, millions of Americans have watched that prosperity slip away in the rear-view mirror," Trump said. "It wasn't pleasant to watch.
"We want to renew our prosperity — and to restore opportunity, then we must reduce the tax burden on our companies and on our workers.
"We're here today to launch our plans to bring back Main Street by reducing the crushing tax burden on our companies and on our workers," he added.
"Our self-destructive tax code costs Americans millions and millions of jobs, trillions of dollars and billions of hours spent on compliance and paperwork."
President Trump's broad objectives include simplifying the tax code, to make it "simple, fair and easy to understand"; developing a "competitive tax code that creates more jobs and higher wages for Americans"; and lowering taxes for middle-class Americans "so they can keep more of their hard-earned paychecks."
They also would pare repatriation taxes so companies can "return trillions and trillions of dollars to our economy.
"It's time to invest in our country, to rebuild our communities and to hire our great American workers," Trump said.
The president repeatedly bashed Congress throughout his speech — referencing last month's failed Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare and calling out Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, who will be seeking her third term next year.
"We have no choice, we must lower our taxes," the president told the crowd. "And your senator, Claire McCaskill, she must do this for you.
"If she doesn't do it for you, you have to vote her out of office."
In a statement released after the speech, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin praised President Trump for "taking the case for tax reform straight to Main Street.
"Here in the House, we've made it clear that our top priority this fall is reforming the tax code and cutting people's taxes.
"Right now, our tax code is burdensome, incomprehensible, and puts American businesses at a severe disadvantage on the world stage," Ryan said. "We want American companies to hire here and make things here.
"We want Americans to be able to keep more of their hard-earned money. That's why we are committed to reforming the tax code.
"We are united in our determination to get this done."
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