Making Arkansas and America strong, safe and prosperous

Our country was at a crossroads last November when the American people headed to the polls to weigh in on which direction we should take. The competing visions represented a clear contrast for voters to consider.
Thankfully they were decisive about which path to take –– the pursuit of pro-growth policies, security at our nation’s borders, energy dominance and independence, and revitalized leadership on the global stage that starts with a powerful, lethal military. Those goals were front and center for President Trump and Republicans up and down the ballot.
I’m pleased the Senate took a significant step to deliver on these aims and provide a once-in-a-generation investment that makes Arkansas and our nation more strong, safe and prosperous.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was approved by the Senate, with my support, specifically because it takes concrete steps to bring our key promises and policies to fruition.
There is perhaps no more important aspect of this legislation than extending the 2017 tax cuts to prevent the largest tax hike in history and offer additional tax relief to working families and small businesses. This bill stops an estimated $4 trillion tax increase on Americans, to include saving the average Arkansan $2,325 next tax season.
Not only are we keeping lower tax rates in place, but we also remove taxes on tips as well as overtime for millions of workers and offer a sizable deduction for low- and middle-income seniors. Additionally, we increase and enhance the child tax credit and standard deduction – claimed by over 90 percent of taxpayers – while also extending the 20 percent small business deduction and enabling full expensing on capital investment as well as research and development. Finally, we are keeping the death tax from doubling for farm families and small business owners to help with passing their livelihoods on to the next generation.

This package also has reforms to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse so assistance programs can continue to serve the truly vulnerable. As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I crafted the commonsense adjustments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to ensure it operates efficiently, is accountable to the taxpayers and helps those who truly need it. Our provisions motivate states to administer benefits with more precision and vigilance while empowering individuals to pursue work, education, training and volunteer opportunities.
The Republican agenda to achieve border security, revitalize national security and usher in energy security also sees great advances under this legislation.
We are delivering transformational investments and updates that supply essential personnel and resources. That includes maintaining the newly recovered operational control of our border into the future and detaining more illegal immigrants while also funding vital initiatives to modernize and enhance our armed forces and spurring more rapid development of an affordable energy supply.
And that is not all. I am especially proud of the work we did to support America’s farmers, who for too long were forced to operate under outdated policies, and invest in rural communities. Our measure aids the long-term success of family farms and America’s agriculture industry by providing desperately needed and improved risk management tools as well as a modernized farm safety net.
The policies we are adopting will help responsibly steward taxpayer dollars and prioritize our nation’s safety, strength and success. I am pleased to be working with the White House and my colleagues to secure these important wins that will benefit Arkansans and communities across the nation.