In the first six months of this
administration, President Donald Trump has fought every day to deliver
on his promises to the American people. At a historic pace, this
president has taken bold action to restore prosperity, keep Americans
safe and secure, and hold government accountable.
President Trump has signed more
than 40 bills and nearly 40 executive orders on everything from health
care to energy, infrastructure and more.
While the previous administration turned to federal
agencies to enact its agenda, President Trump has signed more laws to
slash through federal red tape than any president in American history
and has saved businesses up to $18 billion a year in costs.
And whereas the last administration stifled the use
of America’s vast energy resources, President Trump has put a renewed
emphasis on American energy – approving the Keystone XL and Dakota
Access pipelines, rolling back the Clean Power Plan, and putting America
First by withdrawing from the Paris climate accord.
President Trump inherited an economy that would
barely budge – but under his watch, American businesses small and large
have already created more than 800,000 new jobs since January. Company
after company is responding to the president’s agenda with optimism –
investing billions of dollars in American jobs, American workers and
America’s future.
As the father of a United States Marine, I couldn’t
be more proud to serve alongside a president who cares so deeply about
the men and women of the armed forces of the United States of America.
After years of so-called “sequestration” and budget
cuts to our armed forces, President Trump has already signed the largest
increase in defense spending in nearly 10 years and called for the
greatest investment in military readiness since the days of President
Ronald Reagan.
It is the greatest privilege of my life to serve as
vice president to a president who is fighting every single day to
restore an America of freedom, prosperity and opportunity for all.
And this president calls our enemy by its name –
radical Islamic terrorism – and with the leadership of this
commander-in-chief our armed forces are taking the fight to ISIS on our
terms on their soil.
When it comes to security here in the homeland,
President Trump has taken decisive steps to secure our borders and
enforce our laws – a direct contrast with the previous administration.
And while illegal immigration was rampant in recent
years, our administration has been working with local law enforcement to
take drug dealers, members of gangs like MS-13, and other violent
criminals off our streets. Illegal crossings at our southern border are
down by more than 60 percent since the start of this year.
After the previous president tried to stack the
courts with liberal jurists, our president made a commitment to appoint
federal judges who will uphold the Constitution and the God-given
liberties enshrined there. Look no further than the newest Supreme Court
Justice, Neil Gorsuch.
President Trump’s accomplishments are nothing short
of historic. But as the president likes to say, at this White House
that's just what we call a good start.
President Trump will not rest and he will not relent
until we keep our promise to the American people and repeal and replace
ObamaCare.
President Trump has called on the Congress to do its
job, and we will continue to work with both the House and Senate to give
the American people health care reform built on the principles of
personal responsibility, free-market competition and state-based
reforms.
President Trump is firmly committed to passing the
largest tax cut since the days of President Reagan. We’re going to cut
taxes across the board for working families, small businesses and family
farms.
We’ll simplify the tax code. We’ll eliminate the
alternative minimum tax. We’ll make the code flatter and fairer for
everyone. And under President Trump, we will repeal death taxes once and
for all.
And to get this economy moving again, we’re going to
cut business taxes in America so that companies in this country can
compete with companies around the world and create good jobs right here
in America.
We’ll end the broken system that penalizes companies
for calling America home. And we’ll cut taxes on trillions of dollars
that are locked away overseas so that American businesses can invest in
America’s future.
It is the greatest privilege of my life to serve as
vice president to a president who is fighting every single day to
restore an America of freedom, prosperity and opportunity for all.
So with boundless faith in the American people, with
faith in President Trump’s vision and determination, and with faith in
God who has ever watched over this Land of the Free and Home of the
Brave, I say with confidence: We will make America safe again. We will
make America prosperous again. And to borrow a phrase, we will Make
America Great Again.
Mike Pence is vice president of the United States.
