US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: One Big, Beautiful Summer By Sen. John Thune

One Big, Beautiful Summer
By Sen. John Thune

 It’s summertime, which means a lot of South Dakotans are taking to the roads and the skies to get a few days of rest and relaxation with their families. Everyone looks forward to a few days at the lake, or a road trip to the Badlands, a visit to Mount Rushmore or Wind Cave.

I know parents work hard all year to put money aside for a family vacation. And Republicans have worked to make summer vacations – and family life, more generally – easier for families with the One Big Beautiful Bill. That starts with permanent tax relief for working families so they can keep more of their hard-earned money to save, invest, and spend how they see fit, rather than sending it to Washington.

We prevented a massive tax hike on working families with this bill and made the lower tax rates we passed in 2017 permanent. We increased the child tax credit to $2,200 and linked it to inflation so its value will never go down. We also increased the standard deduction and created a new bonus deduction for seniors. And we included a number of policies that will help expand opportunities for workers and grow paychecks by growing our economy.

For a lot of South Dakotans, the summer can also be an opportunity to earn some extra money. I can remember looking forward to the busy summers and extra tips when I worked at the Star Family Restaurant in Murdo, where families would pass through on their vacations to the Black Hills. This is a busy time of year for those in the restaurant and tourism industries and for first responders who are keeping our county fairs and events safe. And now these hardworking folks can look forward to keeping more of the money they earn, thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.

This bill will also help provide an affordable supply of energy to the American people, which helps to make fueling up for a road trip or keeping the AC on during the summer more manageable. Our country is rich in natural resources – from oil and gas to biofuels produced right here in South Dakota – and this bill ensures that those resources are being put to use for the benefit of the American people.

South Dakotans who take to the skies for summer vacations can also rest assured that travel will get better in the coming years thanks to the down payment this bill makes on our air traffic control system. Incidents in the last few years have demonstrated the need to upgrade our air safety systems. This bill makes a major investment in improving infrastructure and training to move toward a more advanced system for safer skies and fewer delays.

The One Big Beautiful Bill is about making life better for hardworking Americans. Thanks to this bill, Americans will be able to keep more of the money they earn. They will benefit from a more affordable supply of energy and a more advanced air traffic control system. Republicans will keep working to make life better for the American people and to make our country safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

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