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VP Pence visits Grand Rapids steel company

Posted at 1:58 PM, Sep 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-12 18:16:58-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Vice President Mike Pence paid a visit to Mill Steel in Grand Rapids on Wednesday to boast tax reform under the Trump administration.

Choosing to appear at Mill Steel was a strategic move for Pence. The company has publicly supported President Trump's tax reform. In February, the company announced it was giving 400 of its full-time employees a $1,000 bonus as a result of tax cuts.

However, President Trump's economic policies are more complicated than Vice President Pence let on. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the president's tax cuts have contributed to the federal deficit growing by 32 percent in the last 11 months.

Those economic policies have disadvantaged some Michigan companies. Last month, Bissell Vice President William Brennan joined other business leaders in Washington to testify their opposition against the president's trade war with China. According to transcripts from the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Brennan said the following at the hearing:

"We were planning to add 100 jobs in Grand Rapids in the next year, but the threat of these tariffs has put the brakes on those plans, as we wait to see how the tariffs will affect our business. If the goal of this administration is to add jobs to the US economy, the result of these proposed tariffs at BISSELL couldn't be more counterproductive."

Still, Vice President Pence says the White House's economic policies are good for business.

“I want to assure all of you, I can tell a lot of you already know this. When it comes to small business America, when it comes to steel America, you have a champion in President Donald Trump," says Pence.

You can watch his entire speech here:

Republicans hope to implement more bills to extend the life of President Trump's tax cuts by the end of September. However, according to Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation, that would add nearly $2 trillion to the federal deficit by 2029. The committee also estimates that the president's tax cuts would mainly benefit Americans who earn $1 million or more per year and would increase the taxes of those who earn less than $75,000 annually.

Pence toured the facility Wednesday afternoon with Governor Rick Snyder and Congressman Bill Huizenga. Noticeably missing from the event was Attorney General Bill Schuette, who still has not gotten Governor Snyder's endorsement after Schuette defeated Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley in the Republican primary for governor.

After visiting Mill Steel, Vice President Pence travelled to the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel to pay his respects to the late Richard DeVos.

This is the second visit to West Michigan by Vice President Pence in the last five weeks.