Vance touts tax breaks in Pennsylvania as he makes White House’s first big pitch on Trump’s new law

By MARC LEVY and MICHELLE L PRICE Associated Press WEST PITTSTON Pa AP Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday made the Trump administration s first big pitch to sell the population on President Donald Trump s sweeping budget-and-policy package in the swing political turf of northeastern Pennsylvania The vice president whose tiebreaking vote got the bill through the Senate touted the rule s tax breaks and cast Democrats as opponents of the cutting taxes because of their unanimous opposition to the bill Democrats who ve decried the wide-ranging law s cuts to Medicaid and food stamps along with other provisions are expected to try to use it against Republicans in closely contested congressional campaigns next year that will determine control of Congress The GOP plans to use it to make their occurrence as well something the Republican vice president appealed the crowd in working-class West Pittston to help with Go and talk to your neighbors go and talk to your friends about what this bill does for America s citizens Because we don t want to wake up in a year and a half and give the Democrats power back he mentioned As he spoke at at an industrial machine shop the vice president was also quick to highlight the bill s new tax deductions on overtime You earned that money Vance noted You ought to keep it in your pocket Vice President JD Vance walks off Air Force Two on arrival at Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport in Avoca Pa Wednesday July as he travels to speak about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Saul Loeb Pool via AP Attendees wait in line for an event with Vice President JD Vance with a cutout of President Donald Trump at Don s Machine Shop in West Pittston Pa Wednesday July AP Photo Matt Rourke Protesters demonstrate ahead of an event with Vice President JD Vance in West Pittston Pa Wednesday July AP Photo Matt Rourke Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance board Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews Md Wednesday July Vance is traveling to West Pittston Pa for an event touting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Saul Loeb Pool via AP https epix ap org Attendees wait to enter an event with Vice President JD Vance at Don s Machine Shop in West Pittston Pa Wednesday July AP Photo Matt Rourke Protesters demonstrate ahead of an event with Vice President JD Vance in West Pittston Pa Wednesday July AP Photo Matt Rourke Show Caption of Vice President JD Vance walks off Air Force Two on arrival at Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport in Avoca Pa Wednesday July as he travels to speak about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Saul Loeb Pool via AP Expand He also promoted the act s creation of a new children s savings effort called Trump Accounts with a likely deposit from the Treasury Department Recognizing the significance of the coal and gas industry in Pennsylvania he also talked up the methods the law seeks to promote strength extraction such as allowing increased leasing for drilling mining and logging on populace lands speeding up regime approvals and cutting royalty rates paid by extraction companies We are definitively going to drill baby drill and invest in American vitality Vance explained And I know you all love that The historic rule which Trump signed into law earlier this month with near unanimous Republican backing includes key campaign pledges like no tax on tips but also cuts Medicaid and food stamps by trillion Democrats in recent days held a town hall in House Speaker Mike Johnson s home state of Louisiana to denounce the act as a reverse Robin Hood stealing from the poor to give to the rich Vance s office declined to elaborate on plans for other masses events around the U S to promote the bill After his remarks he visited a nearby diner where he picked up food and spoke to several of the patrons It s unclear how much Trump plans to promote it himself He stated NBC News last week that he would passage a little bit to help champion the measure he dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill But honestly he stated It s been received so well I don t think I have to Related Articles Trump says he s highly unlikely to fire Fed s Powell after floating that idea in private Trump s bid to claw back B in foreign aid and constituents broadcasting funds nears Senate vote Stay or go For various transgender sailors and Marines Trump s ban leaves one option Come and find me A look inside a lab making the advanced fuel to power growing US nuclear power ambitions Jill Biden aide invokes Fifth to decline testimony in Republican analysis The battle for control of the messaging on the bill could be critical to how well the measure is ultimately received as specific of the the majority divisive parts of the law including Medicaid and food assistance cuts are timed to take effect only after the midterm elections The bill was generally unpopular before its passage polls demonstrated although selected individual provisions are popular like boosting the annual child tax credit and eliminating taxes on tips West Pittston which sits in Republican Rep Rob Bresnahan s district in northeastern Pennsylvania is a place where Trump s populist brand of politics has determined a foothold Trump s popularity with the white working class has accelerated the political shift in nearby areas including around Wilkes-Barre and Scranton turning reliably Democratic areas into contested turf and contributing to Trump s win in Pennsylvania There and in a swing district around Allentown just to the south Republicans last year knocked off two Democratic U S House incumbents after years of trying Walter Volinski a -year-old retiree from nearby Swoyersville announced he liked that the bill extended the tax cuts that Trump enacted in his first term He stated he hasn t read the nearly -page act but he thinks the greater part politicians haven t either Still Volinski noted I trust Donald Trump and the Republican Party to make this country a great country again Steven Taylor a -year-old truck driver from West Pittston thought the new law would help people struggling to pay their bills Taylor a Republican who voted for Trump explained he liked that the law contained tax breaks on tips and overtime pay Everybody s hurting out here he noted We need a little extra help But Taylor disclosed he was concerned that his nephew who has diabetes could be affected by the ordinance s cuts to Medicaid We don t know as of yet But we re really hopeful that it doesn t Taylor mentioned Maegan Zielinski a -year-old small business owner from Wilkes-Barre who was among a group of people protesting Vance s appearance reported she worried the law will hurt vulnerable people including those on Medicaid and Medicare I do not like that it continues to promotion the billionaires instead of the working-class people of America continuing to give them tax breaks while middle-class America suffers she announced Democratic Gov Josh Shapiro has aggressively gone after the state s Republican members of Congress who voted for the bill including Bresnahan whose seat is a top Democratic target Shame on these members of Congress who spent the last meager months saying Oh I ll never cut Medicaid Shapiro disclosed during an appearance earlier this month on WILK-FM radio in Wilkes-Barre I mean Rep Bresnahan narrated you your listeners your newspapers reported me to my face this was a red line in the sand for him he wouldn t harm people on Medicaid he wouldn t harm our rural hospitals He caved and voted for this bill Bresnahan has defended his vote by saying it strengthens Medicaid by cracking down on fraud waste and abuse and requiring those who can work to do so He also noted it ensures hospitals in northeastern Pennsylvania will qualify for the funding they need to stay open Price broadcasted from Washington