Reed hawks tax cuts bill during tour of home-state, veteran-owned company

It’s time for the United States government to cut the red tape negatively impacting small businesses owned by the country’s military veterans, said U.S. Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) during a Sept. 20 tour of the Salamanca, N.Y.-based Monroe Table Co.

“Veterans supported us when they served in the military – now it is only fair we return the support,” Rep. Reed said.

The lawmaker is an original cosponsor of the Family Savings Act of 2018, H.R. 6757, introduced on Sept. 10 by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) to encourage Americans to save money for their retirements and families. The measure is one of three pieces of legislation comprising Republicans’ new Tax Reform 2.0 package.

“With our efforts on Tax Cuts 2.0, we are proud to say we’re working to make the beneficial tax cuts of tax reform permanent to further support small, veteran-owned businesses we care about like Monroe Table Company,” said Rep. Reed.

Monroe Table Co., co-owned by veterans Douglas Kirchner and Wayne Johnston, manufactures a variety of banquet tables, chairs and related items for the rental market, fire companies, churches, schools and others. The company, in operation since 1908, recently received certification from the U.S. Veteran Service Administration as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

Kirchner said during a roundtable discussion with Rep. Reed that the congressman’s “office has been very helpful on several occasions,” including to obtain the new certification.

“When we seemed to be mired down in the bureaucracy of the application procedures, his office was able to facilitate the process,” said Kirchner. “All the people there were very helpful and followed through till we had our certification.”

The company co-owners and Rep. Reed talked about Tax Cuts 2.0, veteran hiring practices and other topics during the roundtable, according to the lawmaker’s staff, which said in a statement last week that Tax Cuts 2.0 will increase wages by 0.9 percent and help local businesses provide retirement plans for their employees.

“Getting feedback and information from the people on the ground we can take back to Washington is crucial,” the congressman said.

H.R. 6757 is supported by U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and the other 23 Republican members serving on the committee, including Rep. Reed, who is joined by U.S. Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), Erik Paulsen (R-MN), Diane Black (R-TN), James Renacci (R-OH), Kristi Noem (R-SD), Tom Rice (R-SC), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Mike Bishop (R-MI), Darin LaHood (R-IL), and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) as original cosponsors.

During a Sept. 13 markup session, Ways and Means Committee members voted 21-14 to advance H.R. 6757, which is also under consideration by the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee.

Ways and Means Committee members also are reviewing the other two bills in the Republican tax package: the American Innovation Act of 2018, H.R. 6756, sponsored by Rep. Buchanan, and the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018, H.R. 6760, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL).