Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)
WASHINGTON – It’s the first week of a new presidency in the United States, and the country and world is holding its breath while waiting to see what President Trump will focus now that he is in office. Chautauqua County’s representative in Congress, who was also a member of the Trump transition team, said he’s optimistic about the new Trump era.
During a conference call with reporters on the day before the inauguration, Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) renewed his calls for bipartisanship.
He also said he’ll continue to listen to constituents as congress moves forward on several initiatives.
“Those initiatives will be tax reform, as well as healthcare repeal and replacement, as well as trying to be part of the solution of Washington DC when it comes to putting together a group of bipartisan members that can potentially be a bridge between the House, the Senate, and the White House, in order to start enacting legislation that puts the American people first,” Reed said. “Legislation that puts the American workers’ interests always at the heart of anything that we do, and that we move through this process with a firm commitment to make sure that we are focusing on those issues that are going to create the jobs of today and tomorrow and really give people the opportunity to succeed on his or her own merit.”
While Reed has been an opponent of the Affordable Care Act, he did take time out to reiterate his support for popular provisions in the law, including guaranteed coverage for those with preexisting conditions and expanded coverage for children up to age 26. He said that congress will also be working this session in getting a replacement bill on the desk of the new president.
“We are going to get as much of a replacement package to the presidents desk that the 51-vote Senate threshold allows us to do,” Reed said. “It’s essentially the barrier, the obstacle, that we have when it comes to replacement. So there is going to be policy that we are going to minimize the adverse impact of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.”
Reed also said its time for lawmakers to let the world know that America is open for business, and the country needs to attract international investment and bring U.S. companies back from overseas. He said that can be accomplished by reforming the country’s tax code, making it simple, fair and competitive – something Reed can play a role in as a member of the House Ways and Means committee.
According to Reed, the federal tax code has not been overhauled comprehensively since 1986, but has been named as a top priority of the House.
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