While America is turning 250 years old on July 4th, the Working Families Tax Cut (WFTC) had a birthday of its own that Republican senators celebrating by the latter’s one-year birthday.
Throughout 2026, Republican senators have visited everything from factories to Coast Guard training facilities to restaurants and more across their states to celebrate the WFTC’s wins for the American people. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) is one of those who took a series of victory laps ahead of the bill’s birthday.
“After one year, it’s clear that Republicans’ landmark tax relief bill is delivering on its promise to put more money in Americans’ pockets,” Thune explained. “At the start of this year, Americans saw their take-home pay increase as the new tax law took effect. When they filed their taxes in April, many Americans saw a significantly larger tax refund. And we recently got data showing that 97 percent of Americans saw a tax cut this year, collectively saving $82 billion on their tax bills.”
For many Republicans, one year of the WFTC’s implementation is a “told you so moment.” Before its passage, Thune said that the bill is “designed to help working Americans, people who are getting up every day, going to work — and this gives them some relief.”
“This bill prevents an over-$4 trillion tax hike and makes the successful 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, enabling families and businesses to save and plan for the future,” Sen. Mike Crapo (R., Idaho), the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, added.
By the Trump administration’s calculations, they are both right. “Without this consequential piece of legislation, tax filers would currently be feeling the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and hit with a $5 trillion tax hike. Instead, 97% of filers received a tax cut this past filing season,” the Treasury Department calculated of the WFTC’s impact. “Filers earning between $50,000 to $100,000, who claimed one of President Trump’s signature tax cuts, received an average tax cut that is over $815.”
Another win that many, including everyone from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Nicki Minaj, is eager to see kick off, is the Trump Accounts.
“The Trump Accounts app delivers a simple, secure way for households to begin engaging with a program designed to build long-term financial strength from day one,” Bessent explained of the massive public-private partnership. There are 44 million American families with children under the age of 18 that are now eligible for Trump Accounts.
Another area where Republicans were eager to see the WFTC help Americans was with border security. The bill, Senate Republican Conference Chair Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), said will “provide the administration the resources it needs to completely secure the border, and again, more effective and efficient deportations against illegals in the country.”
“[W]e’re securing the border,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) added shortly after its passage. “We’re finishing the Wall. We’re supporting federal law enforcement agents… This gives our agents the resources they need to continue deporting illegal immigrant criminals.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R., W.Va.) lauded the “[h]istoric investments to strengthen America’s border security and immigration system, something that I have long-championed, including during my many years as the top Republican on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee” right after its passage. “This will help keep our border safe and secure,” she added.
The numbers from Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) back up those predictions. CBP recently noted that Border Patrol released zero illegal immigrants for thirteen consecutive months.
“Southwest border apprehensions were 94% lower than under Biden: The U.S. Border Patrol’s apprehensions along the southwest border in May (9,998) were 94% lower than the monthly average of the Biden administration and 96% below its peak,” CBP noted. “These numbers are less than what was apprehended in just three days in May 2024.”
