Hello Friend,

Welcome back to my economic opportunity newsletter! This is where we will share stories of our efforts to bring lasting change through an Opportunity Agenda that benefits our neighbors in South Carolina and across the country.

Click here to sign up for other newsletters on education, healthcare, and a variety of other issues. And please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for daily updates on how I am serving the people of South Carolina.

Protecting Your Tax Dollars

At the beginning of this month, Democrats rammed through their deeply partisan “COVID relief” bill, the majority of which will fund liberal special interests’ priorities that could severely damage our economy. In an effort to improve the bill, I introduced eight finance and tax amendments, all of which were blocked by the Democrats.

Proving once again that they think they know how to spend your money, Democrats also slipped in language that prevents states from cutting taxes for the next four years. It goes without saying that this infringes on the rights of states and penalizes states like South Carolina that have remained financially responsible throughout the pandemic. In response, my colleagues and I introduced the State Fiscal Flexibility Act to prevent the federal government from banning state tax cuts.

When we keep the federal government out of our wallets, taxpayers are left with more choices and greater chances to live out their American Dream. You can read more about the bill here.

A Victory for Workers & Small Business Owners

While the so-called “relief” bill is disappointing to say the least, I am thankful that efforts to insert a drastic, artificial minimum wage hike failed overwhelmingly. 

This is a conversation I have been leading for months. At a time when our nation is still recovering economically, the last thing we need is a policy that would kill jobs and place heavy-handed federal mandates on small business owners. History shows that, if we adopt pro-growth policies instead, unemployment will decrease and wages will rise.

That is why I co-sponsored an amendment last month that prevented a $15 minimum wage hike during the pandemic, while businesses and workers are still getting back on their feet. My Senate colleagues unanimously approved it.

Rather than listening to D.C. bureaucrats, I’ve been seeking out workers and business owners who would actually be impacted by this policy. That’s why I began a new video series in which I discuss the minimum wage with people across the country. From South Carolina to Washington, D.C., folks in the restaurant industry have told me the same thing: an artificial minimum wage hike would destroy their livelihoods.

Don’t forget to watch my first, second, and third installments in the series!

As our nation recovers from the pandemic, rest assured that I will continue advocating for conservative economic principles until every American has the greatest opportunity to succeed.

Sincerely,