things that hurt the cause. >> this weekend on american history tv on c-span3. saturday at 8 p.m. eastern, american university professor aaron bell talks about civil rights leaders. william sullivan, shortly after the wash on -- the march on washington. king now as the most dangerous the growth in the future of this nation. at 4:30 p.m., reflect on lessons learned and ignored during the year. that the limits of military power during the vietnam war. we learned that as a society and a culture that you cannot kill

an idea with a bullet. >> american history tv this weekend only on c-span3. of thehe south lawn white house, president trump was joined by vice president pence, majority leader mitch mcconnell, and speaker paul ryan. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states accompanied by the vice president, the speaker of the house, and the senate majority leader. ♪

[applause] ♪

[applause] pres. trump: thank you everybody very much. these are the people right behind me who worked so long and so hard. it has been an amazing experience. i have to tell you. it has not been done in 34 years. really it hasn't been done because we broke every record. -- i alwaysrgest say the most massive -- but it is the largest tax cut in the history of art country. really something special. [applause] pres. trump: this just came out two minutes ago, at&t plans to increase u.s. capital spending $1 billion and provide $1000 special bonus to more than

200,000 u.s. employees because of what we have done. that is pretty good. [applause] i have a whole list of accomplishments that the group behind me have done in terms of this administration and this congress. but you have heard it before. records all over the place. that will continue and then some because of what we did. trillion -- just think of it. including doubling the standard deduction and doubling the child tax credit. a typical family of four earning $75,000 will see an income tax cut of more than $2000. they will have $2000 -- and that is in my opinion less than the average. you will have a lot more than that. the great farmers and the great small business owners that were

forced to sell their businesses at bargain basement numbers. we have provided for the most that is wipedax out. they can keep their farms in the family. that is a big factor. [applause] pres. trump: very big. this is going to mean companies are going to come back -- and i campaigned on the fact that we will not lose our companies anymore. they will stay in our country. what hasbeen seeing been happening even at this prospect. they have tremendous enthusiasm right now in this country. we have companies pouring back into our country and that means jobs. it means the formation of new, young, beautiful, strong companies. that is going to be very important. know allthroughs you about. the small businesses are going to be big beneficiaries. we will bring at least $4 trillion back into this country. money that was frozen overseas and in parts of the world and

some of them don't even like us. they will not have the money long. [applause] pres. trump: it is very simple. when you think you haven't heard this expression emma but we are making america a great again. you haven't heard that. [applause] them trump: i want to have come up and get the glamour and the glory. they will speak for a little while, the shorter the better that way we can get all of you. mcconnell.hank mitch what a job. [applause] pres. trump: i want to thank paul. they will speak. paul ryan and mitch, they were a little team. we got to and we worked very hard. it seems like -- it was a lot of fun. it's always a lot of fun when

you win your if you work hard and lose, that's not acceptable. i will name a few names and they will come up. people that i saw so much over the last month and over the last almost year. when you think of it, we have not even been a year and we did the largest tax cut in our history. i hate to say this, but we essentially repealed obamacare because we got rid of the individual mandate which was terrible. that was a primary source of funding of obamacare. a friend of mine -- congratulations. dan, where is dan? aware is dan?e between dan and don and lisa, you have done a very great job. war.didn't get and

they tried in ronald reagan, they tried with the bushes, they tried with everybody. but we got it in this bill. we have mandate, and we have the tax cut and we have reform. when you add up the size of this bill, thank you very much. cornyn, great job orrin hatch. he is a special person. he is going to say a few words. [laughter] pres. trump: i haven't mostly memorized, but tim scott has been great. john thune, where is john? great job john.

portman, a student of the tax world. thank you very much. [applause] pat. trump: i want to thank toomey. where's pat? [applause] pres. trump: he knows his business. susan collins we want to thank. susan is around someplace. thank you, susan. i look at these people, it is like we are four years together. kristi noem and diane black. our great speaker paul ryan. and he is a great speaker. great job. kevin mccarthy. what a job, kevin. scalise. he is braver than all of us. where is he?

[applause] he had a rougher year than most of us, but it is a hell of a way to lose weight. not a good way. we love you, steve. great job. kevin brady. is --be what i will do and by the way i mentioned at&t, have comeompanies forward and said they will do similar announcements. we are bringing the entrepreneur back to this country. we are getting rid of all the knots and ties. you will see what happens. ultimately it means jobs, jobs, jobs. it is a very special. of time. it is going to be even more so. i want to thank everybody behind me. abi can start with mitch, then paul, then we will have a few

folks come up and have a few words. mitch how about you start. [applause] well let me just say, mr. president you made the case for the tax bill. this has been a year of extraordinary compliment for the trump administration. [applause] mr. president, thanks to your nominees, we have put 12 circuit court judges in place, the most since the circuit court system was established in 1891. you hold the record. [applause] you have ended the overregulation of the american economy and that, coupled with what we did last night, and what the house finished us morning, means america is going to start

growing again. thank you mr. president for all you are doing. [applause] all,mcconnell: first of what this represents is a promise that each and every one of us made to the american people. it is a promise that has been cap today. [applause] speaker ryan: something this this and something profound could not have been done without exquisite presidential leadership. mr. president, thank you for getting us over the finish line. thank you for getting us where we are. [applause] i just want to quickly say a thanks. this has been such a team effort. i want to thank gary cohen and steve mnuchin.

[applause] speaker ryan: i want to thank my partner which mcconnell in the senate and i want to thank these two chairman, orrin hatch and kevin brady. thank you for your leadership on this. [applause] speaker ryan: it is really simple. the message to the hard-working taxpayers of america is your tax relief is on its way. that is what is happening here. the message to the families in america who have been struggling, your tax rates are going down and your paychecks are going up. this is the kind of relief that americans deserve. this is the kind of tax reform that get our economy growing to reach its potential. this gets us better wages, digger paychecks, a simpler tax system, this gets the american economy competitive in the global economy. this is one of the most important things we could do for all of the people we represent.

this is generational. we are so excited that we are going to launch, next year, this fantastic tax reform so that the american people can see how we can truly reach economic growth and potential. if it were not for all the leadership of the men and women appear, it would not have been possible. lastly, i want to thank the american people here at for putting their trust in us, for giving us this chance and ability to make this moment possible. thank you very much. [applause] a man who has been working very hard. thank you, paul. very hard for a long. of time. last night was a culmination. will haveow, if we bigger moments but we hope to. a special guy and great friend of mine, vice president mike pence. [applause] thank you, mr.e:

presidents. thank you for the kind words. thank you for your leadership. thank you for your boundless faith in the american people. thank you for keeping your promise to see this congress deliver the largest tax cut in american history before christmas of this year. merry christmas america. [applause] vice pres. pence: two members of our, to all these members of congress, thank you. thank you for being here today for the special moment and for your leadership and support throughout this year. i truly believe, mr. president, this will be remembered as a pivotal moment in our nation. a day when congress answered your call and made history. thehonestly, i would say to american people, president trump has been making history since the first day of this

administration. [applause] beenpres. pence: we have rebuilding our military, standing with our veterans, and just last week president trump signed one of the largest national defense since president reagan. illegal crossings on our southern border are down by more than 50%. president trump has been restoring american credibility on the world stage. standing with our allies and up to our enemies. as the president reflected earlier today, our nato allies are paying more toward common defense. north korea is more isolated than ever before. this president put your brand on notice. he put the war in ice get a stand -- he put the war on afghanistan on notice. isis is on the run. their capital has all in. the caliphate has fallen. [applause]

vice pres. pence: but what brings us here today is that president trump also knows that american strength starts with a growing american economy. from the first day of his administration, he championed free trade and rollback red tape at record levels. today, mr. president, you have fulfilled the promise you made to millions of americans struggling. to cut taxes for working families. in august of this year, the president laid out his plan that would be a middle class miracle. that is exactly what the congress passed today. [applause] this tax cutnce: will put more money in the pockets of the american people. it will make our tax code more simple, more fair, more easy to understand. it will make businesses more competitive.

it will raise wages for working americans. i serve with him every day. president donald trump is a man of his word. he is a man of action. with the strong support of these members of congress, president donald trump delivered. a great victory for the american people. [applause] vice pres. pence: we made history today. but as the president said, when we gathered this morning with a few less hours sleep than usual, we are just getting started. this president and administration will not rest until the forgotten men and women of america are forgotten no more. thank you mr. president. thank you for your leadership. thank you for your love for this country and the people of this country. i know in my heart, with a strong continued support of the members of congress who are , andred on these steps

with god's help, you will make america great again. [applause] pres. trump: thank you, mike very much. scott,special man, tim tim i would like you to say a few words. he would solve some problems -- we were not looking good a couple times and he was a tremendous help. take you, tim. [applause] mr. president, during one of those conversations that we had, we talked about ways to improve the communities throughout the country. 52 million americans living in distressed communities. we talked about legislation that can move those communities forward. you said yes. reformrt of this tax package, the investing and opportunity act has been

included which will bring trillions of dollars into pork communities.oor because of your willingness to listen. [applause] the president said i only have about 45 more minutes, so i'm going to get to my -- [laughter] he did not say that. got it. let me just say to those americans watching this process, this is not about washington. it is not about the left, it is not about the right. mom's,bout single parent who are looking for a reason to be hopeful in 2018. this tax reform plan delivers for the average, single mother, a 70% tax cut.

for the average family, who is working paycheck-to-paycheck, looking for ways to be helpful about their future, to have an extra night for dinner out at a restaurant, this tax reform package cuts their taxes by nearly 60%. because of folks like marco , when you think about folks with kids in the household, this plan doubles the child tax credit and makes about 70% of it refundable. this is a plan that we can be proud of, because it speaks to the heart of everyday americans. [applause] pres. trump: diane, come on up. diane ms. black: thank you, mr.

president. and i want to thank all of the folks who are standing behind me because it has been a team effort. when we talked about doing tax reform and the tax reform and jobs cuts act, that is what the american people are going to benefit by. and as tim has just said, it is the average american. that's the reason why we did this tax reform. we looked at those right in the middle, those families that need the assistance and help and relief to be able to live their lives the way they are promised. it is an honor to stand here with the president of the united states, the vice president of the united states, who have been an integral part in making sure this happens. i want to thank kevin brady, who i know hours and hours and hours worked hard to make this happen in what was really a short period of time. and some of the folks that are being left out right now and i know we have thanked them before but i want to thank them publicly. and that is all of the staff that has worked so hard in both

the house and the senate to make this happen. [applause] ms. black: now we can say merry christmas to the american people because we are giving them a huge gift for christmas. a break in these taxes and an opportunity for our jobs to grow and give them a bigger paycheck. and so i want to say thank you, mr. president. thank you, president trump, for allowing us to have you as our president and to make america great again. [applause] president trump: thank you, diane. we can say merry christmas again. people are saying merry christmas again, and we like the sound. i want to ask lisa murkowski and dan sullivan to come up, from alaska. and don young.

senator murkowski: mr. president, i don't know if you recognize this, is a very historic day and this is the beginning of winter solstice. it may not feel it right now, but it is the shortest day, the darkest day. for us in alaska, we had pretty dark days recently. but with passage of this tax bill and with passage finally almost 40 years later to open up the 1002 area, this is a bright day for alaska. this is a bright day for america. and we thank you for that. we thank you for that. think about it, 31 years we have been working on tax reform. 38 years now to open up anwr.

this has been a multigenerational fight. and i look to some of our friends from alaska who have come 5000 miles to be here for the vote last night and today. [applause] senator murkowski: to those who live there, to those who raise their families there and to those who are looking to live for generations, know that our promise to you today is a bright future, one where we care for our environment and we care for our people. and we also care for our country in providing a resource that is needed not only by the united states, by alaskans, but by our friends and allies. this, mr. president is what energy dominance is all about. [applause]

senator sullivan: mr. president, i want to thank you and your administration and secretary zinke. senator murkowski said it very well. this administration has come in and recognized this incredible, incredible resource that we have in our nation. developing our energy is good for jobs, energy security, good for manufacturing, it's good for the environment, because we have the highest standards in the world. and it's very, very good for our foreign policy and national security. mr. president, sir, you released your national security strategy just a couple of days ago and in there, you talked about the economy, which is what this tax bill is all about, but you talked about energy dominance. and i want to thank you and on behalf of all alaskans, and americans, because it's the right policy and we are finally, finally doing it. thank you, sir. [applause]

mr. young: thank you, mr. president. i want to thank all these guys standing behind me, these ladies, the people who helped me do this. this is 37 years i tried to get this passed. it proves one thing, perseverance overcomes intelligence any day of the year. [laughter] mr. young: i thank the president, i thank you mr. president and my two senators. this is a team that cannot be beat. this bill does what's right for this nation and great land. we will be great again. thank you, mr. president. [cheers and applause] president trump: he's a pretty popular guy. pretty good. i want to ask orrin hatch, a special friend of mine. i can tell you that, somebody

that spoke really well of me when it wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. he was just always in there, always fighting for all of us and did a fantastic job for all -- did a fantastic job as chairman. orrin, say a few words, please. senator hatch: mr. president, i have to say that you are living up to everything i thought you would. you are one heck of a leader and we are all benefiting from it. this bill couldn't have passed without you or without the alaskan delegation and leadership in the house and senate, paul ryan and mitch mcconnell, and the other leaders as well. all i can say is, we are making headway. this is just the beginning. you stop and think about it, this president hasn't even been in office for a year and look at all the things he has been able to get done. by sheer will, in many ways.

i hope we get behind him every way we can and get this country turned around in ways that will benefit the whole world. but above all, benefit our own people and bring us to a realization of how really great america really is, and how the rest of the world depends on us. i love this country. i came from very humble roots. and i have to say that this is one of the great privileges of my life to stand here on the white house lawn with the president of the united states who i love and appreciate so much and with these wonderful colleagues and cabinet members who stand behind us. and to see all of you and realize that you care, too. all i can say is god loves this country. we all know it. we wouldn't be here without him. and we love all of you.

and we are going to keep fighting. and we are going to make this the greatest presidency we have seen not only in generations but maybe ever. god bless all of you. [applause] president trump: paul ryan just said, how good was that? another very special man who has worked so hard, knows it inside out and backwards. kevin brady. [cheers and applause] mr. brady: thank you. ok guys. thank you, mr. president. this is a historic day. it's an exciting day. and i knew i was going to be here with you to mark this momentous occasion.

so i wore my houston astros tie because they are still the champion of the world series. i figured today you would give me some slack on that. look, this is a historic day in so many ways. and it didn't happen just by itself. people often ask, when did you know or when did you know tax reform could be achieved in america for the first time in 31 years? my answer is always the same, november 8, when president trump, you were elected president of the united states. that's when i knew it was real. [applause] mr. brady: when you put together the great ideas on tax reform from inside and outside congress and i see many of you here today with us, remarkable leadership and courage from the men and women behind me in the senate and especially my colleagues in the house, when you put together

remarkable leadership in the house and the senate, of the work that was done in the white house, gary and steve, vice president pence, and mr. president, your willingness to make this your commitment to go across the country and save the -- and sell the name for tax reform and save the table with us and on the phone with us to get this done, but for your leadership, we would not be here today. thank you so much. [applause] mr. brady: let me finish by speaking directly to the american people. there are three dates you need to put on your calendar. the first is new year's day, because our country will have a new tax code for a new era for american prosperity, new year's day. [applause] mr. brady: in february, look to your paycheck. hard-working americans will see the result of hard work of this president and this congress to

make this tax reform possible. it will show in your paycheck. and then april 15, that hated day -- [laughter] mr. brady: this april 15 will be the last time you ever file your taxes under this horrible broken tax code, because you'll have a new one for the future of your family and your small business. [applause] mr. brady: this is a great day for our country, great day for our economy and great day for america. thank you, mr. president. [applause] president trump: thank you for a fantastic job. and another man who is with us all the way way, whenever i called, he was there or we get back within minutes, kevin mccarthy. [cheers and applause] mr. mccarthy: to the president and vice president, during that campaign, you listened to voices

no one else was listening to. you listened to those who were trying to get a pay raise, or that parent that was fighting for their children or that person who always dreamed of being an entrepreneur and creating a small business, like you did, mr. president. and you know what? for all those people, you heard them. we would not be standing here today if it wasn't for you. doesn't matter if you were overseas fighting for america. so many people back here got your phone call fighting for tax reform. this is a big day for america. this is america's comeback. [applause] mr. mccarthy: come february, check your check. because that will be the pay raise of the vote for donald

trump. that will be the beginning of the next century, america's century. thank you and god bless. [applause] president trump: so i just want to conclude by saying this will indeed be a very big day when people look back at our country, a whole different attitude, a whole different way. and i really want to end by looking back and thanking all of those people standing behind me that worked for years. this was the culmination of a few months' work, but they have been working on getting this done, whether it's mitch, paul or kevin or orrin. they have been working on this for years and years. and i just want to turn around and thank them all. they are very, very special people. thank you very much everybody.

[applause] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats until the president has departed.

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats until all members of congress have departed. >> next, reaction from senate minority leader chuck schumer and house leader nancy pelosi, to the passage of the tax bill. the two democratic leaders also spoke of the 2018 elections at this 30 minute news briefing.