FULL COVERAGE
● Kat Bolus and Isabela Weiss talked with supporters and demonstrators outside the venue before the speech. Read their report here.
● Borys Krawczeniuk also recapped songs, family history and momentous occasions sprinkled in. That story is here.
● Listen for updates on our WVIA-FM local news broadcasts Thursday during Morning Edition.
In a West Pittston machine shop, Vice President JD Vance praised President Donald Trump on Wednesday for retooling the nation’s economy in favor of American workers.
“We’re dealing with a new administration, a new day and a president who is fixing what was wrong with the last administration,” Vance said inside Don’s Machine Shop.
Signs saying “America is Back” and “No Taxes on Tips” served as a backdrop for Vance, who spoke before a crowd of more than 400 dotted with red “Make America Great Again” caps and other pro-Trump gear.
Vance visited to tout Trump’s record so far and the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Among other things, the act extends 2017 tax cuts for people and businesses, cut taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits and provides billions of dollars more for border security.
“We kept our promise that we're going to close down the American Southern border, shut off the flow of fentanyl and start prioritizing American workers over Mexican drug cartels, for a change,” he said. “That is a great accomplishment.”
No talk about Medicaid cuts
Vance, who spoke for almost 22 minutes, did not mention the bill’s more controversial elements — predicted cuts to Medicaid and food stamp benefits that Democrats routinely pan as harmful to people’s health and potentially devastating to rural hospitals.
Aiming at the midterms
Vance’s visit, his first to Northeastern Pennsylvania as vice president, came as the White House has launched a campaign to sell the act’s benefits ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, the 8th Congressional District representative who faces a likely tough midterm re-election campaign against a still unknown opponent next year, accompanied Vance from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport to the venue, but did not address the crowd.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by four votes, which means Bresnahan’s vote in favor mattered. That was not lost on Vance.
“I'm going to give a shout out to Congressman Bresnahan,” Vance said. “I think he's here. Congressman, thank you so much for everything that you've done.”
Bresnahan and Vance later briefly stopped by Majestic Lunch in downtown Pittston, where state Treasurer Stacy Garrity and others greeted them. Garrity, a Republican, is expected to run for governor next year.
Bresnahan, a first-term congressman, was swept into office as Trump won a historic second term that Vance said has delivered on promises.
Vance touts rising wages
Wages are rising faster than they have in 60 years and inflation is under control, the vice president said.
“That is a testament to great presidential leadership and the great American people. And we're just getting started, my friends,” Vance said.
Inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 under President Joe Biden, dropped to 3% by January, the month Biden left office, dropped further to 2.4%% in May, but ticked upward to 2.7% in June, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
JD promotes Trump tariffs
Analysts blame the early effects of Trump’s tariffs for the rise last month, but Vance embraced the tariffs.
For years, he said, the American government “rewarded people who shipped American jobs overseas and penalized the great, small businesses who invested right here in America.”
“And (with) President Trump’s leadership, we're flipping that on its head,” he said. “If you're building here, if you're making here, if you're working in the United States of America, we just gave you a big fat tax break. But if you're going to ship American jobs overseas thanks to Donald Trump, you're going to pay a big fat tariff. It's time to invest in our own country and our own people once again, and we're doing it.”
Vance chastises Democrats
He blasted Democrats for voting against a bill that cut taxes and prevented big tax increases.
“Their big line of attack is that Donald Trump dares to put tariffs on foreign countries who try to bring their crap into the United States of America,” he said. “And that's interesting to me, because Democrats seem to like everything that increases taxes.”
On energy tax breaks
He praised the act for ending electric vehicle tax breaks and rewarding oil and gas companies for expanding exploration for both.
“After four years of broken energy policy, we are finally going to drill, baby drill, and invest in American energy workers,” Vance said. “And I know you all love that. And the thing about drill, baby drill, it's not just about the energy workers, as much as we love them. It's about consumers who are paying less for gas and energy than they have in four years.”
The average price of a gallon of gasoline nationwide was $3.13 just before Trump took office and stood at $3.22 last week, according to AAA. Last week’s price was 27% cheaper than the same time last summer, AAA said.
Cutting taxes on tips and overtime
Vance said the act “unleashes a new era of growth and prosperity for every single American.”
“This bill is rocket fuel for small businesses. They need it. They deserve it. I've talked with waitresses who are excited about taking on more shifts now with no tax on tips,” he said as some in the crowd cheered. “I know what that means, mechanics and welders who are no longer penalized by taxes for working overtime.”
Under the act, up to $25,000 in tips can be deducted from income when filing tax returns and up to $12,500 worth of overtime, according to the Internal Revenue Service website. The bill does not eliminate taxes on tips or overtime.
Vance also touted the bill’s provision of a $1,000 savings account for every newborn, another provision he said Democrats ignored.
“If we had made that $1,000 accessible, not to newborn American babies but to illegal aliens, I think we could have got the Democrats votes,” he said.
Bresnahan weighs in
Afterward, Bresnahan’s office issued a statement on his behalf that praised the tax cuts.
“West Pittston is full of small businesses, driven employees, and working-class families,” Bresnahan said. “These tax cuts are putting more money back into their pockets. I want to thank Vice President Vance for visiting West Pittston today to highlight our community as a proud example of who stands to benefit from the working-class tax cuts we’ve enacted. In towns like West Pittston, this tax relief is making a real difference.”
Democrats fire back
In a statement, Eli Cousin, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, ripped Bresnahan for breaking a promise that “he would not gut Medicaid but instead cast(ing) a decisive vote for the largest cuts to Medicaid in history. “
“Now JD Vance — who callously dubbed the historic cuts to Medicaid ‘minutiae’ and ‘immaterial’ — is parachuting into Bresnahan’s district in a desperate attempt to try and once again lie to Northeast Pennsylvanians about the devastating impacts this tax scam will have on working families,” Cousin said.
