A top U.S. House Republican visiting Luzerne County on Wednesday criticized Democrats for voting against tax cuts in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
At i2M in Wright Twp., Rep. Lisa McClain, of Michigan, the fourth highest-ranked House Republican, highlighted the bill’s elimination of the federal income tax on the first $12,500 of overtime pay.
“They (Democrats) voted no on that,” said McClain, chair of the House Republican caucus. “They wanted to raise the working-class families tax rate. Let's not forget about that.”
i2M, which employs about 220 people, manufactures plastic films that coat roofs, tents, greenhouses, swimming pools, laminated tile and flooring and other products.
Big, beautiful benefits
Besides the overtime tax deduction, the bill preserves individual and corporate tax cuts adopted in 2017 during President Trump’s first term. It also creates a tax deduction of up to $25,000 on tips and eliminates taxes on Social Security benefits for more senior citizens.
“What we're here doing today is we're talking about the real policies that make a difference in working class families lives, right?” McClain said.
Mixing in politics
Republicans nationwide have hit the road to promote the bill, whose forecast cuts to Medicaid and food stamp benefits have gained more attention and upset many Americans ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections.
McClain was joined by U.S. Rob Bresnahan, a Luzerne County Republican who faces a tough re-election fight next year. No Democrats voted for the bill when it passed the House on May 22 by a single vote. That means Bresnahan and every other House Republican ensured its passage.
Before i2M, McClain visited a New Jersey manufacturing plant in another competitive congressional district. On Thursday, she's scheduled to visit a Palmerton plant with U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, another vulnerable Republican.
McClain on Medicaid cuts
McClain disagreed the bill will hurt Medicaid recipients who need the program. She said about 4.8 million receive Medicaid but don’t work. The bill requires them to work, go to school or perform community service 80 hours a month to keep the benefit.
McClain highlighted polls that show Americans widely favor the work requirement, which she said will prevent Medicaid fraud.
“Our goal is to make sure that the people who need it most have it,” McClain said.
Bresnahan touts benefits
With i2M CEO Chris Hackett standing nearby, Bresnahan said the bill will benefit like companies like i2M in another way. It allows companies to immediately deduct research and development costs rather than spreading the deduction over multiple years.
“It provided him a goalpost so he (Hackett) can make the R&D investments into the next generation of innovation that he's doing right behind us,” Bresnahan said.
The bill also allows students who want post-high school training other than college to use money from untaxed education savings accounts to pay for it.
“We are always going to need electricians. We are always going to need carpenters. We are always going to need HVAC technicians,” Bresnahan said. “This is a wonderful opportunity.”
CEO praises bill's provisions
Hackett, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008, praised Bresnahan and the bill, which he said is “extraordinarily important to small- and medium-sized businesses like i2M.”
The bill also allows a 100% tax write-off of qualified investments in a business to continue.
“That will allow our businesses to continue to grow (and) is critical to long-term success of manufacturing in this region,” Hackett said.
Hackett led McClain, Bresnahan and others on a tour of his plant before the news conference. Other attendees included David Taylor, president of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association, and Erin Streeter, executive vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers.
