States Take the Lead After Congress Locks In Tax Relief: Jonathan Williams on The Hugh Hewitt Show
That is an incredible victory on behalf of taxpayers all across the country.
Appearing on The Hugh Hewitt Show, ALEC President and Chief Economist Jonathan Williams discussed the recent passage of the permanent extension of the Trump tax cuts, emphasizing its importance in avoiding a recession and providing certainty for businesses and individuals. Williams shared how ALEC worked hard to support the extension, securing signatures from 632 legislatures from 48 states for a letter urging congress to make essential tax relief provisions permanent.
Williams celebrated Congress’s success in making the 2017 tax cuts permanent and said the country “dodged a bullet aimed right at the American taxpayer” by ensuring they did not expire.
“If this thing didn’t get renewed in terms of the Trump tax cuts, I think we guaranteed a recession if we didn’t get this done,” said Williams.
In addition to the tax cuts themselves, the One Big Beautiful Bill gives markets and small businesses the bonus of security. Williams explained that this permeance takes away ambiguity that plagues capital markets and small business investment decisions, instead giving them permanent certainty when it comes to the provisions.
“All of that doesn’t have to be left to the whims of reconciliation rules and temporary phase outs,” said Williams. “That is an incredible victory on behalf of taxpayers all across the country.”
Hewitt then asked about ALEC’s opinion on the controversial AI moratorium provision originally proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, before being removed from the Senate version of the bill, which became law.
“We had a lot of friends on both sides of that discussion, as you can imagine,” Williams responded. “I think there’s a couple of really important takeaways here. Number one: We absolutely cannot lose to China in the race for AI. I think that’s what Senator Cruz is trying to do.”
Williams said that many state legislatures were not enthusiastic about the moratorium, even if Cruz’s intention was to prevent burdensome and contradictory regulations from popping up across the country.
“We heard from many, many state legislators across the country say[ing], ‘Hey, we don’t know what AI is going to look like a year from now, let alone 10 years from now. Maybe let’s not move so quickly to ban all state activity,’” said Williams.
While the provision was ultimately stripped from the bill, the future of AI and its regulation remains an important discussion that America’s state legislators must continue to have with the members of Congress.
“I think this is a great piece of where ALEC should be right now,” said Williams. “Talking with our more than 100 members of this current Congress about what that should look like going forward.”
Williams then discussed ALEC’s upcoming Annual Meeting, which will be held in Indianapolis from July 15 to 18. At the meeting, more than 1,500 legislators, cabinet officials, governors, thought leaders, and industry partners will gather to talk policy and help shape the next chapter of the American story. ALEC’s newest task force, Process and Procedures, will debut at the meeting. This task force, chaired by Rhode Island Rep. Jon Brein, will cover issues like voter I.D. and Ranked Choice Voting.