LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President JD Vance touted provisions favoring the working class in a tax and spending bill during a visit to Wisconsin on Thursday as the Trump administration tries to sell its signature legislation to voters before next year’s midterm elections.
President Donald Trump has said the “big, beautiful bill,” which polls show is deeply unpopular with Americans, needs a rebranding. With inflation lingering above pre-pandemic levels, stubborn interest rates and ongoing debates over the federal deficit, Republicans face mounting pressure to deliver tangible relief to middle- and working-class Americans.
Vance highlighted the bill’s provisions that cut taxes on tips and overtime, working-class initiatives pushed by Trump on the campaign trail.
“We believe that if you spend an extra hour at work, the government ought to keep its hands the hell out of your pocket,” Vance said at a steel-fabricating facility in La Crosse.
Vance’s swing-state stops this month, which also included Georgia and Pennsylvania, illustrate the high-stakes political calculus: turning policy achievements into visible wins for everyday Americans that could shape the narrative ahead of the November 2026 congressional midterms.
Trump on Tuesday appeared to recognize the challenge his party faces in promoting the measure passed by Congress in July.
“I’m not going to use the term ‘great, big, beautiful’ – that was good for getting it approved, but it’s not good for explaining to people what it’s really about,” Trump said during his cabinet meeting, where he described the measure as a “major tax cut for workers.”
Vance took the president’s cue in Wisconsin. After frequently referring to the law as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” during previous stops in Pennsylvania and Ohio, the vice president on Thursday dubbed it the “Working Families Tax Cut.”
The loudest cheers in the room came as he tied the bill to reviving American manufacturing and restoring public safety. He said the administration would send the National Guard to Milwaukee as it has done in other Democratic-led cities, but only if local officials request the help.
“We would love to come in and lock up those violent criminals,” Vance said.
RISING PROFILE
Vance has played a central role in the White House campaign to promote the tax and spending law, a reflection of both his rising profile in the party and his perceived ability to connect with working-class voters.
His sales pitch also has emphasized middle-class tax relief and new savings accounts for children under 18, but many of those benefits will not kick in until after the midterms, complicating efforts to win immediate voter support.
“Don’t believe the lies and don’t believe the attacks,” Vance told the Wisconsin steel workers. “What we are doing with this legislation is giving you a tax cut and trying to rebuild the healthcare infrastructure in this country.”
An August poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found 49% of Americans opposed the law, compared with just 29% who supported it. Majorities expressed concern that it will increase the federal deficit and hurt low-income Americans while primarily benefiting the wealthy.
The White House disputed the polling data, insisting that internal polls across the country found support for many specific provisions of the law.
Democrats have seized on the findings of low support, saying the legislation favors the rich. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill could result in 12 million more uninsured Americans over the next decade and nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid.
In Wisconsin, the bill could strip health coverage from roughly 276,000 residents, including 63,000 childless adults facing new Medicaid work requirements, according to the state’s Department of Health Services. Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program may cost the state $314 million annually, putting tens of thousands at risk of losing food assistance.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Jarrett Renshaw in Philadelphia; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Cynthia Osterman, Alistair Bell and Matthew Lewis)
Comments