PLAINFIELD, Ind. -- Vice President Mike Pence pitched the Republican tax overhaul effort during a speech at a business in suburban Indianapolis.
The Republican former Indiana governor and congressman heard from local business owners who say a tax cut would help them buy equipment, hire more people and raise employees pay.
The vice president's visit Thursday comes the same day the Senate released its own version of the plan and House Ways and Means Committee approved its own version.
Pence was joined by Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb at TKO GFX. The group toured the facility and met with local business leaders before taking part in a roundtable discussion.
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Pence then delivered a speech urging Hoosiers to "let your voices be heard."
"Indiana needs a tax cut and Indiana needs it now," said Pence.
He characterized debate over the plans as neither a Republican or Democrat issue but a "jobs issue, a competitiveness issue."
He also called on the Democratic Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, who is up for re-election next year, to support the plan
Heard from hard working job creators here in Indiana - their message was clear. The time has come to CUT TAXES across the board for working families, small businesses, and family farms. #VPinIN pic.twitter.com/7tfZOAYezy
— Vice President Pence (@VP) November 9, 2017
In recent months, Pence and President Donald Trump have both visited the state, alternately attempting to woo and coerce Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat, into backing tax legislation. Donnelly is up for re-election next year, and Indiana went for Trump by almost 20 points during the 2016 election.
During a September visit, the vice president called on Donnelly by name to back the GOP plan at a speech in the struggling former General Motors town of Anderson. Later that month in Indianapolis, Trump threatened to “campaign against (Donnelly) like you wouldn’t believe” if he didn’t get on board. That came as Donnelly was in the audience and had flown out with the president aboard Air Force One.
The tax overhaul has been pitched by Republicans as a way to rev the economy. But others are skeptical that it would make much difference for the vast majority of people — and in some cases cost them more.
“In Indiana, the top 1 percent of earners are going to get 46 percent or so of tax cuts,” said Gregory Shufeld, an assistant professor of political science at Butler University, who has reviewed Trump’s outline of the plan. “For the vast majority of Indiana residents, the benefits they might see from this type of policy would be about $8 per week.”
Still, he said it the push was good politics for Republicans, who have struggled to get much done in Washington, despite controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House.
“Even if this doesn't move Sen. Donnelly’s vote, it’s starting to prime the discussion for next November,” Shufeld said, alluding to midterm elections.
Earlier Thursday, the Senate released its own version of the plan, while the House Ways and Means Committee approved its own version of the legislation.
Pence is a former Indiana governor and represented the state in Congress for 12 years.
The bills in Congress represent the first major reshaping of the U.S. tax code in three decades, and the effort is the top priority for President Donald Trump and Republicans who’ve failed to deliver any major legislation this year.
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