In the News

In a new op-ed in Alpha News, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) outlined how the state of the union is strong thanks to Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts. Whip Emmer also detailed how his State of the Union guests – Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany and Blaine Brothers’ Board Chairman Dean Dally – are benefiting from the pro-growth tax provisions in this once-in-a-generation piece of legislation.

In case you missed it…

Tom Emmer: The Working Families Tax Cut has made the state of the union strong once again

Alpha News

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer

February 24, 2026

The state of a union is only as strong as the state of its people, and under President Trump and Republican majorities in Congress, the American people are stronger than ever.

This fact will be put on full display as two distinguished Minnesotans join me for the president’s State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 24. Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany and Blaine Brothers’ Board Chairman Dean Dally are experiencing firsthand the amazing impact of President Trump’s America First economic policies, especially those enacted in the Working Families Tax Cuts.

For Brian Podany and the police force he oversees in Blaine, no tax on overtime pay is a game-changer. On average, this provision will result in a $1,400 tax cut for the men and women putting their lives on the line to protect our communities. That’s $1,400 these officers can use to save up for a home, invest in their children’s future, and grow their families. No tax on overtime also incentivizes recruits to join the police force, helping chiefs like Podany fill their ranks with dedicated, hardworking men and women.

The broad reach of the Working Families Tax Cuts doesn’t stop there. This historic law also delivers for small, family-owned businesses like Blaine Brothers. Our bill permanently reinstates 100% full expensing, lowering the cost of investment, improving the business’s cash flow, and promoting innovation on Main Street. By making pro-growth, pro-small business tax policy permanent, Republicans are giving job creators the certainty they need to expand operations, hire more employees, and raise wages.

Republicans’ once-in-a-generation tax bill also enacted no tax on tips and no tax on Social Security, all while increasing the standard deduction by $1,500, increasing the child tax credit to $2,200, and establishing Trump Accounts to kickstart American children’s futures.

Thanks to these commonsense provisions, Minnesotans are poised to experience the best tax season yet. According to recent reports, tax refunds have averaged $2,290 so far this year, up nearly 11%. That’s not political talking points; that’s real results for hardworking families. And with President Trump at the helm, Republicans are just getting started.

Over the past 13 months, President Trump has picked up the pieces of the economy broken by Joe Biden and rebuilt it brick by brick. From signing into law the largest tax cut in U.S. history and boosting wages to cooling inflation and bringing back American jobs, President Trump’s economic success has truly been unprecedented.

During the Biden administration, inflation hit a crippling nearly 10%. Under President Trump’s America First economic policies, inflation has been tamed to 2.7% and is continuing to cool.

It’s not only inflation that is improving; wages are also growing under Republican leadership in Washington. Real average hourly earnings for American workers rose in January, up 1.2% over the past year; for middle- and lower-wage workers, gains were even stronger at 1.5%. Perhaps most importantly, Americans’ real earnings have outpaced inflation by nearly $1,400. The American people’s purchasing power is being rescued from the Biden bog as we speak.

From Blaine to Bemidji, Delano to Duluth, and Monticello to Mankato — our economic agenda has delivered real freedom for Minnesotans. Freedom to buy a home. Freedom to start a business. Freedom to grow your family. Freedom to pursue the happiness our nation’s founders recognized as a God-given right.

A nation is only as prosperous and free as its people, and thanks to President Trump, Americans are more of both. As evidenced by Chief Podany and Mr. Dally, two Minnesotans who are reaping the benefits of the new tax bill, the state of the union is strong indeed.