Work more, keep more
Fedorchak’s latest op-ed in the Forum
Washington, D.C. — In her latest op-ed, Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) underscores how the Working Families Tax Cuts package delivers real relief for hourly workers, parents, and seniors. She highlights provisions that eliminate federal taxes on tips and overtime pay, make the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, and build a fairer tax code that rewards work, encourages savings, and strengthens the middle class.
Read her full op-ed below or click here to read it directly in the Fargo Forum:
If you pick up an extra shift, stay late, or work weekends to cover the bills, your reward shouldn’t be sending more money to Uncle Sam.
But for millions of American workers, that’s exactly what has always happened.
Hardworking people have been punished for doing what should be rewarded: showing up and working hard.
We took steps to change that through our pro-growth tax reform plan, the "one big, beautiful bill."
For starters, we eliminated federal taxes on up to $25,000 in tips (cash and credit) and taxes on up to $12,500 in overtime pay.
These changes will boost take-home pay by an average of $1,300 to $1,400 for the people who’ve earned it—without requiring them to work a single extra hour.
Just this week, the Treasury Department released the full list of jobs that qualify for no taxes on tips under our working families tax cut package.
It’s a long list—covering everything from food service and hospitality to construction and entertainment.
And when it comes to overtime, an estimated 30 percent of North Dakota workers will benefit from this new policy.
Additionally, the reforms are retroactive, applying to all money earned starting from January 1 of this year.
It’s no wonder 83 percent of hourly workers support this policy.
But that’s just the beginning.
We also included many more tax benefits for working families, parents, and seniors.
Our commonsense reforms make the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, preventing a $1,600 tax hike for the average North Dakota family of four. It also:
Increases the Child Tax Credit to $2,200 per child.
Provides a new $6,000 deduction on Social Security benefits for most seniors—meaning 88 percent will pay no federal tax on their Social Security.
Creates savings accounts for newborns.
Expands 529 savings plans, enhances the Adoption Tax Credit, and reforms the federal student loan program to lower the cost of higher education and reduce loan debt for students and parents.
These policies are investments in people who are already working hard, raising kids, saving for college, investing in education, or living on a fixed income as senior citizens.
They are also exactly the kind of policies that elevate people from just getting by to getting ahead.
We can all agree Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.
And I bet we can all agree the answer to the federal government’s out-of-control spending isn’t to squeeze more out of tipped workers, hourly earners, or senior citizens.
It’s to build a fairer, simpler tax code that rewards work, encourages savings, lifts people up, and strengthens the middle class.
Work more, keep more.
In a state like ours—where we lead the nation in labor force participation—it’s exactly the kind of reform we need.
Our working families tax cut plan helps restore fairness, freedom, and the promise of America one paycheck at a time.