At Wisconsin Steel Plant, Vance Touts Tax Cuts and Spending Bill

Vice President JD Vance told workers at the Mid-City Steel facility in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Aug. 28 that tax cuts and federal spending outlined in a new law will benefit working-class Americans.

“What we are doing with the legislation is giving you a tax cut and rebuilding the health infrastructure in the country,” Vance said during the event.

He highlighted President Donald Trump’s policies—including no tax on some income from tips, overtime, and social security—in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he said will put more money in the pockets of working Americans.

Additionally, the vice president said the bill includes $100 billion for law enforcement to prosecute and deport members of cartel organizations.

The removal of illegal immigrants from health care benefits is part of the administration’s plan to fund health care for American citizens, according to Vance, who spoke for about 20 minutes before taking questions from reporters for another 20 minutes.

“First thing you ought to do is make sure that people that get federal healthcare benefits have the actual right to be in the country in the first place,” he said. “That is the first and most important step.”

Speaking to an audience of hundreds that included steelworkers, family members, and diplomats, among others, the vice president decried the loss of approximately 80 percent of the industry’s workforce in recent decades as manufacturing was sent offshore.

“I happen to believe that it is the dumbest decision we made as a country to reward foreign companies with [manufacturing] stuff overseas instead of right here in places like Wisconsin,” Vance said.

The consequences are now impacting communities across the nation, he said.

“Thanks to generations of failed politicians and stupid decisions, those factories closed down one by one, and many of the proud towns that made us who we are, ladies and gentlemen, those proud towns became ghost towns,” Vance said. “Not anymore.”

He applauded the steelworkers in attendance, noting the use of artificial intelligence, robotics, and other advanced technologies available in the facility.

“They are doing things that, frankly, were not possible 20 years ago,” Vance said. “They are doing them in order to build a great American future.”

Echoing Trump’s America First policy platform, the vice president suggested that domestic manufacturing is vital to the nation’s economic security.

“Do you think our kids will have a future if we rely on foreign companies for everything we need?” Vance asked.

Crime prevention was also a central focus of the speech.

“You bought the streets and ought to be able to enjoy them as American citizens. It is that simple and what is at stake here,” Vance said.

Following two weeks of National Guard presence in Washington, D.C., that resulted in steep drops in reported crime, state and local leaders are invited to request assistance if they want help cleaning up their streets, according to Vance.

Wisconsin is the second swing state stop in less than two weeks for the vice president, who gave a similar address in Peachtree, Georgia, on Aug. 21.