Here’s How Missouri and Kansas Families Fare Under the “Big, Beautiful Bill”
Missourians and Kansans are set to see financial gains from the “Big, Beautiful Bill” according to figures released by the White House. The administration unveiled a new interactive map that breaks down those benefits, which include tax cuts, referring to them as a rocket boost for the economy.
Clicking on Missouri or Kansas on the new map, residents will see numbers that hit close to home. In Missouri, the expected real wage increase ranges from $3,400 to $6,100, while a typical family with two kids can look for a bump in take-home pay between $7,000 and $9,800. About one million Missouri seniors are expected to benefit from the elimination of taxes on Social Security. A solid 5% of the state’s workforce could see relief from the new provision that wipes out taxes on tips, and 24% of workers are expected to benefit from no taxes on overtime pay, with up to 64% potentially affected.
Just across the state line, Kansans will see similar gains. The map also shows a projected real wage increase between $3,400 and $6,100. Take-home pay for a typical family with two kids is expected to rise by $7,000 to $9,900. Half a million Kansas seniors could benefit from the new no-tax-on-Social Security rule, and 6% of Kansas workers are expected to gain from the end of taxes on tipped income. Overtime relief could hit 27% of the workforce, with up to 64% eligible.
Local Republicans and Democrats were vocal
Missouri’s Congresswoman Ann Wagner was optimistic in the bill’s potential to jump-start the economy to levels not seen since the first Trump administration, stating the legislation is “pro-worker, pro-family, pro-business, and America First”. Her colleague, Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer, echoed that enthusiasm, calling it “historic tax relief for families, seniors and American workers. It cuts wasteful spending, strengthens our economy and puts more money back in the pockets of Missourians,” according to KCTV5 news in Kansas City.
In an email to Metro Voice, Congressman Sam Graves, who represents northern Missouri, questioned Democrat talking points, saying, “Folks on the other side of the aisle claimed this was all about helping billionaires, but how many billionaires do you know that work for tips, work an hourly job that pays overtime, or live off of Social Security?”
Kansas lawmakers are striking a similar note. “The tax cuts in the One Big, Beautiful Bill will raise the wages for Kansas workers by $3,300” Rep. Ron Estes told the Kansas Reflector. And Senator Jerry Moran pointed to the bill’s reach beyond just paychecks, noting it “would extend federal income tax provisions Trump signed into law in 2017 and invest $320 billion in border security and defense.” All told, lawmakers on both sides of the state line are touting the bill as a win for their constituents.
Democrat Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who represents Kansas City, called it the “One, big, ugly bill,” alleging it cuts Medicaid. In reality, there are no cuts to the program. It calls only for a limit to its growth and allows for 6% growth the first two years and 4% per year following. Authors of the bill state that one goal is to remove able-bodied young men off the social welfare program, requiring them to work.
Highlights of the Big, Beautiful Bill
- The largest tax cut in history for middle- and working-class Americans. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the tax bill will most benefit workers and families making less than $50,000 per year.
- Bigger paychecks of $10,000+ more in annual take-home pay for families.
- Eliminating taxes on Tips.
- Eliminating taxes on Overtime.
- Eliminating taxex on Social Security.
- A $12.5 billion modernization of the air traffic control system.
- Permanently increasing the Child Tax Credit for more than 40 million families.
- New ICE officers and Border Patrol agents.
- Expansion of domestic oil and gas production capacity.
- A tax deduction on Made in America auto loan interest.
- Protection for two million family farms from punitive double taxation.
- Tax Savings Accounts for every American newborn.
- Reducing the deficit by cutting $1.5 trillion in spending.
- Eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse and blocking illegal immigrants from receiving Medicaid.
- Modernization of the US Military
The bill’s path to Trump’s desk was anything but smooth, facing resistance from both parties over the debt ceiling hike. But on Independence Day, the president signed it, calling it “a new day for American families.” Now the numbers — and the map — are online for all to verify that it’s true.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
