R.ep. Kevin Brady, a Republican from Texas who penned key parts of the 2017 tax cut bill pushed by then-President Donald Trump, will not run for re-election in 2022.
Brady was first elected to his Houston House of Representatives seat in 1996 and was promoted to chair of the Ways and Means Committee, the Chamber’s tax writing committee. Brady announced his resignation at a meeting of the Woodlands Chamber of Commerce Conference on Economic Prospects, the Texas Tribune reported.
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Brady has largely voted for a conservative Republican line for nearly a quarter of a century in Congress. A passionate free trade advocate, he rose to the ranks of the Ways and Means Committee to become chairman in November 2015 when Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan left to become House Speaker.
Two years later, Brady was instrumental in drafting the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, the most comprehensive update of US tax law in more than 30 years. The law, Trump’s domestic achievement, cut taxes for businesses and individuals in an effort to create higher wages and more jobs.
Among other things, the law lowered the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. President Joe Biden urges the corporate tax rate to be raised to 28%. In a broader sense, Democrats have for years criticized the 2017 tax bill, arguing that it blew a massive hole in the federal budget deficit and favored otherwise higher-income workers.
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Outside the Capitol, Brady was a staple of the Republican team at the annual Congress baseball game. Brady also received unfavorable attention in October 2005 when he was arrested in South Dakota and charged with drinking and driving. He did not advocate a contest, was convicted of an offense, and fined $ 350. Brady apologized.
Brady is the fourth House member to announce his resignation. His district is a Republican stronghold in its current configuration prior to the 2022 redistribution. Trump beat Biden there with 71% -28%.