VP Vance talks ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ in West Pittston

WEST PITTSTON — Vice President JD Vance’s celebrated the historic passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill in West Pittston on Wednesday, but make no mistake about it — Vance was readying the troops to use the newly minted legislation to battle Democrats in the 2026 mid-term elections.

“We have worked so hard to get this legislation passed to cut your taxes, to prevent big tax increases, to make it easier to save and invest in our own country and our own people once again,” Vance told a crowd of about 250 people at Don’s Machine Shop. “And we will continue talking about the bill and we will keep giving examples over the next year and a half all across this great country.”

Vance drew cheers and applause from throughout his 15-minute speech, especially when he talked about how small businesses, like Don’s Machine Shop, will benefit from the Big Beautiful Bill.

“Working wages are rising faster than the rate of inflation,” Vance said. “For far too long, that wasn’t the case — wages coluldn’t keep pace with the cost of living. “Now, thanks to President Trump’s leadership, if you work overtime, the federal government is not going to take a dime of your overtime — you earned that money, you ought to keep it in your pocket. And that means more shifts and more money taken home.”

And Vance quickly added, “We’re just getting started.”

Bresnahan in attendance

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, Jr.. R-Dallas Township, attended the event, but he did not speak to the crowd.

“West Pittston is full of small businesses, driven employees, and working-class families,” Bresnahan said in a statement after the event. “These tax cuts are putting more money back into their pockets. I want to thank Vice President Vance for visiting West Pittston today to highlight our community as a proud example of who stands to benefit from the working-class tax cuts we’ve enacted. In towns like West Pittston, this tax relief is making a real difference.”

Bresnahan joined Vance and U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler in West Pittston for the event at Don’s Machine Shop, which was founded in 1981 by Don Eifert. The shop began as a one-car garage and has grown into one the largest machine shops in Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley.

Today, Don’s Machine Shop operates inside a 77,000 square foot facility and employs more than 30 people to make machine parts for companies across the country and world.

West Pittston, which sits in Bresnahan’s 8th Congressional District in Northeast Pennsylvania, is a place where Trump’s populist brand of politics has found a foothold.

Trump’s popularity with the white working class has accelerated the political shift in nearby areas, including around Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, turning reliably Democratic areas into contested turf and contributing to Trump’s 2024 win in Pennsylvania.

The bill was signed into law after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the final version of the legislation, 218-214, last week.

Regional support

Northeast Pennsylvania’s two Republican members of Congress — U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, and Bresnahan — supported the legislation.

Bresnahan and Meuser issued statements last week after the vote was tallied. VP Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate and President Trump signed the legislation into law on July 4.

“This bill provides the largest working-class tax cuts in American history, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, and securing the southern border,” Bresnahan said. “We also protect and strengthen Medicaid by cracking down on the fraud, waste, and abuse that is driving the program toward collapse. This ensures Medicaid is there for seniors, people with disabilities, and vulnerable families, not for those who can work but refuse to do so.”

Meuser said the One Big Beautiful Bill is a direct response to what the American people have demanded — secure borders, lower costs, greater opportunity and an accountable government that works for them, not against them.

“This bill makes permanent the tax relief passed in President Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and prevents the largest tax increase in American history,” Meuser said. “If Congress did not pass the OBBB, we’d be guaranteeing a $4 trillion tax hike on the American people — raising taxes on 165 million taxpayers and over 33 million small businesses.”

Meuser said the OBBB supports working families in every corner of the country.

“It eliminates taxes on tips and overtime through 2028, creates a $6,000 senior deduction, and launches Trump Investment Accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028 — giving families a stake in our nation’s economic future from day one,” Meuser said. “As well, it secures our border by completing the physical barrier, expanding personnel, and giving ICE and Border Patrol the resources they need to do their job. It unleashes American energy by ending costly mandates, repealing wasteful subsidies, restarting lease sales, and restarting domestic production. And it puts our budget on a more sustainable path — delivering $1.2 trillion in mandatory savings, the largest deficit reduction package in nearly 30 years.”

Crowd pleased with Vance’s message

All of the attendees of Wednesday’s event appeared to be in total agreement with everything Vance had to say, offering loud cheers and applause.

Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters said he was impressed with Vance’s message regarding law enforcement.

“I was delighted to hear the Vice President mention law and order at the state and federal levels,” Peters said. “We need to change the perception about our men and women in law enforcement and appreciate them for all they do every day for us.”

Peters also said he was please with Vance’s messaging about creating jobs in the U.S. and buying American energy, rather than from foreign countries.

Vance closed his speech by stressing the importance of preserving a solid future for future generations.

“We have to keep building, keep working and assure a better future and a better life for future generations,” he said.

Loeffler, United States Administrator of the Small Business Administration, called the Big Beautiful Bill “rocket fuel” for America, especially small businesses.

“And Don’s Machine Shop is the perfect example of the American Dream that will benefit from the bill,” Loeffler said. “We hear every day how Main Street is grateful for this legislation. Vice President Vance e knows the challenges and this administration will always put you first.”