Sunday, January 21, 2018

OPINION

President Trump: A
year of real change
by President Donald J. Trump | Jan 20, 2018, 9:14 AM

In the following op-ed, President Trump discusses his first year in the
White House. (AP Photo)

Even as Democrats continue to obstruct and play

politics, I have never stopped fighting for the people,
and I have no intention of changing course. I promised
Jan. 20, 2017, would be remembered as a new day for all
Americans – the day the people became the rulers of
this nation once again.

For the past 365 days, that promise has been my guide.

We are putting America first, making real change in

Washington, and creating opportunities for all of our
people. From coast to coast, there is a renewed spirit.
Our country is roaring back more quickly than anyone
could have predicted. The American Dream is real
again.

Estimates predict the U.S. economy grew at an

annualized rate of more than 3 percent in the fourth
quarter of last year – just like it did in the two quarters
before that. The economy has created more than 2
million new jobs, and the unemployment rate has fallen
to its lowest rate in 17 years: 4.1 percent. We have
achieved the lowest African-American unemployment
rate on record, and the unemployment rate for Hispanic
Americans has also hit historic lows. Chrysler has
announced plans to bring jobs and production back to
the U.S. from Mexico. And the stock market continues
to set record high after record high.

Just before Christmas, we enacted massive tax cuts and

tax reform for the American people. For the first time in
30 years, we reformed the tax code to make it simpler
and fairer. We have lowered rates for both individuals
and businesses, expanded 529 education savings
accounts to be used for K-12 education, and doubled
the child tax credit. These changes will not only allow
Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money,
but they will help make American workers and
businesses competitive again. This sweeping reform
also repealed Obamacare’s individual mandate – an
unpopular, cruel, and burdensome tax that hit low- and
middle-income Americans the hardest.

Over the year, as Americans have seen increases in their

paychecks and retirement accounts, American
companies in every sector have grown their business
and created more jobs. I have created a more business-
friendly environment by mandating, early on in my
administration, that for every one regulation an agency
proposed, two regulations must be eliminated. Many
said that could not be done. Not only did we meet that
goal, we far exceeded it, eliminating 22 regulatory
actions for every new regulation.

As your president, I have unleashed our abundant

American energy by ending the war on coal and
approving major projects like the Keystone XL and
Dakota Access pipelines. After 40 years of fights with
those who want to keep America’s potential locked in
the ground, we have opened a small portion of the
Arctic National Wildlife Reserve to safe and responsible
exploration and development.

Americans are living in communities that are safer,

stronger, healthier, and more secure. We are rooting out
violence and restoring the rule of law. The federal
government will not turn a blind eye to the widespread
opioid epidemic that has caused too many funerals for
too many families. I directed my Cabinet to make
responding to the public health emergency one of their
most urgent priorities, and I provided more than $1
billion in funding in 2017 to address opioid addiction
and other drug-related problems.

Real change is happening on the world stage as well.

Immediately upon taking office, I directed the

rebuilding of our military, a new national security
strategy, a comprehensive nuclear posture review, and
the fielding of state-of-the-art ballistic missile defenses.
I personally engaged with 150 world leaders at home
and abroad, and our great military is executing new
strategies that have liberated Mosul and Raqqa, retaken
almost 100 percent of the land that ISIS had seized in
Syria and Iraq, and lifted restrictions on U.S. forces in
Afghanistan to defeat the terrorists and create
conditions for a negotiated political settlement.
In recognition of the amazing job our military does
protecting the homeland, a debt we can never truly
repay, I am making sure this government fulfills its
obligation to our veterans. We have already enacted
major reforms to strengthen the Department of
Veterans Affairs’ ability to provide high quality
healthcare and benefits to millions of veterans and their
beneficiaries. We have increased accountability, as the
VA has fired 1,440 failing employees, suspended 430,
and demoted 79, all as part of my efforts to make sure
veterans get the help they need, in the time frame they
deserve.

Finally, I have filled numerous vacancies in our federal

courts with judges who will interpret the law as written
– including our exceptional new Supreme Court Justice,
Neil Gorsuch.

After one year, I am proud to report to the American

people that we truly are making America great again –
for all Americans!

Donald J. Trump is president of the United States.

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