Trump says ‘phase two’ of tax relief on the way

ST. LOUIS — Trying to turn attention back to tax cuts and away from the staffing turmoil in his administration, President Donald Trump promised Wednesday that more relief is on the way.

Speaking at a Boeing factory in St. Louis with two fighter jets as his backdrop, Trump celebrated the impact of the tax cuts he signed into law last year and said he is working with Congress on a second package that would deliver new benefits for companies and the middle class.

“We’re now going for a phase two,” he said. “It’s going to be something very special. Kevin Brady’s working on it with me.”

It’s unclear what Trump was talking about. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details, but Brady, the chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, told Fox Business Network that he indeed is working on something with the president and “we think even more can be done.”

“We want to make sure that we’re encouraging innovation in America. We want to help families save for the long term,” Brady said. “Also, while the tax cuts for families were long term, they’re not yet permanent. So we’re going to address issues like that.”

Trump launched his campaign for an overhaul of the nation’s tax code at a Springfield, Missouri, manufacturing plant in August, and he returned to the state to tout the benefits of the law.

“Six months ago I promised that we would cut taxes to bring Main Street roaring all the way back and we did,” Trump said. “We helped Wall Street, we helped Main Street, we helped everybody.”

Boeing, which employs about 14,000 people in the St. Louis area, announced it would make $300 million in new investments as a result of the overhaul. Increased military spending under Trump also has benefited the company, particularly its St. Louis operation, which produces the Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet and Air Force F-15s.