Opinion| from Lance Gooden: Blue-collar boom is bigger in Texas

by Lance Gooden

The biggest group of winners in the Trump economy is America’s middle class. That’s especially true in rural communities across Texas. We’re hiring more and paying people better wages thanks to deregulation and the historic Trump tax cuts.

Since the 2016 election, our state has created 895,000 new jobs. That’s led to an all-time low in the unemployment rate, which is now down to just 3.4 percent.

It’s not just the middle class feeling the benefit of the Trump economy. Low-income workers nationwide have seen a 16 percent increase in their wages since the 2016 election.

African-American and Hispanic-American unemployment rates are the lowest they’ve ever been.

A rising tide lifts all boats.

After years of making deals in the private sector, President Trump has brought his business savvy to the White House – and the country – in a big way.

An innovative new policy implemented by the Trump tax bill has led to an explosion of entrepreneurship in Texas.

The 2018 law created 628 special opportunity zones across the state, which grants special tax incentives to encourage investment and economic development. Twenty-two of these zones were placed here at home in our congressional district.

Since the law was passed, we’ve seen 18 percent growth in new business applications across the state thanks to opportunity zone communities like Kaufman, Athens and Palestine.

The irony of all this incredible economic news is that Democrats have chosen to turn toward socialist candidates to lead their party in the 2020 election.

You heard that right; just as the economy has finally started to change lives for the better, Democrats want to change course.

No issue more clearly separates our two parties. Thankfully, you only need to ask yourself one question to know which side you’re on: are you better off today than you were four years ago?

Lance Gooden is the U.S. Representative for Texas’s Fifth Congressional District. He previously served in the Texas House of Representatives for District 4.