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'''Kevin Patrick Brady''', born April 11, 1955 (age {{age|1955|4|11}}), is the Republican [[U.S. Representative]] for Texas congressional 8th district, serving since 1997. His district includes part of northern [[Houston]] metro, including Montgomery County, and seven other rural counties north of the Houston metro area. He previously served as chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, from 2015 to 2018, where he was the lead writer of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.<ref>Debonis, Mike & Werner, Erica. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-how-republicans-passed-tax-overhaul-20171220-story.html How Republicans pulled off the biggest tax overhaul in 30 years], Chicago Tribune, December 20, 2017.</ref>

'''Kevin Patrick Brady''', born April 11, 1955 (age {{age|1955|4|11}}), is the Republican [[U.S. Representative]] for Texas' congressional 8th district, serving since 1997. His district includes part of northern [[Houston]] metro, including Montgomery County, and seven other rural counties north of the metro area. He previously served as chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, from 2015 to 2018, where he was the lead writer of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.<ref>Debonis, Mike & Werner, Erica. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-how-republicans-passed-tax-overhaul-20171220-story.html How Republicans pulled off the biggest tax overhaul in 30 years], Chicago Tribune, December 20, 2017.</ref>

==Early life==

==Early life==

During Brady's time in the U.S. Congress, the 8th Congressional District has been a Republican stronghold.  From 1998 to 2014, Brady did not face strong Republican opposition in the various Republican primaries. He won handily each year when he did have competition with about 67% to 80% of the vote. After the 2014 election, Brady was named the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means and he held that position for four years until the 2018 take over of the House by the Democrats.

During Brady's time in the U.S. Congress, the 8th Congressional District has been a Republican stronghold.  From 1998 to 2014, Brady did not face strong Republican opposition in the various Republican primaries. He won handily each year when he did have competition with about 67% to 80% of the vote. After the 2014 election, Brady was named the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means and he held that position for four years until the 2018 take over of the House by the Democrats.

In 2016, Brady faced the most formidable Republican challenge since taking the Congressional seat twenty years ago. He had developed a reputation as a reliable [[RINO|Rino]] vote in Washington, which lead to him getting three Republican opponents in the 2016 Republican primary. Brady was opposed by State Representative Steve Toth from The Woodlands who received 37% of the vote. Brady was able to avoid a runoff by receiving 53% of the vote, but it was his lowest Republican primary vote total since 1996.  Toth argued that Brady was compromised with President [[Barack Obama]] too often and that Brady should not have voted to revive the Import-Export Bank.  Toth had Tea Party support and Brady did not.

In 2016, Brady faced the most formidable Republican challenge since taking the Congressional seat twenty years ago. He had developed a reputation as a reliable [[RINO]] vote in Washington, which lead to him getting three Republican opponents in the 2016 Republican primary. Brady was opposed by State Representative Steve Toth from The Woodlands who received 37% of the vote. Brady was able to avoid a runoff by receiving 53% of the vote, but it was his lowest Republican primary vote total since 1996.  Toth argued that Brady was compromised with President [[Barack Obama]] too often and that Brady should not have voted to revive the Import-Export Bank.  Toth had [[Tea Party]] support and Brady did not.

After the scare of Brady's career and the election of President Trump, Brady did decide to move slightly to the right by working directly with Trump on a tax bill, which was known formally as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 but known informally as the Trump Tax Cuts. The TCJA amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by reducing tax rates and raising the standard deduction.  The bill was quite ambitious and it met many of President Trump's goals.  Brady was the lead author of the legislation and its biggest advocate on Capitol Hill.  It was passed by both branches of Congress and signed into law by Trump on December 22, 2017.

After the scare of Brady's career and the election of President Trump, Brady did decide to move slightly to the right by working directly with Trump on a tax bill, which was known formally as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 but known informally as the Trump Tax Cuts. The TCJA amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by reducing tax rates and raising the standard deduction.  The bill was quite ambitious and it met many of President Trump's goals.  Brady was the lead author of the legislation and its biggest advocate on Capitol Hill.  It was passed by both branches of Congress and signed into law by Trump on December 22, 2017.

President [[Joseph Biden]] has consistently vowed to overturn the TCJA and raise taxes on Americans. In July 2020, Brady told Varney & Company on FOX Business, “I can’t think of anything more dangerous and irresponsible to the economy than raising taxes and slowing this economy as we’re working our way out of a pandemic,” Brady advised. “What we don’t want to do is return to the battle of the days of the Obama-Biden administration, the slowest recovery since World War II, wages were stagnant, jobs were moving overseas — exactly the opposite of what we have seen under the Trump administration. So, I think Joe Biden simply doesn’t understand the economy. He’s shown that for many years. And right now, more than ever, what we need to be doing is making those tax cuts permanent, keeping dollars in the pockets of families of our small businesses, encouraging new investment. And obviously, we have already seen a number of jobs in dollars repatriated back to the United States under the Trump tax cuts. We want to continue that, not reverse it.”<ref>Baker, Trent. [https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/07/02/gop-rep-brady-on-biden-wanting-to-cancel-trump-tax-cuts-cant-think-of-anything-more-dangerous-and-irresponsible-to-the-economy/ GOP Rep. Brady on Biden Proposal to Cancel Trump Tax Cuts: ‘Can’t Think of Anything More Dangerous and Irresponsible’], Breitbart, July 2, 2020.  Retreived January 22, 2021.</ref>

President [[Joseph Biden]] has consistently vowed to overturn the TCJA and raise taxes on Americans. In July 2020, Brady told Varney & Company on FOX Business, "I can’t think of anything more dangerous and irresponsible to the economy than raising taxes and slowing this economy as we’re working our way out of a pandemic," Brady advised. "What we don’t want to do is return to the battle of the days of the Obama-Biden administration, the slowest recovery since World War II, wages were stagnant, jobs were moving overseas — exactly the opposite of what we have seen under the Trump administration. So, I think Joe Biden simply doesn’t understand the economy. He’s shown that for many years. And right now, more than ever, what we need to be doing is making those tax cuts permanent, keeping dollars in the pockets of families of our small businesses, encouraging new investment. And obviously, we have already seen a number of jobs in dollars repatriated back to the United States under the Trump tax cuts. We want to continue that, not reverse it."<ref>Baker, Trent. [https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/07/02/gop-rep-brady-on-biden-wanting-to-cancel-trump-tax-cuts-cant-think-of-anything-more-dangerous-and-irresponsible-to-the-economy/ GOP Rep. Brady on Biden Proposal to Cancel Trump Tax Cuts: ‘Can’t Think of Anything More Dangerous and Irresponsible’], Breitbart, July 2, 2020.  Retreived January 22, 2021.</ref>

==References==

==References==