This week, the gates will open at Wittman Regional Airport for one of the world’s most prestigious air shows – the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. So many of us have shared memories of making the short journey north to see more than 10,000 aircraft of all kinds put on incredible displays and aerial shows. This year, in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, a special plane will fly over Oshkosh on its nationwide tour.
The Freedom Plane is a travelling National Archives exhibition that carries nine original Founding-era documents across the country to bring history to the American people. Wisconsin has a special connection to the aircraft. The custom-designed Boeing 737 is made with parts from aerospace manufacturers right here in southeastern Wisconsin.
When our Founders signed the Declaration of Independence, they knew political liberty would mean little without economic independence. Wisconsin answered that call early on, developing a world-class manufacturing infrastructure that helped win world wars, construct iconic skylines, and drive global innovation.
Manufacturing has been a critical component of Wisconsin’s economy since the 1830s. What started as sawmills and small breweries grew into shipbuilding, iron and steel production, and heavy agricultural equipment. Today, Wisconsin manufacturers like Rockwell Automation, Oshkosh Defense, Harley-Davidson, and thousands of small businesses and machine shops create economic opportunities for communities statewide. It’s a proud tradition that contributes to the American legacy of ingenuity, innovation, and personal ambition.
To protect this legacy and ensure our shops remain competitive for the next 250 years, Washington must provide an economic environment that rewards work and fuels business expansion. That’s why we voted in favor of the Working Families Tax Cuts. For too long, heavy-handed regulations and crushing tax burdens have hindered local employers and squeezed middle-class paychecks. This tax package directly targets those obstacles, injecting much-needed breathing room into our local economy.
The legislation delivers targeted incentives designed to enhance manufacturing and small business operations throughout Wisconsin. By making the 20% small business deduction permanent, we are giving our Main Street machine shops, fabricators, and foundries the financial certainty they need to reinvest in equipment, upgrade facility capabilities, and create family-sustaining jobs.
Crucially, the bill directly supports the people on the factory floor by eliminating taxes on overtime premium pay. Wisconsin workers should keep more of what they earn when they put in extra hours to meet production deadlines. By letting our workforce take home more of their hard-earned money, we enhance local consumer power and reinforce the dignity of skilled labor. At the end of the day, this legislation builds an economy rooted in productivity rather than government dependence, which was a foundational idea of America’s Founding Fathers.
The commemorative Freedom Plane flyover in Oshkosh will be a spectacular tribute to our national heritage and bridge our revolutionary ideals with our modern industrial triumphs. It will be an awe-inspiring, visual reminder that the freedoms drafted on parchment 250 years ago are protected daily by the advanced manufacturing technologies engineered right here in Wisconsin.
It is also a reminder that our manufacturing base in the state is strong with room to grow. Our businesses and machine shops have deep roots in our communities and the ability to adapt to the nation’s evolving needs. Aerospace is burgeoning and Wisconsin manufacturers are poised to play larger roles in its next chapters. The Working Families Tax Cuts are an important step forward toward protecting domestic supply chains, incentivizing local production, and giving our workers a hand-up in a competitive global market.
Wisconsin is home to critical manufacturing companies that produce parts for commercial aircraft like the 737, space vehicles like the Space Launch System, and defense programs like the CH-47 Chinook, many of which are in our districts. By helping create a favorable economic climate for businesses, our manufacturers can lead in the next chapter of American manufacturing innovation.
So when the engines roar at AirVenture this week, all Wisconsinites can look up with pride. Our state didn’t just witness American history; we forged it. Armed with pro-growth tax policies and an unmatched work ethic, Wisconsin will continue to build, fly, and manufacture America’s future for generations to come.
