Vice President JD Vance told hundreds of workers and their families at the Hatch Stamping Company in Howell, Michigan, on Sept. 17 that newly enacted policies and tax cuts will benefit communities across America.
“I am so proud to be right here where I am today with all of you talking about all of the ways in which we can continue to build an America that works for normal Americans,” Vance said.
“We can make this country safer. We can protect your jobs.”
Much of the discussion from the lawmakers and dignitaries that spoke revolved around the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—a centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s administration after it cleared the Senate thanks to Vance’s tie-breaking vote.
Included in the legislation are extensions to the 2017 tax cuts, in addition to reduced taxes on overtime, tips, and social security income, among other things.
He said the administration is focused on prioritizing safety and law and order to improve quality of life nationwide.
Vance suggested Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer take the opportunity to work together and bring the National Guard into the state to fight crime.
“I believe our sacred promise and our sacred duty is to make this country even better for the next generation than it was for the generation that came before,” Vance said.
The event was held at a family business founded in 1952 and known for producing metal goods and automotive parts.
Vance’s stop in the Great Lakes State is the third visit to a swing state in the past month. He made similar speeches in Georgia and Wisconsin in August.
The vice president was last in Michigan in March.
He listed the Trump administration’s achievements and goals, ending with a plea to voters to support the Republican Party in 2026.
“If you’re working hard, we’re going to fight for you to keep as much of your hard-earned money as possible,” Vance said.
“I believe that the American Dream belongs to American citizens, not to illegal aliens, not to cartels, and it doesn’t belong to foreign workers; it belongs to workers right here in the state of Michigan.”
Turning to the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, Vance reflected on the impact Kirk had on his life.
“Charlie Kirk created a movement, and that made Donald J. Trump the president of the United States, and it made me the vice president of the United States,” Vance said.
“I would not be here without Charlie.”
He vowed to fight for free speech and the patriotic principles Kirk espoused.
“I think I speak for a majority of our fellow Americans when I say we do not attack or commit violence against people because we disagree with their ideas,” Vance said.
“We debate ideas, and we’re going to keep on debating in honor of the great Charlie Kirk for as long as I have a microphone.”
A congressman representing the region also offered words of comfort to those affected by the killing and offered a path forward as a nation.
“I think, something that we ought to take a step back and acknowledge, is somebody like Charlie Kirk, who stood for the constitutional values that we all take for granted and died in the pursuit of really illustrating, highlighting, and amplifying those constitutional values,” Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) said.
“A takeaway from that, I hope, is that we are at a turning point now as a country, and we have a choice to make: Which way are we going to turn? And I hope we turn the right way, toward the side of seeing in one another God’s creation.”
