This year, the Trump White House had plenty of benefits to tout for Americans on Tax Day, namely through the Working Families Tax Cuts from last July. For Ohioans, the issue goes beyond April 15, with the potential to affect closely watched races for the midterms. How Did Ohioans Benefit? The average tax refund is $3,308 for Ohioans, with that number being higher or lower depending on one’s income. A majority of Ohioans who filed, 71.6%, will receive a refund. Ohioans also benefit from Trump campaign promises, including no taxes on overtime, which benefits 24% of Ohioans, and no taxes on Social Security, which benefits around 2.1 million seniors in the Buckeye State. Because of deductions like these in the Working Families @TaxCuts, Ohioans will keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. pic.twitter.com/fQjteGJFcP— Senator Jon Husted (@SenJonHusted) April 15, 2026 The Working Families Tax Cuts were championed by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio., who frequently posts on X about such relief, especially in light of Tax Day and benefits for everyday Ohioans. Ohioans are seeing the benefits of the Working Families @TaxCuts we passed in July.Last week, a pizza delivery driver told me he used his increased refund to pay off his car.A restaurant server was able to pay off her college loan. These are the meaningful, real-life… pic.twitter.com/iMdJsjgpAd— Senator Jon Husted (@SenJonHusted) April 15, 2026 In a second post about tax cuts this week, Husted reaffirmed his support for President Donald Trump’s policy. The Working Families @TaxCuts delivers the largest tax relief to families earning under $50,000 a year. I’ll keep fighting for the hardworking families in Ohio and across the country. pic.twitter.com/kQgQMNzN7L— Senator Jon Husted (@SenJonHusted) April 15, 2026 Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, addressed these benefits in a Wednesday press conference, highlighting tax relief as a matter of “contrast” between the two parties. Moreno referred to April 15 as a “religious holiday” for Democrats, adding they were “a little less happy than they would have been” because of tax relief, for which he thanked President Donald Trump and Republicans. Moreno also argued that Republicans remain committed to tax relief. “Republicans have stayed true to our focus: low taxes, low regulations, small government,” he said. “[We] added a critical component, which is a laser focus on helping the men and women who build this country every day. And I am so proud of the fact that it took only Republicans to get this bill across the finish line, and we delivered for working families,” Moreno said. Taxes and the Midterms The National Republican Congressional Committee saw Tax Day as an opportunity to go after Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s record. The 22-term Democrat represents Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. An ad campaign highlighted Kaptur’s voting record, calling on viewers to “remember who made [Tax Day] worse.” The ad likened Kaptur to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., while drawing a contrast between Democrats and Republicans on the issue. “While Republicans fought to protect your hard-earned paychecks, Marcy Kaptur voted for the largest hike since WWII. Marcy Kaptur sided with Bernie and AOC against critical tax relief for you, higher costs, less freedom, more pressure on you. Marcy Kaptur voted for higher taxes and voted to make your life harder,” a narrator declared. The NRCC also used Tax Day to call for Ohioans to vote Kaptur out of office. “For 40 years, out-of-touch Democrat Marcy Kaptur has voted to increase taxes on hardworking Ohioans. Kaptur’s radical agenda of ever-increasing taxes is one of many reasons she will lose her seat this fall,” NRCC spokesperson Zach Bannon said in a statement to The Daily Signal. In a statement to The Daily Signal, the Kaptur campaign defended the congresswoman’s record. “Congresswoman Kaptur has fought hard for tax relief for seniors and parents. Her priority is always fighting to put money back into the pockets of Northwest Ohio families,” a campaign spokesperson said. “Right now, those same hardworking families are paying an additional $3,200 a year because of reckless across-the-board tariffs and the War of choice in Iran sending gasoline soaring over $4 a gallon, and diesel up well over $5.50.” Her campaign also took issue with tax breaks: “Marcy voted to cap insulin at $35 and let Medicare negotiate drug prices. She voted against the massive permanent tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, that cut Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and funding for rural hospitals to pay for it. Marcy Kaptur will always fight to make sure Northwest Ohio’s families don’t pick up the bill for the GOP’s Billionaire donors.” Under Ohio’s newly drawn district maps for 2026, Kaptur is regarded as a vulnerable incumbent as she runs for reelection in a district more favorable to Republicans. She won by 0.7% in 2024. The race for Ohio’s 9th is regarded as a “Toss-Up,” as is Husted’s race. RNC Spokesman Hunter Lovell addressed these races and more in a statement for The Daily Signal. “President Trump and Senator Jon Husted’s Working Families Tax Cuts are a home run for Ohioans, who are keeping more of their hard-earned money on Tax Day. Even after four years of sky-high Bidenflation, Marcy Kaptur and Greg Landsman fought to block the largest tax cuts in history, proving Democrats would rather raise taxes than help Americans get ahead,” he said. Americans for Action Prosperity Action also touted the senator’s relief plans over X. The group endorsed Husted last month. Tax Day is a reminder that families in Ohio should not be squeezed by Washington. @JonHusted supported the Working Families Tax Cut so people can keep more of their paycheck. pic.twitter.com/rnzzVqSq7a— Americans for Prosperity Action (@AFPAction) April 15, 2026 What’s Next for Taxes in Ohio? In Ohio, the state Legislature has made it taxes a priority issue for some time. The state has made progress on taxes in other ways, including with a 2.75% flat tax passed by the state Legislature. That resulted in Ohio moving up from the 25th to the 15th spot in the “Rich States, Poor States” index by the American Legislative Exchange Council, making it the largest jump on the list from last year to this year. A Tax Day statement from Americans for Prosperity-Ohio’s State Director Donovan O’Neil highlighted this jump and praised the new tax rate. “Our massive jump in economic competitiveness this year shows that bold tax reforms like a low, flat income tax empowers citizens, families, and businesses to thrive,” he said, adding that his organization “fought for years to protect Ohioans from burdensome income taxes.” Addressing the property tax has been of particular importance for Prosperity for Us, a group that focuses on state ballot initiatives as a way to build a “state-based citizen initiative movement to restore and ensure prosperity and increased financial ability for Americans.” This includes Ohio. This and other groups, such as the Committee to Abolish Ohio Property Taxes, are backing a ballot initiative to eliminate property taxes in Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has warned that passage could result in Ohio having to adopt up to a potential 20% sales tax to make up for lost revenue. The post How Taxes Affect Ohioans on April 15 and Beyond appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775, at the Battle of Lexington. Rebellions are, at root, when the people of a place make a stand against the status quo. What pushed so many men and women in the American colonies to the ledge of revolt? What motivated them to risk their lives taking a stand for their rights and liberties? Ultimately, it was their fortitude, character, and faith that emboldened them to revolt. It is easier to understand this within the context of the decades leading up to the War for Independence. Historian Nathaniel Philbrick notes that, after the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, Britain was bogged down by a massive debt (more than $22 billion in contemporary American currency). Great Britain decided that the colonies should contribute to repaying the debt, particularly since it was incurred by the mother country coming to their aid. So ended the “salutary neglect,” and so began the decades of taxation. The taxation that followed formed the backbone of the colonists’ motivations for revolting. These taxes crippled economic growth. Americans came to view the taxes as nothing more than an expression of the British greed and demeaning attitude toward them as the subjects of the monarch. Barely two years after the end of the French and Indian War came the institution of the Stamp Act (1765). This was a tax on all paper goods purchased by the colonists. Colonists had no say in the tax, which was just the beginning of many such taxes that would be instituted by Parliament without representation from the colonists. Enraged, a mob of colonists swarmed the local lieutenant governor’s home. It tore apart the inside of the home, sending a clear message to British authorities. Within a year, the Stamp Act was rescinded by Parliament. Historians have remarked that the distaste towards this and other bills was something to be expected. However, the violence that ensued was an entirely different beast. In hindsight, Parliament may have perceived an unrest in the colonies that went far deeper than finances. But the British government needed money, so it continued to tax the colonies. The earliest members of the revolt against Great Britain faced unimaginable odds, but they were convinced they had to fight for their freedom. These were people from many walks of life, from farmers and countrymen to lawyers and doctors. Colonists from all walks of life were tired of the oppression and taxation that came from a power that found itself over 3,000 miles away. The rebels were convinced that Great Britain, the world superpower, was in the wrong, and they were dedicated to opposing this injustice, no matter what, even if it cost them their livelihoods or their lives. Some names and words echo through history. Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” is well-known to this day, as are Nathan Hale’s last words: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” However, the American experiment began because of countless men and women—known and unknown—who possessed courage, character, and faith. They were willing to risk their lives for the benefit of their families and the future of the colonies. This courage came from doing what is right for its own sake. That is ultimately built on a faith in God. In a time when many claim that America is a fundamentally irreligious and atheistic project, this is a truth worth emphasizing. We mustn’t forget that even the religious freethinker Thomas Jefferson made clear in the Declaration of Independence that man’s inalienable rights are no mere political convenience. They are given by God, and it is because of this divine source that all are bound to respect them. As we approach the 250th anniversary of our independence, Americans ought to remember and honor our forebears by living for justice, truth, and faith. That way we will ensure that our nation thrives for centuries to come, no matter the odds we face. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post What the Colonists Fought For appeared first on The Daily Signal.

President Trump’s endorsement of Steve Hilton for governor of California earlier this month has sent the Democratic establishment into predictable convulsions. Katie Porter, one of the leading Democratic hopefuls, declared that the race now boils down to a stark choice: “California values against MAGA.” Others called Hilton a “Trump puppet.” The implication is clear: Any candidate endorsed by President Trump is a dangerous interloper foisting flyover-country extremism on the enlightened progressive utopia that is modern California. One wonders what these “California values” actually are. The term is invoked with the same pious certainty once reserved for the Ten Commandments, yet the state it supposedly defines is America’s poster child for policy-induced decline. Under one-party Democratic rule (with legislative majorities dating back decades and a full trifecta since 2011), California boasts the highest state income tax in the country, the highest gas prices, and among the most punitive regulations on business and housing. It leads the nation in homelessness while spending billions with little visible result.  Sanctuary policies shield illegal immigrants from federal law enforcement, even as American citizens in working-class neighborhoods bear the brunt of the resulting crime and strained social services.  California’s aggressive green energy ambition has delivered rolling blackouts, sky-high utility bills, and dangerous dependence on foreign oil — all while the state’s own refining capacity collapses.  Businesses and middle-class families flee by the hundreds of thousands to Texas, Florida, and Nevada, voting with their U-Haul trailers against the very “values” Democrats insist define the state. These are not the values that built California. The Golden State was forged by pioneers, Dust Bowl refugees, Okie farmers, aerospace engineers, and Hollywood dreamers who understood that merit, risk, and reward — not redistribution and guilt — were the engines of prosperity.  It was the state of the Gold Rush, the great Central Valley farmlands, and the Southern California defense plants that helped win World War II, and the Silicon Valley garages where tinkerers became titans.  Those California values prized self-reliance, law and order, affordable energy, secure borders, and the right of ordinary people to raise families without being priced out or preyed upon. They were, in short, what we now call MAGA values — though the acronym is new, the principles are as old as the Republic itself. Steve Hilton, a naturalized American citizen who has lived and worked in California for years, has spent the better part of the last decade documenting precisely how far the state has fallen from those founding virtues. A former advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron, he is no carpetbagging ideologue but a clear-eyed observer of progressive governance in action.  He has watched, as Trump noted, while this once-great state “has gone to Hell.” Hilton’s platform — lower taxes, housing deregulation, crackdowns on crime and vagrancy, energy realism, and an end to one-party complacency — represents a return to the practical, results-oriented governance that made California the envy of the world, not its punchline. Democrats’ frantic reframing is less about substance than self-preservation. Their “California values” are the values of coastal elites ensconced in gated enclaves in Atherton, Malibu, or Beverly Hills — people who send their children to private schools, employ private security, and lecture the rest of us about compassion while the working poor and middle class absorb the consequences of their experiments.  The same politicians who champion open borders fly private jets to climate summits. The same officials who decry “systemic racism” oversee cities where Black and Hispanic residents suffer the highest rates of violent crime. The rhetoric of “values” is simply the latest euphemism for preserving a status quo that has enriched the few while beggaring the many. Trump’s endorsement signals that the fight for California is now a national priority. A state that produces more than a tenth of the nation’s GDP, that once symbolized American dynamism, cannot be written off as a lost cause. If Hilton prevails in the June top-two primary and carries the fight into November, he will do so with the explicit backing of a president who has already begun reversing the national decline Democrats spent years accelerating. Federal partnership on border security, energy production, and infrastructure —precisely what Sacramento has rejected — could begin the long work of restoration. The Democrats’ panic is understandable. For years they have governed without serious opposition, confident that demographic destiny and cultural inertia would keep their machine humming.  Trump’s intervention and Hilton’s candidacy threaten to expose the hollowness of their claims. The real choice before California voters is not between “California values” and some alien MAGA ideology; It is between the values that are emptying the state of its people, businesses, and hope, and the values that once made it the greatest state in the Union.  The post The ‘California Values’ That Ruined California appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Elon Musk on Friday promoted a film about Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier’s fight against Marxist ideas invading the U.S. military, and the X post has garnered more than 15 million views so far. “Call Sign Courage: The Matt Lohmeier Story,” a documentary produced with support from The Heritage Foundation, highlights Lohmeier’s efforts to advocate for a merit-based military in opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies promoted by the Biden administration. In prior years, Lohmeier publicly spoke out against what he characterized as neo-Marxist ideology in military training, the use of critical race theory as an institutional framework, the politicization of the armed forces, authoritarian ideological enforcement, and the erosion of merit-based service. Through public commentary and his book, Lohmeier, a former Air Force pilot turned Space Force commander, called for a return to constitutional loyalty, individual moral courage, free expression, unity, and merit-based leadership within the military. The film also features remarks from top Biden-appointed defense officials, including former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, in which they defended the inclusion of such concepts in the armed forces. “We have a diversity, equity, and inclusion focus in the military,” Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee in June 2021. “I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military … of being ‘woke’ because we are studying some theories that are out there,” Milley said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing that same month. According to the film, Lohmeier’s resistance led to his removal from command — he was fired without pension under the Biden administration. The film’s website states that he was “made a public example of as a non-compliant officer.” Beyond career repercussions, the documentary also depicts alleged intimidation incidents involving Lohmeier and his family, including reported home invasions during that period. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard described the film as “a story about a love of country, love of God.” “His humility allows for this story to be told in a deeply impactful way,” Gabbard said at an October event at The Heritage Foundation. “You can read articles in a newspaper or online, or hear reporters talk about something—but the real impact of what Matt and his family went through can only be felt when people hear him and see his story for themselves.” Gabbard added that storytelling such as Lohmeier’s has the power “to shape policy and bring about real and lasting change.” As depicted throughout the film, Lohmeier turned his fight against Biden-era policies into a movement aimed at uniting service members and advocating for a return to “merit-based, unified service.” “You look at the expectations that the American people should have of our public institutions—that the people who work there every day should be motivated by service,” Gabbard said. In January 2021, President Donald Trump appointed Lohmeier as the 29th under secretary of the Air Force. The documentary is now available to watch for free on X through Sunday, April 19. The post Elon Musk Promotes Story of Pilot Ousted for Urging Merit-Based Military appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Child care got expensive—more than $13,000 per child, per year.  So many people want government to pay for it. My state just agreed. New York will fund free child care. Yay! But wait … what government does isn’t free. Taxpayers pay. And taxpayers pay more because “government rules have unintended consequences,” says Carrie Lukas of the Independent Women’s Forum.  Washington, D.C. day care teachers must have a degree in Early Childhood Education. That can take two years and cost $22,000. “Of course you’re going to have to pay a lot more,” says Lukas in my new video, “when you’ve asked people to invest tens of thousands of dollars in degrees.” Many government rules are just dumb.  Illinois says providers must offer coins for pay phones. Providers must have “one crib with mattress, sheet, and blanket per infant,” but wait! Illinois also says, “Soft bedding … shall not be used.” Which is it?! Illinois bureaucrats told us their rules are “being updated.” Red states have dumb rules, too. Oklahoma’s regulations specify exact number of items providers must have: two nesting, stacking and interlocking toys per one to two kids, two toddler pounding toys, two support pillows, three squeaky toys, two knobbed puzzles, three wrist or ankle bells … Really. Oklahoma’s regulations go on for 180 pages! “Policymakers talk about the lack of affordable care,” says Lukas, “yet here they are layering on regulations that make it impossible for people to come and fill that need. This pushes good people out of the industry.” It also stops good people from providing in-home care. “In-home day care is often what parents want most,” says Lucas. “Places that most replicate that comfortable, family-supportive environment.” In-home care used to be the most common form of child care, but not anymore. “Regulations make it really hard for someone who has their own kids, who’s already going to be staying at home, to invite other kids to that home,” says Lucas.  Michigan requires a license to take care of even one other child. Getting that license can take six months, and requires CPR training, infectious disease training, child abuse training, a six-hour orientation, an environmental health inspection … “Those rules don’t help kids as much as raise costs,” says Lucas. “Fewer people enter the market, and parents are left with fewer options.” Lukas is raising five kids, but she says the rules would discourage her from ever trying to offer home care. “There are things that no family would ever comply with. I would have to go into my cabinets and find every cereal box and make sure it was in a sealed container … ” Delaware’s regulations say: “Food must be stored in closed or sealed containers … ”  Also, endless government rules don’t guarantee safety. Missouri’s Adventure Learning Center had a license. Teachers there were caught telling 3-year-olds to fight.  Real crooks ignore government rules altogether, as Minnesota’s day care scandal showed. Incompetent government rarely checks. “Here they were,” says Lukas, driving the law-abiding centers out of the day care market, but in the meantime, “funneling millions of taxpayer dollars … letting money flow to those who weren’t providing any care at all.” “There should be no regulations?” I ask. “A background check for a daycare provider is a reasonable requirement, but other than that, I think we really should be trusting parents, not government, to make the decision on what makes sense for their child. … Parents, not government, care the most about kids.” Activists and politicians always think more rules make things better. More often than not, they make things worse. COPYRIGHT 2026 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Little Kids, Big Government appeared first on The Daily Signal.