WARREN, Ohio — Touting the July passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” as a win for Mahoning Valley business and manufacturing, U.S. Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, 14th, and Rodney Davis, head of government affairs with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, spoke Tuesday afternoon following a roundtable at Anderson-Dubose Co. in Warren.
Joyce said extending the 2017 tax cuts prevented the average Ohioan from facing a 20% tax increase at the end of this year. Families, he added, benefited from an increase in the Child Tax Credit to $2,200 per child. Businesses gained a 20% small-business deduction, a new market tax credit and a renewal of opportunity zones.
“Without these provisions, thousands of small businesses in Ohio 14 would have been hit with significant tax hikes,” Joyce said. “Since passage of the [Tax Cut and Jobs Act] over 300 opportunity zones have been established here in Ohio creating more than 40,000 jobs. It also permanently restored full expensing for domestic research and development for new capital investments.”
According to the Ohio Department of Development, there are 320 opportunity zones across 73 of the state’s 88 counties, including parts of Youngstown and Warren. The program includes $25 million in tax credits for fiscal 2026.
Davis, who was elected to Congress in 2012, said Joyce was the first person he met during orientation in Washington, D.C., and described him as a close friend. Both worked on the original 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act. While that bill permanently lowered the corporate tax rate, tax cuts for individuals and small businesses were set to expire in 2025.
Davis said the renewal of those cuts gives businesses the confidence to make decisions, hire workers and invest in facilities and equipment.
He added that the U.S. Chamber connects with 73,000 small businesses in Ohio’s 14th District. For those businesses alone, he said, the tax policies have had a positive economic impact of more than $640 million.
Opponents of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” argue it will add trillions to the national debt, cut nearly half a million Ohioans from Medicaid eligibility and reduce Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for vulnerable people, while favoring the wealthy.
Joyce countered that with the national debt at about $35 trillion, cuts are necessary. He said the bill removes Medicaid and SNAP benefits from people who should not have received them. Davis argued that extending the tax policy does not increase the debt but instead saves Americans money.
Asked about uncertainty caused by tariffs under President Donald Trump, Joyce said Congress is working to address the issue when businesses are harmed.
“Hopefully, we soon work out some type of exclusion or exemption process for those that are being unfairly taxed by the tariffs and creating issues for their businesses,” Joyce said.
He also noted the business child care tax credit could help people who want to work but fear losing benefits or worry about their ability to work full time.
Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, said local businesses discussed workforce development challenges and barriers to employment with Joyce and Davis. Expanding Pell Grant eligibility, Coviello said, could help more people attend college.
Both Joyce and Davis indicated the bill may change in the future and said they were open to hearing concerns from businesses. Coviello added that manufacturers would like to see tax credits for expansion extended to companies that lease facilities, which is common in the Mahoning Valley.
The roundtable was one of 100 events Davis said will be held by year’s end, including 40 before the bill passed.
Joyce said businesses from across industries attended the closed-door meeting before the press conference.
“All these provisions were welcomed by all the folks who supported this and attended the round table today,” Joyce said. “They are excited for what the future holds when individuals have more cash in their pocket and businesses have increased access to capital. Economic growth follows.”
Pictured at top: Rodney Davis, head of government affairs with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, 14th