Burgum joins President Trump in Call for Major Tax Reform, Applauds using North Dakota as Example for Nation

Press Release

Gov. Doug Burgum joined President Donald Trump today in calling for major tax reform to ease the burden on hardworking Americans, spur business investment and job creation and help rebuild U.S. cities and towns.

At the Andeavor oil refinery in Mandan, Burgum was pleased to hear President Trump say he wants all of America to be inspired by the North Dakota example. The president called the state "a reminder of what can happen when we promote American jobs instead of obstructing them," and he highlighted North Dakota's lowest-in-the-nation unemployment rate.

"North Dakota leaders have worked hard over the past 25 years to reduce individual and corporate income tax rates, pass sensible regulations and foster a business-friendly environment that stimulates investment and job creation, and we appreciate President Trump recognizing those continuing efforts," Burgum said. "We share the president's goals for tax reform: simplify the tax code, lower rates to ease the burden on middle-class families and set corporate tax rates at levels that allow U.S. businesses to better compete in the global economy, bringing back jobs and wealth from overseas. And we urge Congress to work with the administration to achieve meaningful tax reform that encourages economic growth and saves taxpayers time and money."

Governor Burgum, First Lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford greeted President Trump, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn after they deplaned Air Force One at the Bismarck airport, marking the commander-in-chief's first visit to North Dakota since his inauguration.

President Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump invited the governor and first lady to ride with them in the presidential state car from the airport to the refinery. During the roughly 20-minute ride, the president and governor discussed North Dakota's drought -- including Burgum's pending request for a presidential major disaster declaration -- as well as tax policy, agriculture and energy, among other topics.

The president's comments on the strength of the state's energy sector -- calling it the "North Dakota energy miracle" -- struck a chord with Lt. Gov. Sanford, who as Watford City's mayor witnessed how private-sector innovation unlocked the state's vast oil reserves and turned North Dakota into the nation's No. 2 oil-producing state, with a population soaring after decades of decline.

"When crude oil prices plummeted, North Dakota producers responded by finding ways to boost efficiency and lower their costs, and they're still producing more than 1 million barrels of oil per day," Sanford said. "We need to apply that same ingenuity to tax reform so we can incentivize business growth, expand the tax base and create more jobs with higher wages."

Source