By Lou Barletta

Back in 1986, Ronald President Reagan reignited the American dream.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11th District (PennLive file)

Through simplification and reduction, the tax code's suffocation on income and business was lifted, reversing over a decade of stagnation in America.

Nearly 31 years after Reagan's landmark reform, President Donald Trump is leading the fight again.

President Trump knows what will drive economic revival for the people of Pennsylvania.

Since 1986, Washington corruption slowly sapped the spirit out of middle America. Excessive regulation and special interest tax carve-outs have sentenced American workers and businesses to death by paperwork.

As a businessman, I often felt like my most difficult competition was from Washington, not other businesses.

I started a business with $29.95 and a dream.

Today, because of nameless, faceless bureaucrats and an overbearing tax system, American policies do everything to make business impossible. How can we expect this to create growth and innovation from business, and opportunity for the worker?

The system is not competitive. Washington's choke-hold is causing the export of dollars and jobs out of our borders.

Though we offer the best markets, the most stable legal system, and freest society, America continues to be uncompetitive among the industrial nations of the world--it should be the gem.

Finally, we have a president who has identified these concerns of American workers and businesses.

Previous presidents and political leaders, bound by the blinders of Washington, failed to pass policies competitive with other nations. Like the failed leaders of the past, obstructionists in the House and Senate also refuse to see America as a land of opportunity.

Since November, 2016, they have done everything they can to work against the President's reform program.

They continue to take the politically easy way out. Instead of fighting for hard-working Americans, they make lives harder with open border policies.

For businesses, weak kneed trade enforcement has made it impossible for American industry to compete with foreign companies. For the public system, politicians have turned a blind eye to illegal labor causing serious stress on local resources like schools and hospitals.

The worker is dealt the back-hand of both.

President Trump aims to break this house of cards.

After slashing Washington regulation, the economy has responded. Despite being smacked by major hurricanes, a million jobs have been added. Working wages have increased, experiencing the fastest growth in 7 years.

Unemployment is at the lowest mark in 16 years and the labor force participation rate is at the highest level since 2014.

The market is confident and workers are coming off the sidelines, but the President cannot do this alone. Pennsylvanians can feel this energy and want to see it unleashed.

It is vital that Congress pass pro-growth, pro-wage, and pro-worker tax reform to continue the great American revival. I will be pushing hard for Congress to deliver.

Let Pennsylvanians fight

Billions of dollars remain overseas, while hard-working Pennsylvanians have seen more of their wages going to Washington. American workers have had enough watching their livelihoods exported and communities broken apart.

They continue to fight, but Washington has made them do so with a hand tied behind their back. With President Trump, they finally have a leader in their corner. He is willing to fight with them, not against them.

A freer, fairer, and simpler tax code, with lower taxes on businesses and individuals, will reignite the American dream for Pennsylvanian families.

An incentive based territorial system will make us competitive with other nations. Businesses will want to bring their money, jobs, and industrial capacity back home. Growth will flood American markets to power a great American revival. Businesses will hire Pennsylvanians and invest in our local communities.

Tax reform for all will see a waterfall effect of economic growth. Instead of a system weighing on Pennsylvanian wages, a ladder will appear. As opportunities grow, workers will take advantage of the new pro-American system. Once closed paths to prosperity will open.

It's time for Congress to join President Trump and fight for America. I am proud that under the Make America Great Again agenda, the United States will again rise to its rightful place as the preeminent economic powerhouse in the world.

Pennsylvanians are ready to fight for our future. I was proud to stand by President Trump this week in Harrisburg. Congress should unite behind President Trump and pass a pro-American tax reform package--I will not vote for anything less.

Let's come together to rebuild American greatness.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a Republican, represents the Hazleton-based 11th Congressional District, which includes a portion of the mid-state. He is also a Republican candidate for United States Senate in 2018.