Daines on CNBC’s Squawk Box: Millions of Americans are Benefitting on Tax Day from the Working Families Tax Cuts

• April 15, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today joined CNBC's Squawk Box to discuss how the Working Families Tax Cut is making life more affordable for Americans, as well as the latest on the Iran war and energy prices.

Watch the full interview HERE.

Daines on how the Working Families Tax Cut is increasing affordability:

"Joe, we have got to do a better job of reminding the American people where we were just a year and a half ago under Joe Biden's leadership. Wide-open southern border, flood of drugs and illegals coming across into America, violent criminals coming into our country. President Trump has sealed the southern border. We're seeing fentanyl seizures now dramatically dropping because of the result of this president and Republican leadership. Let's not forget, today is Tax Day. On the affordability question, one way to address affordability is putting more dollars in the pockets of the American people for hardworking Americans. 90 percent of senior citizens are not going to be paying tax on their Social Security benefits because of what we did under President Trump's leadership in signing the law with a Working Families Tax Cut bill. We're seeing relief now for tens of millions of Americans who work on tips and on overtime are seeing tax relief, refunds up 13 percent from where they were a year ago.

…Anytime you have what you call, the six-year itch in elections. That's the second midterm for a president. It's always headwinds coming into that election cycle. But I tell you, when you step back and remind the American people where we were just 18 months ago in terms of the chaos on the southern border, when the American people start seeing the benefits of the Working Families Tax Cut, it's a very dynamic situation. They're just now receiving their refunds. Only about 45 percent of the tax returns have been processed. And when you think about what happened here for our businesses, having the 100 percent expensing of capital investment, of research and development, of interest and making that permanent to provide certainty for our businesses across America. That really is jet fuel for this economy. That's going to take a little bit more time to kick into gear. I think the tax relief is going to be very much in the short-term and help the American people on affordability."

Daines on Trump's leadership with Iran:

"As you see, President Trump's leadership, he wants to bring an end to this war. Remember, this is a 47-year war begun by the ayatollahs when they took power in Iran. President Trump wants to bring this war to an end to this 47-year war. Remember. We're just about six weeks into concluding this when President Trump took action to stop the nuclear capabilities and the ballistic missiles there in Iran. I'm cautiously optimistic. You're seeing that reflected right now and it's remarkable, Joe, to see what's happening with the S&P is approaching perhaps record levels today. You see WTI and oil is down now in the low 90s again. There's volatility certainly in the energy markets. But I tell you, this is a short-term price we're going to pay for some tremendous long-term benefits for our kids and our grandkids."

Daines on oil prices:

"We'll see what happens. I think the key to that is going to be getting these oil prices back down. But you look at the longer-term trends, what's happened in oil pricing. We were at five-year lows on gas prices. Of course, we had a spike with what happened with the conflict there in Iran. But I am absolutely convinced you're going to see a restabilizing of those oil prices and gas prices coming back down. But this is a short-term price that we're paying that's going to yield tremendous dividends. Many of us remember what Iran was like pre-1979. Remember what happened in the War of Yom Kippur that we had the 1973, disruptions in the oil markets? Oil prices quadrupled during that time. Because of President Trump's leadership, because we're getting behind more made-in-American energy, it's amazing how resilient, frankly, the energy markets are with this kind of moment when you have the Strait of Hormuz literally blockaded at the moment, but under control of U.S. forces."

Daines on DHS funding:

"It's an unfortunate moment, Joe, to think that we can't get Democrat cooperation to get funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Thank God President Trump intervened through executive action and funded TSA at a moment when our TSA agents were about ready to walk off the job because they're not being paid to make sure we keep the airways clear and flying. But I'm cautiously optimistic. We'll find a way through this. But sadly, it's going to be purely through partisan means versus bipartisan means. We've got to get back to regular order on appropriations, Democrats and Republicans, working together to get appropriation bills passed, for them to absolutely take a hostage, not funding DHS at a time when we're under tremendous threat levels with what's going on in Iran. It's inexcusable. They're having their political hissy fit at the moment because their radical base wants to keep borders wide open and defund law enforcement. That's why we now as Republicans have to go alone to fund the Department of Homeland Security."

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