By Natalia Denegri<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve worn many hats in my life\u2014actress, film producer, journalist\u2014but none has taught me more about the American Dream more than building a business from the ground up. The long hours, the narrow margins, the constant uncertainty\u2014these are the realities for every entrepreneur who\u2019s ever turned on the lights before dawn and locked the doors after midnight. We don\u2019t ask for much. Just a fair shot. A system that rewards hard work, not punishes it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why I\u2019m urging the House of Representatives to pass President Trump\u2019s Big Beautiful Bill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For business owners like me\u2014and for the millions of servers, cooks, dishwashers, and delivery drivers who keep our industry alive\u2014this bill is more than just tax reform. It\u2019s a recognition that we matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the bill\u2019s most powerful provisions ends federal income taxes on tips. If you\u2019ve ever waited tables, you know that tips aren\u2019t a luxury. They\u2019re rent. They\u2019re groceries. They\u2019re school supplies for your kids. Yet for years, tipped workers have been taxed on income they have to hustle for\u2014every night, every shift, every customer. This bill changes that. It brings dignity and fairness back to the equation. And for a single mom bringing home $150 in tips a night, it means thousands more a year that she can finally keep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The restaurant industry is one of the largest employers in America. Nearly one in four workers in our field is Hispanic. Many of us came to this country with nothing but a dream and a work ethic\u2014and found opportunity in the kitchen or behind the counter. Eliminating the tax on tips, as the president proposes, is a game-changer for this community. It rewards the very people who represent the heart of the American workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I know this firsthand. As co-owner of Baires Grill, one of the most prominent Argentine restaurant chains in the U.S., I\u2019ve seen the impact of unfair taxation on hardworking employees. Alongside Mart\u00edn Koenig and Gustavo Abudiab, we\u2019ve built a brand that represents the best of Argentine cuisine and culture, recently earning the honor of being named the official restaurant of the Argentine National Soccer Team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Yet despite our success, the reality remains\u2014the backbone of this industry is tipped workers. And they deserve an economic system that works for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the bill doesn\u2019t stop there. It makes the 20% small business deduction permanent, expands 100% expense for equipment and improvements, and repeals unnecessary reporting burdens. These aren\u2019t abstract policies. They\u2019re the difference between opening a new location or staying stagnant. Between hiring that extra server or letting them go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know what it\u2019s like to balance payroll against rising food costs. I\u2019ve seen talented employees leave because we couldn\u2019t match the benefits offered elsewhere. This bill helps level the playing field\u2014not with handouts, but with relief that lets us reinvest in our people and our communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also strengthens the child tax credit, allows families to use 529 accounts for trade school and other non-traditional paths, and expands health savings accounts. In other words, it recognizes the many forms success can take\u2014and supports families trying to build a future, whether that future includes college or culinary school, welding or web design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critics say it does too much. I say Washington has done too little for too long. This bill doesn\u2019t just lower taxes\u2014it corrects imbalances. It says that people who work with their hands, who serve others, who take risks and create jobs, deserve a fair system too\u2014not just tech giants and hedge funds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some bills are symbolic. President Trump\u2019s bill is tangible. It affects your paycheck, your business, and your family\u2019s bottom line. And for those of us who know the difference between scraping by and surviving one more month, that matters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I love this country because it doesn\u2019t just give you the freedom to dream\u2014it gives you the chance to work for that dream. Let\u2019s make sure it still does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The House should pass the Big Beautiful Bill\u2014a bold step toward an economy that honors work, rewards effort, and gives everyone\u2014from the server to the business owner\u2014a fair shot at the American Dream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
About the Author:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Natalia Denegri is the co-owner of Baires Grill, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, and a humanitarian based in Miami. Earlier this month, she joined a Bienvenido Empresarios delegation at The White House to advocate for the passage of President Trump\u2019s Big Beautiful Bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Natalia Denegri I\u2019ve worn many hats in my life\u2014actress, film producer, journalist\u2014but none has taught me more about the American Dream more than building a business from the ground up. The long hours, the narrow margins, the constant uncertainty\u2014these are the realities for every entrepreneur who\u2019s ever turned on the lights before dawn and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[222],"tags":[3671,3623,1310,3670],"class_list":["post-8578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-big-beautiful-bill","tag-natalia-denegri","tag-senate","tag-us-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8578"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8580,"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8578\/revisions\/8580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miaminewsnetwork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}