Wicker promotes Childhood Investment Accounts at Jackson event, says Tuesday will be ‘consequential day’ in war with Iran
By Michael Goldberg | Originally published by Mississippi Today
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker held an event at the Children’s Museum in Jackson on Tuesday to promote the Childhood Investment Accounts approved by Congress last year, a program he said will allow young Mississippians to build generational wealth.
Flanked by a panel of community leaders, including Jackson Mayor John Horhn, Wicker said he wanted to ensure Mississippians knew about the program with the April 15 deadline for filing income taxes fast approaching. Parents can begin the process of opening an account for their children by completing IRS Form 4547 when filing their 2025 taxes.
Wicker, a Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, also offered brief remarks to reporters about another deadline. President Donald Trump has warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran doesn’t agree to his demands before 8 p.m. EDT tonight. Trump issued the ominous threat Tuesday, about 12 hours ahead of his deadline for Iran to agree to a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s representative at the United Nations said Tehran will “take immediate and proportionate” action if Trump follows through on his threats.
Wicker did not say he was taking steps to influence the president one way or another, but referenced the threat Trump made yesterday and called for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened. The waterway’s closure has driven up oil prices around the world.
“I have not talked to the president today. I think we all heard what he said yesterday. And the deadline, I think, would be 7 p.m. tonight, Central Time,” Wicker said. “So this is going to be a very consequential day, one way or the other. I do think it’s important that the Strait of Hormuz be open and frankly, that oil revenue be used for the people of Iran, rather than for the illegal and terrorist purposes that the Ayatollahs have been using.”
During the speaking program at the event highlighting the Childhood Investment Accounts, Wicker said the policy would give all Mississippians a chance at economic prosperity.
“It is there to show a whole new generation of Americans how we develop wealth and how you can do it, even if you’re starting off at the bottom tier of the economic rung,” Wicker said.
Congress created these accounts, dubbed “Trump Accounts,” in 2025 under the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act. One of the provisions in that law provides a free $1,000 investment account to all Americans born from 2025 through 2028. For every child in Mississippi born from 2014 through 2024, there will be a $250 contribution, Wicker said. For all other children under 18, accounts can be opened with donations from parents, grandparents, charities or employers.
Additional $250 allotments will be made available to families living in zip codes with a median income of less than $150,000, thanks to a private donation from Michael Dell, the billionaire founder of Dell Technologies, and his wife, Susan Dell.
Over the years, parents, grandparents, family friends and businesses would be able to contribute to the investments, which would be made through a pre-tax paycheck deduction. The program will be indexed to inflation.
Horhn, a Democrat, said even though the program came about as a result of Republican-backed legislation, he supports the Childhood Investment Accounts because they will encourage people to start learning about personal finance and money markets from a young age.
“I don’t agree with everything in the Trump administration, but this is a good deal,” Horhn said. “It’s a good deal for a place like Jackson, Mississippi. Our community is financially challenged. One in four people in the city are at or near the poverty level, and any program that encourages and incentivizes individuals who want to see their children have a better life ought to be behind this program.”
Wicker told the audience in Jackson that the Childhood Investment Accounts should transcend political differences. In past statements about the program, he has also said that in an era where many young people are exposed to “negative ideas about capitalism,” the accounts “can demonstrate its enduring worth.”
Parents can open an account for their child at any time. To start the process, they can complete IRS Form 4547 when filing their 2025 taxes, or they can complete a form after tax season at trumpaccounts.gov.
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
