Note 5: Income Taxes
On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The Tax Act includes significant changes to the U.S. corporate income tax system including: a federal corporate rate reduction from 35% to 21%; limitations on the deductibility of interest expense and executive compensation; creation of the base erosion anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”), a new minimum tax; and the transition of U.S. international taxation from a worldwide tax system to a modified territorial tax system. The change to a modified territorial tax system resulted in a one-time U.S. tax liability on those earnings which have not previously been repatriated to the U.S. (the “Transition Tax”), with future distributions not subject to U.S. federal income tax when repatriated. A majority of the provisions in the Tax Act are effective January 1, 2018.
In response to the Tax Act, the SEC staff issued guidance on accounting for the tax effects of the Tax Act. The guidance provides a one-year measurement period for companies to complete the accounting. The Company reflected the income tax effects of those aspects of the Tax Act for which the accounting is complete. To the extent a company's accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is incomplete but it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, a company should record a provisional estimate in the financial statements. If a company cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements, it should continue to apply the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately before the enactment of the Tax Act.
In connection with the Company's initial analysis of the impact of the Tax Act, the Company has recorded a provisional estimate of discrete net tax expense of $508,000 for the period ended December 31, 2017. This discrete expense consists of provisional estimates of zero expense for the Transition Tax, $173,000 net benefit for the decrease in the Company's deferred tax liability on unremitted foreign earnings, and $681,000 net expense for remeasurement of the Company's deferred tax assets and liabilities for the corporate rate reduction.
During the year ended December 31, 2018, we completed our accounting for the income tax effects of the Tax Act. We did not recognize any additional discrete net tax expense in addition to the provisional amounts recorded at December 31, 2017 for the enactment-date effects of the Tax Act, for a total of $508,000 of discrete net tax expense.
As of December 31, 2019, the Company is permanently reinvested in certain Non-U.S. subsidiaries and does not have a deferred tax liability related to its undistributed foreign earnings. The estimated amount of the unrecognized deferred tax liability attributed to future withholding taxes on dividend distributions of undistributed earnings for certain non-U.S. subsidiaries, which the Company intends to reinvest the related earnings indefinitely in its operations outside the U.S., is approximately $484,000 at December 31, 2019
The components of income before income tax expense are as follows (in thousands):
Table:
Year Ended December 31, |  | 
 | 2019 | 2018
U.S. | $11,553 | $8,677
Foreign | (2,604) | (391)
 | $8,949 | $8,286


Question: When did the U.S. government enact the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act?
Answer: December 22, 2017