JOHN CARTER

The economic future of America is uncertain, and the bad news seems to be piling on. Unemployment rates are rising as hardworking Americans are losing their jobs. The fiscally irresponsible policies of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac implemented by Congress, with the policies of the Clinton administration, have caused some of our oldest and most revered financial institutions to teeter towards the edge of insolvency.

While all of these seem disheartening, we should take comfort in knowing that during these times of peril and difficulty, Americans band together and respond with greatness.

Twice last week I voted “NO” to a bailout bill that would give the same financial companies that created this crisis $700 billion of American taxpayer money. I strongly believe that poor decisions made in the private sector should not be bailed-out by taxpayers. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues believed we were out of time and had to act immediately. I believe that if we had taken a little extra time, we could have created an economic “workout” plan paid for by Wall Street, rather than you, the American taxpayer.

At a time when recession seems certain, American resourcefulness and ingenuity can temper the economic decline of the financial sector with new growth in the energy sector. Now, maybe more than ever, Congress needs to unleash the American Energy Act. This act will bolster American creativity by creating thousands of jobs in the energy sector. In the short term, jobs could be created through new energy exploration and production in the Outer Continental Shelf and ANWR. Jobs would also be created by the first new construction of oil refineries in the United States since the 70s.

The American Energy Act does not stop at conventional oil production. New jobs will be created through the expansion of alternative energy research and development. The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal, and this energy plan will reward companies investing in clean coal technology. New jobs will be generated by expansion of wind, solar and additional nuclear energy, all of which are great for our economy and easy on the environment.

Most importantly, the American Energy Act will decrease our reliance on foreign oil. It will no longer be necessary to export billions of dollars in order to import the oil we need to meet the energy demands of our country. This is money that can be reinvested into the infrastructure of the United States and used to create new jobs and expand economic growth.

America stands at a crossroads. We can choose to accept the looming economic problems as inevitable, or we can choose to act decisively in order to make this economic crisis as short and painless to the American people as possible. I refuse to sit on the sidelines during this time of uncertainty, and I will continue to push for sound energy policies that will positively affect the current economic situation

There is no doubt our economy is treading tough waters. The actions of Congress this week have left many Central Texans with two questions:

How did we get into this mess and can we get ourselves out?

Almost a decade ago the government encouraged greater levels of home ownership. Lenders in metropolitan areas gave loans to people who would not typically qualify. Not long after, our economy was hit hard as terrorists murdered thousands of Americans on 9/11. In response, the government lowered interest rates making homes more affordable and infusing more cash into the economy. While these rates meant a recovery, they made it easier for more questionable borrowers to obtain a mortgage.

Suddenly it was profitable for banks to give exotic loans to borrowers who had no business getting a mortgage so they could flip the house for a profit. Homebuilders continued to build until we reached a point where there were more homes than borrowers. As prices started to fall, the plans of these investors began to unravel. Suddenly the plan to repeatedly sell houses at a profit wasn’t an option anymore. Borrowers were no longer able to make a six-figure profit just for signing a mortgage and began to default on their loans as they faced higher payments.
This problem quickly began to affect Wall Street. These subprime mortgages were sold to investors hoping to make a buck. To add even more confusion, many of these loans were sliced and diced and packaged with other loans to give an illusion that they were stable. The economic world calls these packaged loans a Mortgage Backed Security (MBS). Since these MBS’s were bought at significant prices, but now have little or no value, investment firms now face massive losses and a sudden lack of capital to back up existing obligations. Thus, the stock market is losing value, banks are failing, and everyday Americans are suddenly finding it hard to get a credit.

This is where Congress must act. As a free market believer, I firmly believe that the less government intervention the better, but one cannot argue that this drastic situation demands drastic action. However, I do not believe the plan which the House rejected is the best our country can do to alleviate this financial crisis.

On paper, the bailout plan appears to be a better alternative to the $700 billion the administration asked for. However, the administration would still have received $700 billion to bail out the very people that created the problem without providing a clear answer as to how we will pay for this. I find it unacceptable that the plan would defer the decision on how to pay the bill to whoever is in charge of Congress in five years. This plan must have a clear outline of how Wall Street, not Main Street, will foot the bill.

I opposed this plan because America can do better. In the days leading up to the vote, many options were presented by other economists, including William Isaac who dealt with the Savings and Loan crisis of the 1980s. While this plan offers greater taxpayer protection, it was not considered. I am also part of a group that is seeking out alternative plans. We worked through the weekend and are continuing to work toward a solution. Whatever plan we go with, we must remember that there is more than one solution to solve this problem, and we are better served coming to an agreement on a plan that is acceptable rather than trying to force through a plan that puts taxpayers at risk of losing $700 billion.

I know the uncertainty you face today. I know the apprehension we all feel as we watch what’s happening on Wall Street. Rest assured that we are working diligently to create a plan to address this problem, and I will not rest until we have made sure that you no longer have to worry about your retirement, your house or your job. We will recover from this current crisis and our economy will again be strong.

With Texas families and small businesses continuing to feel the pain at the pump as another holiday weekend is close upon us, Congress has yet to bring forth an energy plan that will lower gas prices.

You may have heard of the Majority’s “use it or lose it” proposal. This plan calls for Congress to force energy companies to “use” their leased federal lands to produce oil – or “lose” those leases. The truth is that “use it or lose it” is already the law of the land. Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer each voted for it in 1992. Under the law, federal energy lease holders already must produce oil or natural gas within five to 10 years after drilling begins. If companies fail to comply, the Secretary of the Interior has the power to cancel the lease. If Pelosi and Hoyer have already voted for this legislation, and it is already law, why are they insisting on bringing up another bill to do the exact same thing? Perhaps, it could be because they have no meaningful plan of their own to bring down gas prices.

The “use it or lose it” plan claims that energy companies are sitting on 68 million acres of federal land without exploring or drilling for oil and natural gas; however, this is nowhere near the truth. According to the American Petroleum Institute, companies actively develop their leases-but not every lease contains oil or natural gas in large enough quantities. Companies can evaluate leases for several years only to determine that they do not contain oil or natural gas. Those of us in Texas know that it is not easy to bring oil and natural gas to the market. There is a long and costly process of obtaining the lease, evaluation and exploration before you can even begin the production phase.

Another false claim is the accusation that 4.8 million barrels of oil per day and 44.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day may be ‘extrapolated’ from the oil companies unused federally-leased lands. The truth is that no Democrat or any federal authority can provide a source for this information. In fact, earlier this week, The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (an independent group funded by member fees, not oil companies) wrote Congress to explain the process of developing oil and gas leases, which completely goes against these facts.

The truth is that the only way to lower gas prices is to explore for new American energy in an environmentally safe way as well as increase our conservation. I remain committed to working in a bipartisan manner to increase the supply of American energy, promote conservation and help lower prices at the pump. Congress can’t do that by simply voting on misleading or inaccurate bills that do nothing to solve the problem. I call on my Democratic colleagues to work with Republicans and produce energy legislation that will provide the American people with the relief they desperately are seeking.

Over the past two months a number of proposals have been tossed around by lawmakers of both parties in response to the record energy prices Americans are facing. These ideas have ranged from a gas tax holiday to increasing our refining capacity. Some of the ideas are a step in the right direction, such as exploring for more energy sources and increasing our refining capacity.

In order to develop a real, commonsense energy policy for the American people we need to focus on a number of issues. More than anything, we need to focus our attention on exploring new American energy through drilling, technology and new development.

Congress needs to understand that the path to lowering prices lies not in windfall taxes or gas tax holidays. It lies in opening up the vast, untapped reserves that are under our lands and oceans. The Department of Interior estimates that there are “112 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil beneath U.S. federal lands and coastal waters,” which would result in enough gasoline to power 60 million cars for 60 years. While Congress has yet to move restrictions on drilling in many offshore areas, China and Cuba are setting up off shore drilling rigs just 50 miles off the coast of Florida.

According to an American Solutions nationwide survey, 69 percent of Americans support lowering energy prices for U.S. consumers by using U.S. domestic energy sources, such as clean coal and oil, even if it means drilling off our coasts and in Alaska. I realize that there is a legitimate concern for the safety of our environment when we talk about drilling in places like ANWR and the ocean. I share these same concerns, but want you to know, that these proposals can be done in an environmentally safe way. The Washington Post recently reported that of the more than 7 billion barrels of oil pumped offshore in the past 25 years, .001 percent-that is one-thousandth of 1 percent-has been spilled. You should also be aware that only 8 percent of ANWR, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, would be considered for exploration. The remaining 17.5 million acres will remain permanently closed to any kind of development. If oil is discovered, less than 2000 acres of the over 1.5 million acres considered would be affected by production capacity. If this exploration takes place and is developed, between 250,000 and 735,000 jobs are estimated to be created.

Opening up new reserves will increase our supply and bring prices down at the pump. The new exploration and production will provide new jobs, and increase in our supply of crude and natural gas is the quickest and most commonsense remedy to our high energy prices, which are a result of increased global demand. So why the opposition to more drilling? While many in Congress would have you believe that oil companies are to blame for high gas prices, they fail to realize that the large part of the problems lie within drilling obstacles. Republicans have a plan for relief that includes environmentally safe exploration of American energy. It is my hope that Democrats will work with Republicans on this plan to deliver relief to the American people.

Gas in Texas has reached the $3.70 mark and is expected to continue to rise. For years, Republicans have brought forth commonsense, environmentally responsible energy policies that would provide our country with its own secure oil and gas supply, but those policies have been road blocked by Democrats in Congress, the Senate and the White House. Even now, as gas and diesel prices set record highs across the country, the Majority Leadership continually refuses to tackle this mounting problem.

The truth is simple-Congress must take action to encourage conservation and promote the research and innovation necessary to develop new energy sources and technologies. But while doing this, we must unlock new energy supplies here at home. This week Republicans in Congress unveiled an energy plan that will bring the much needed relief American families are anxious for by safely and responsibly increasing American supplies. These good reforms are the only way Americans are going to see lower prices at the pump.

I will work with my colleagues to deliver a plan that works with meaningful solutions that make our nation more energy dependent. Here is how we will do it:

First, we will increase the production of American-made energy in an environmentally-safe way by supporting actions that reduce America’s dependency on energy from unstable foreign governments and dictatorships by increasing environmentally-safe production of oil and natural gas in areas such as the arctic coastal plain and in deep ocean energy resources. We will also promote unconventional fuels such as coal-to-liquids technology and recovering our vast oil shale reserves by increasing access for environmentally responsible development of conventional and unconventional domestic oil and natural gas production, provide coal-to-liquid financing and tax incentives, and advance the commercialization of the nation’s two-trillion barrel shale oil resource, 80 percent of which occurs on government-owned land in the West. This is enough to supply all of America’s needs for over two centuries.

Second, we will promote new, clean and reliable sources of energy. We will do this by encouraging more production of environmentally-safe energy to increase the use of our vast domestic supply, reduce emissions and keep coal-dependent communities strong. We will also expand emissions-free nuclear power, including long term nuclear waste storage solutions and recycling spent fuel by providing production and investment tax credits for all new base-load electricity projects such as advanced nuclear power and clean coal. We must also allow immediate expensing for new renewable or zero emission power.

Next, we will cut the red tape and increase the supply of American-made fuel and energy. We will expedite permitting for enhanced oil recovery projects, including CO2 delivery and injection, as well as permitting for new refining capacity. We will improve environmental review and permitting to encourage the deployment of technologies which increase the efficiency of existing power plants, and we will end ill-advised policies that have led to the production of unique gasoline and diesel fuel formulations known as “boutique fuels,” which have fragmented our motor fuels distribution system and choked off supply.

Finally, this plan will encourage greater energy efficiency by offering conservation tax incentives. We will support technologies to help increase energy efficiency in all sectors of the American economy, including removing barriers that prevent businesses from upgrading their facilities with newer, more efficient energy. We will do this by making home energy efficiency upgrades tax deductible, providing incentives for home builders and homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient, offering investment expensing for industrial and commercial building efficiency upgrades, extending the residential and business solar and fuel cell investment tax credits, extending the fiber-optic distributed sunlight investment tax credit, and increasing the energy efficiency of government-owned buildings.

I am committed to a comprehensive energy reform policy that will increase the supply of American-made energy, improve energy efficiency, and encourage investment in groundbreaking research in advanced alternative and renewable energy technologies. With 21st Century technologies and the strictest standards in the world, American can and must produce more of our own energy and protect the environment at the same time. That is the change Americans deserve. I call on my Democratic colleagues to work with Republicans and pass these commonsense solutions.

It’s official. Gas prices have hit $4 per gallon. Heading into last weekend, Chicago’s CBS 2 News reported, “Premium gas at some Chicago pumps has reached an unfortunate milestone-$4 a gallon-and its not even Memorial Day yet.”

While prices have yet to hit $4 in Texas, they are certainly heading that way, much to the dismay of Texas families and businesses. The Associated Press reported this week that gas prices spiked once again, according to analysis from AAA, “Gas and diesel pump prices jumped to yet another record Friday, piling on the costs for motorists as well as consumers reliant on trucks, trains and ships that deliver goods to market.”

In 2006, then House-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi promised Americans that “Democrats have a common sense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices.” The truth is-over a year later-the price of gasoline in Central Texas has risen from $2.74 to $3.31 and diesel has jumped from $2.88 to $4.04, according to AAA. With the travel season just a month away, this news could not come at a worse time for Texans planning their summer vacations.

Now, in what seems to be a desperate attempt to discredit progress being made in Iraq, many Democrats are linking the slowing economy and record gas prices to the success our troops are having in Iraq. According to leading columnists and economists, this presumption is false. Below are quotes from recent articles, many written by liberals, discrediting this assumption.
• Princeton University Economist and New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman: “An Iraq recession? One thing I get asked fairly often is whether the Iraq war is responsible for our economic difficulties. The answer (with slight qualifications) is no…” (“Conscience of a Liberal,” 1/29/08)
• Martin N. Baily, a former chairman of President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers: “…[T]he current problems the United States is facing [with the economy] have very little to do with the war in Iraq.” (The Washington Post, 4/15/08)
• Max Boot, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations: “In short, it is absurd to suggest that a lack of Iraqi production is responsible for the rise in oil prices; the likely culprits are increased demand in China, India, and other emerging markets.” (Commentary Magazine, 3/21/08)
• Trilby Lundberg, editor of the nationwide Lundberg survey on the “essential causes” of high gas prices: “The essential causes are strong crude oil prices, dramatically higher ethanol prices and seasonally rising gasoline demand.” (Reuters, 4/6/08)

The truth is that the rising cost of gas can be linked to simple supply and demand. Demand continues to go up, but our supply is starting to decrease. According to the U.S. Energy Department, inventories of gasoline fell 5.5 million barrels last week, a much bigger decline than forecast by analysts surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires. Crude inventories fell 2.3 million barrels last week, the department’s Energy Information Administration also reported, compared to the gain analysts expected. We can’t expect to see gas prices go down if we don’t increase our supply.

Congress needs to stop blaming our soldiers, blaming the President and blaming each other for skyrocketing gas prices. Legislation that simply raises taxes on American oil companies isn’t going to alleviate the problem either. In fact, it will only make the burden heavier for consumers. We need to get down to the facts and start passing legislation that will encourage conservation and promote the research and innovation necessary to develop new technologies. But, while doing this, we must also unlock new oil supply. We live in a world where people still put gasoline in their cars, so we can’t expect new technology to take the place of oil and gas over night. Good reforms to energy problems are the only way Americans are going to see lower energy prices, and it is time Congress starts doing something about it.

The American economy, as resilient as it is, is charting rough waters, while soaring cost of living have forced working families to tighten their belts in order to make ends meet.

So why isn’t the federal government doing the same thing?

Many of you have heard or read about the budget which recently passed Congress. What you may not realize is the impact this budget will have on you as an individual and on families across Central Texas.

Between now and 2011 there are a number of tax cuts that are set to expire unless Congress extends them, including the Death Tax, the Child Credit Tax and the Marriage Penalty Tax.

Unfortunately Texans know far too much about the effects of the Death Tax. Under a 2001 tax relief law, the federal Death Tax is gradually being phased-out until it is eliminated completely in 2010. Because of Senate procedural roadblocks, however, the Death Tax will only be gone for one year, coming back to life in 2011. That means when small business owners, farmers and other American working families wake up on New Year’s Day 2011, they’ll be subject to one of the more burdensome taxes on the books today. It also means that it is nearly impossible for families to make long-term financial decisions related to the Death Tax because they do not know when they are going to die.

Across the street from my church is a 400 acre farm. Right now, the second generation of that family is farming the land, and someday they hope to pass it down to their children, the third generation. Due to the growth in the area, the value of the land has increased dramatically since the family first started farming the land. This is not an extremely wealthy family, but the value of their land has increased so they will be required to pay the Death Tax once it is passed down, which, from 2010 to 2011, will jump from 0 to 55 percent. The Democrats FY 09 Budget will resurrect the Death Tax in 2011 for families such as this one.

It wasn’t too long ago when almost half of married couples found that on April 15th, because they were married, they were required to pay more in taxes. This so called Marriage Penalty Tax showed up in 1969 to equalize what used to be an unfair tax advantage for married couples. In 2003, Congress passed the Jobs and Growth Relief Reconciliation Act in order to reduce the crippling impact of the tax on married couples. The problem is this reduction wasn’t permanent, and the Democrats new budget has no plans to keep this critical tax provision in place. Since this tax cut won’t be extended, roughly 23 million taxpayers will see their taxes increase, on average, $466 in 2011, simply because they are married.

Over the past few years families have received welcomed tax relief thanks to the Child Tax Credit, which allows many families to reduce the amount of federal taxes owed by $1,000 for each qualifying child under the age of 17. The Child Tax Credit is an actual reduction of your taxes, not just a deduction from your taxable income. In 2005, the Child Tax Credit was set to be reduced to $700, but recognizing the need to maintain the current amount, Congress passed the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004 in order to keep the credit at $1,000 per child through 2010. Unfortunately, the new Democratic budget will slash this credit by 50 percent in 2011 raising taxes on families who benefit from the tax credit by $500 per child. Across the country, approximately 31 million taxpayers with children will see their taxes increase, on average, $859 in 2011.

While these three tax provision will affect many Central Texans, they are not the only tax increases that Democrats have in store for Texans. On top of reinstating the Death Tax and Marriage Penalty, and rolling back the Child Credit Tax, the FY 2009 budget will raise the 10-percent tax rate bracket to 15 percent, affecting more than 6 million individuals and families who previously owed no taxes.

All in all some 116 million taxpayers nationwide will see their taxes increase, on average, $1,833 in 2011 alone. In Texas and District 31, taxpayers will see an increase of $2,100 to their tax bill. Elderly couples with $40,000 in income will see their tax bill rise by 156 percent in 2011, from $583 to $1,489 and a family of four earning $60,000 will face a 70 percent tax hike, with their income tax bill rising from $2,733 to $4,634, an increase of $1,900.

Last year’s budget was bad, but this year’s budget breaks all the records by imposing the largest tax increase in American history, roughly $683 billion, mainly to finance the Majority’s hundreds of billions in new spending. The Democrats’ economic policies today bear a striking resemblance to the failed tax-and-spend policies of the 1970s.

Back then, it took a Republican president and the conservative revolution he founded to do away with those high-dollar, high-tax liberal policies. In a 1986 radio address, Ronald Reagan said, “You know, our Founding Fathers considered the power of the purse the most important responsibility of the legislative branch. If that power is abused, it can have very serious consequences for our nation, not only threatening our prosperity with huge budget deficits but, ultimately, undermining the economic foundations of our safety and national security.”

President Reagan was absolutely right-a budget is much more than a set of numbers on a slate, it is a reflection of our national priorities. It is a test of whether we have a strategic vision for America’s future. On that score, Washington Democrats have failed the American people.

It is fiscal priority debates like these that so define the difference between House Democrats and Republicans. I will to work on behalf of Texas families to implement forward-looking fiscal policies that hold the line on spending and keep taxes low for hardworking Americans.

There are two philosophies at work in Washington, D.C. On the one side, there are those who, like you and me, believe the government should be responsible in its spending. Taxes should be low because that is the key to economic growth and job creation. But, on the other side, there are those who believe there should be a big government program to solve all your problems– and they will take the money from your paycheck to pay for it.

This week the House of Representatives began discussing the Fiscal Year 2008 budget resolution in the House Budget Committee. The federal budget that emerges from the Committee and receives a vote on the House Floor will serve as an outline to prioritize the government’s expenditures for the next fiscal year.

Since taking the reins of Congress in January, the Democrat leadership has made no secret about their desire to raise your taxes. Under this liberal stewardship, the tax cuts enacted by this Congress in 2001 and 2003 will be allowed to expire; effectively raising taxes on the American people. This tax increase would be the largest in American history - $392.5 billion over the next five years.

Included in the Democrats new “tax and spend” strategy for America is a $27 billion reduction to the Child Tax Credit, a $13 billion increase in the marriage penalty, and an astounding $91 billion increase in the Death Tax. In addition, they have instituted “pay-as-you-go” (PAYGO) measures that require raising taxes to pay for their wasteful spending.

The PAYGO measures are especially worrisome because liberals in Congress have never met a government project they didn’t like. For each and every government fix they can devise, they are going to take the money out of your pocket. Already the stage is set for an additional $115 billion in federal spending. Current-year spending had been increased $6.1 billion to date, and then last week $24 billion in additional funds were added to the emergency war supplemental spending bill. Now, this budget is adding $22.5 billion in non-defense, non-emergency spending for the next fiscal year.

In addition to higher taxes and runaway federal spending, the Democrats’ budget refuses to deal with one of the largest looming threats to our fiscal security – entitlement spending. Social Security and Medicare at their current rates must be reformed, or runaway growth will consume the entire federal budget in the future. This budget, in current form, leaves a big mess for our children and grandchildren.

There is no accountability for the massive growth of government being proposed by liberals in Congress. While tax cuts may expire, there is no expiration for new spending - these programs will continue indefinitely.

Congress must function like an American family – with balanced books. There must be a sense of accountability to the taxpayers and a commitment to spend the hard-earned money of American families with responsibility. If our economy is to continue to prosper and create jobs, then the tax burden must remain low, and we must control spending. As this debate continues, Congress should err on the side of fiscal restraint, and not enact the largest tax increase in American history. You can count on me to fight for our Central Texas values and oppose massive federal spending and the tax increases to pay for it.

Due to technical restrictions, Congressman Carter is unfortunately not able to directly answer questions posed on this forum.

Preserving the right to free and fair elections is a basic tenet of democracy. In providing this assurance, it is vital that privacy be guarded to protect citizens from harassment and retribution for their beliefs. But basic democracy is not good enough for Democrats in Congress who required a vote on H.R. 800, the misnamed “Employee Free Choice Act” this week.

Unfortunately, this legislation will eliminate secret ballots in organizing elections, making it easier for union bosses to pressure workers to support the formation of a union. This legislation enables union bosses to form a union if they are able to “compel” enough workers to sign a card – not by a secret ballot of workers voting their conscious.

In a recent poll of union workers conducted by Zogby International, 63% of union workers expressed their belief that stronger laws are needed to protect the secret ballot elections and to ensure workers can make their decisions about union membership in private, without the union, their employer, or anyone else knowing how they voted. However, labor union bosses, along with Democrats in Congress, are aggressively working against the wishes of their members in an effort to increase their membership rolls. These efforts are at the expense of the traditional secret ballot election, by promoting card-check recognition. In the card-check process, a union gathers “authorization cards” signed by workers expressing their desire for the union to represent them.

During the card-check election process, workers are required to sign cards in front of organizers, fellow employees and sometimes employers; a process that invites coercion, intimidation and threats in the workplace. At the same time, organized labor operatives are increasingly pressuring employers (by way of threat, boycott, or public relations and public pressure) to recognize unions based on a card-check agreement rather than the customary secret ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

While employers may voluntarily recognize unions based on card-checks under current law, they are not required to do so (current law allows employers to insist upon an election administered by the NLRB). Yet an employee’s right to vote in a secret ballot election, and an employer’s right to demand a secret ballot vote to protect their workers’ rights, was eliminated by this legislation.

American workers deserve legislation that guarantees the right to a secret ballot election. Instead of the flawed Democratic measure, an obvious pay-off to the labor bosses who funded their campaign efforts in last fall’s elections, Republicans introduced H.R. 866, the Secret Ballot Protection Act. This bill, instead of removing choice, will lock in critical employee rights by preserving worker free choice and protecting workers from intimidation, threats, misinformation, or coercion when making decisions regarding union representation.

Only 12 percent of the nation’s workforce and only 7 percent of private sector workers are unionized. It is no wonder that union leaders view this as the final push to increase their membership rolls and the dues that accompany greater participation. Rest assured that I will stand behind our Americans workers – the best in the world. In the future, I will work with my colleagues to pass legislation which actually protects the American worker without removing their basic rights.