Congressman Charles Bass

September 8, 2011

WASHINGTON – Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) issued the following statement this evening on the President's address to a joint session of Congress.

Bass said:

"While I appreciate the President's willingness to work with Congress on improving our economy and getting people back to work, many of the proposals he outlined tonight – particularly $100 billion in more federal spending – will not solve our problem.

"We've already seen the results of the trillion-dollar stimulus, bailouts, and increased government regulation: higher debt and an unemployment rate that has remained above eight percent for 30 straight months. Job creation doesn't start with bigger government and more government spending – it starts with giving private businesses the ability to grow.

"There are several steps Congress and the Administration can take immediately to allow the private sector to create jobs. We must pass the pending free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea, which will even the playing field for American businesses abroad. We should eliminate certain repetitive or unnecessary government regulations, especially the flawed health care law, which create uncertainty and inhibit job creation. And we should reform the corporate tax rate so it is no longer the second highest in the world.

"Until this Administration realizes that the private sector, and not the federal government, creates jobs, our economy will continue to remain stagnant. But putting the private sector front and center in innovation and job creation will get Americans back to work."

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