U.S. CONGRESSMAN PHIL ROE, M.D. 1st. District of Tennessee

Jobs & Economy

No issue is more important to East Tennessee families than jobs and the economy, and it’s easy to understand why. National unemployment has been at or above 8 percent since February 2009, and the economy continues to limp along. In this environment, it has become increasingly difficult for families to make ends meet.

It is absolutely essential for Congress to take steps to improve the business climate and make it easier for businesses to create jobs and grow the economy. I have been proud to join my colleagues in the House of Representatives to advance a pro-jobs agenda. The U.S. Senate has unfortunately failed to act on 32 job-creating bills, which means that Americans have to wait that much longer to go back to work.

My principles for growing the economy are simple—we should keep taxes low, eliminate unnecessary or burdensome regulations, and shrink government so that we can grow the private sector. I opposed President Obama’s stimulus bill in the 111^th Congress, because government cannot effectively create and sustain jobs—only the private sector can. As we have seen, the only result of the stimulus bill was more debt.

As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, I have led efforts to hold the Obama Administration accountable for its anti-jobs policies. We have held hearings on issues including overreach at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the impact that the new health care law will have on businesses, and on strengthening employee pensions.

As a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, I have joined with my colleagues to advance legislation that will strengthen our education system, improve workforce training opportunities, and protect workers’ rights. We must move forward in all of these areas to keep the American economy competitive in the 21st Century.