WASHINGTON, D.C. -Representative Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) released the following statement this morning regarding President Obama’s State of the Union address.
“With 1 of every 10 Americans out of work, it is only natural that President Obama focused on the failing state of our economy and the need for job creation last night in his State of the Union address. Now more than ever, Congress and the federal government have a responsibility to act in the spirit of bipartisanship to do what is necessary to create and preserve jobs, provide support and incentives for small businesses, and get a handle on out-of-control federal spending.
The Blue Dog Coalition, which I help lead, announced a comprehensive plan for fiscal reform and national debt reduction earlier this week. I was pleased to hear the President echo a number of components of that plan, particularly the need for a bipartisan fiscal reform commission and a return to pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budget rules that helped generate budget surpluses during the last administration.
Last night, President Obama spoke to the power that small businesses have in boosting and sustaining our economy, and the need to increase access to capital to small business to aid job growth. Already, the House has authorized $44 billion for small business lending and investment. As Chairman of the House Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Rural Development, Entrepreneurship and Trade, I am eager to work with the Administration to increase the flow of capital to small businesses to create new jobs.
To make jobs tomorrow, we need bipartisanship today. It’s time to focus on Americans, not on political parties. Neither party has a monopoly on good ideas, and anyone who speaks to the contrary is flat out wrong. It’s time for elected officials from both parties to work together to create jobs, to better the economy, and to get Americans through daily challenges of unemployment and tight budgets.
I have been working with members on both sides of the aisle since I was first elected to Congress. Bipartisanship is not a new concept to me, and I look forward to having partners in that endeavor. I hope that everyone on the House Floor last night heard and will heed the President’s call to get beyond partisan differences to solve the serious issues facing our nation.
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