Jobs and Economy

• Creating an Environment for Job Creation and Economic Growth
• Efforts to Help Job Creators
• Bills Passed by the House that Promote Job Creation and a Healthy Economy

When President Obama first took office, he promised lower unemployment and a healthier economy. Today, those promises seem further away than ever. The increased spending levels and higher taxes enacted by the President and Washington Democrats have clearly failed to revive our struggling economy and create jobs.

The President’s $800 billion stimulus and big government policies have cost Americans good jobs and have left us with nearly $6.5 trillion in new debt – that’s about $150,000 per taxpayer.   The declining labor force participation rate is now at 62.8% (meaning 91.8 million people not working), while some estimate the real unemployment rate – including not just those looking for work, but those who have given up – is approximately 23%¹. Meanwhile, our national debt is over $17 trillion and  6.7 million more people suffering in poverty since the President was first elected to office. The President’s claim that “the private sector is doing fine” and that we are now in a recovery is false.

 

Creating an Environment for Job Creation and Economic Growth

The government doesn’t create jobs, but it does make policy decisions that impact our economy. Washington should be doing all it can to create a healthy environment for job creators to grow their businesses and help individuals find much-needed jobs. Small businesses have always been the backbone of our economy and play a significant role not only in job creation – generating over 60% of new jobs in this country according to the Small Business Administration – but also in driving American innovation. It only makes sense that we do all we can to provide small businesses with the opportunity to succeed. In doing so, we promote job creation and spur economic recovery.

Unfortunately, overreaching government regulations are hindering small businesses and entrepreneurs to start up and grow. The World Bank found the U.S. dropped in ranking in most categories including "ease of starting a business" and “paying taxes,” according to the annual "Doing Business" report, and the U.S. now holds the HIGHEST corporate tax in the world. Additionally, the U.S. has fallen in the Index of Economic Freedom every year President Obama has been in office. These rankings are not consistent with the ideas of opportunity and innovation that make America great.

By removing unnecessary regulations and opening access to capital, entrepreneurs can expand their businesses, hire new workers, and invest in the future. I will continue to support legislation that promotes job creation and economic growth through a smaller, less obtrusive government.

Democrats and Republicans must come together to bring relief to the American people and to our small businesses. Putting Washington’s fiscal house in order will require both parties working together. I will continue to fight for fiscal discipline and work to get the economy back on track. 

 

Efforts to Help Job Creators

The Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory regime has hit small businesses with expensive, complex regulations and made it more difficult for job creators to grow their businesses and hire new workers. I recognize the importance of citizen safety, but also recognize the EPA has acted on bad science and taken aggressive, intrusive measures that effectively stifle energy producers and raise costs for businesses. I will continue to shed light on the EPA’s flawed scientific processes and will also work toward responsible deregulation in order to achieve a common-sense balance for safety and job growth.

In order to help job creators and encourage confidence in the economy, this year, House Republicans passed two bills that specifically target burdensome regulations: H.R. 1582, The Energy Consumers Relief Act, and H.R. 367, The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act.

The Energy Consumers Relief Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to submit a report to Congress before finalizing any energy-related regulations costing more than $1 billion. The report must detail the cost, benefit, energy price, and job impacts of the rule. If the Secretary of Energy determines the new regulation would cause significant adverse effects to the economy, the regulation would be prohibited.

Similarly, The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act requires an up-or-down vote in both the House and Senate for all new major regulations with an impact of $100 million or more. If the regulation is approved by Congress, the President would then have the opportunity to sign it into law.

On July 25, 2013, I also voted in support of H.R. 2218, The Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013, which replaces the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to regulate coal ash with state-oriented regulation programs. This bill safeguards jobs across the country and in the 4th District, gives families economic security through more affordable energy, and protects the environment by recycling waste.  

I’m proud of the coal miners and producers in the 4th District. These producers are a valuable asset to the 4th District who provide affordable energy and good jobs, and I stand with my constituents in opposition to the President’s “war on coal” and his “cap-and-trade” approach. (To learn more about this bill, CLICK HERE.)

 

Bills Passed by the House that Promote Job Creation and a Healthy Economy (click on each bill to learn more):

• H.R. 890, the Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013. The bill would prevent the Administration from removing welfare work requirements and preserve critical reforms that have successfully lifted families out of poverty.Rather than expand the welfare program and encourage more government dependency, Washington must protect successful welfare reforms and focus on job creation.
• H.R. 803, the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act.With more than 22,225,900 unemployed or underemployed Americans, people should not be burdened with confusing job training programs. This pro-jobs bill would reform federal workforce development programs to provide more efficient and effective job training for those seeking work.
• H.R. 678, The Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act. This bill creates new American jobs and increases America’s energy independence by expanding production of clean, renewable hydropower – one of the cheapest and cleanest forms of electricity.
• H.R. 3, The Northern Route Approval Act. This bill would bypass the Administration’s continued stalling of the Keystone Pipeline by removing the need for the Presidential Permit. The Keystone Pipeline construction would directly create 20,000 much-needed jobs, provide a minimum $7 billion boost to our economy, and, when fully constructed, bring nearly one million barrels of Canadian crude oil to U.S. refineries per day. This greater access to energy would also mean more affordable gas prices at the pump.
• H.R. 1613, the Outer Continental Shelf Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreement Authorization Act.This billwould help Americans by creating 250,000 jobs in the short-term and 1.2 million jobs long-term. The Offshore Energy and Jobs Act would also grow the economy by generating $1.5 billion in new revenue over 10 years. Itwould reverse the President’s moratorium that blocks access to affordable energy and require the President to implement a new five-year leasing plan that moves forward with energy production in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources which are currently not being utilized.
• H.R. 2231, the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act. This bill opens new areas to oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico by enacting the terms of an agreement signed by the U.S. and Mexico. Currently, 67 lease blocks on the U.S. portion of the Gulf Coast of Mexico’s border prevent access to an estimated 172 million barrels of oil and 304 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

1: http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/heres-the-real-unemployment-rate/

Jobs Resouces