Dear Friends, 

I kicked off this week with another Congress on Your Corner, holding one-on-one conversations with neighbors in Bloomington. It was great to hear from so many of you. This week in Washington, I was able to welcome students from St. Thomas to our nation’s capitol, and take part in an important hearing before the Joint Economic Committee examining our nation’s debt crisis. Watch video from the hearing HERE. 

As always, please feel free to contact me if I can assist you or your family in any way. Join the conversation online by visiting my website, Facebook page, Twitter, and don’t forget to watch my weekly video, Erik’s Correspondence Corner.

Reforming Job Training Programs to Promote Job Creation

Nearly 12 million Americans are unemployed and searching for work, yet, 3.6 million jobs remain unfilled, and employers continue to struggle to find individuals with the skills necessary to fill in-demand jobs. And while $18 billion in taxpayer money is spent annually on federal job training programs, only a fraction of workers receive and complete the training necessary to get a job.

In his State of the Union address last year, President Obama recognized this problem and said he wanted to “cut through the maze of confusing training programs” so people have a direct path to the help they require. 

This week, the House acted to achieve this goal by passing the SKILLS Act to reform job training programs. The bill cuts through bureaucracy by streamlining current job training programs so Minnesota workers can access the training they need when they need it. The SKILLS Act gives states and local employers a larger say in how training programs are rolled out so they can be rolled out with increased success.

Balancing Budget Key to Economic Growth

Washington owes Minnesotans a balanced budget. While Minnesota families and businesses have tightened their belts and made tough choices about their spending habits, Washington has gotten away without accountability when spending taxpayer dollars. The House Republican budget plan, which was rolled out by the House Budget Committee this week, offers common sense policies to change that habit and finally control government spending, reducing deficits by $4.6 trillion and actually balancing the budget. 

This will get our economy rolling and create jobs, give greater opportunities to young people, and save, preserve, and protect important programs for seniors. 

The plan also outlines a direction to reform our out-of-date tax code, and addresses the drivers of the debt in order to foster a healthier economy. It’s time Washington takes a cue from Minnesota families; it’s time Washington delivers on a balanced budget.

Paulsen Pics

Rep. Paulsen chats with neighbors during his Bloomington Congress on Your Corner event Monday.

Paulsen visits construction of the new Gilda's Club in Minnetonka. Gilda's Clubs provide a caring and supportive healing environment for cancer patients and their families.

Rep. Paulsen meets with Third District state legislators during a recent visit to the State Capitol to discuss ways to collaborate and help our mutual constituents.