The Week Just Past: Why Does a “Pro-Growth” Agenda Matter?

More Questions than Answers on Obamacare Delay

“Senate should reach accord with House on student loan rates”

House Passes Rodney’s Frugal Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

Salutes: Randolph Kiwanis, New Jersey’s 508^th MP Company

Vanity Fair Magazine: “40 Minutes in Benghazi”

Follow Rodney on social media: @USRepRodney & https://www.facebook.com/rfrelinghuysen

The Week Just Past: Why Does a “Pro-Growth” Agenda Matter?

“Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its June monthly jobs report.  Though our economy logged a net employment increase of nearly 200,000 last month, the ‘official’ unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.6%.

“Although, long-term unemployment (those unemployed for more than 27 weeks) decreased from last month to approximately 4.33 million Americans, the ‘Labor Force Participation Rate,’ remained nearly unchanged from May at 63.5%.  This is the measure which identifies the number of people who are active participants in the labor force (relative to the total population).

“Labor force participation still remains at its lowest levels since the late 1970s, which has the effect of lowering the unemployment rate. If Labor Force Participation remained unchanged from the recession, the unemployment rate would be well over 10 percent.

“The latest report suggests that while overall employment is increasing, the ‘recovery’ remains very weak and lacks any kind of real momentum. Although the numbers reported for June are slightly encouraging, the fact remains that there are 2.2 million fewer people employed and 1.6 million less private sector jobs than in 2008 when the recession began.

“And then, as if to illustrate the point that the President’s new health care law is threatening jobs, the Department of Treasury’s decided to delay the Obamacare’s ‘employer mandate.’  Clearly, this is a sign that the Administration is worried about how Obamacare will negatively affect the weak economic recovery.

“Frankly, a one-year delay does nothing to ease the burden of this mandate.  As small business owners, health care experts, and employer groups have said - the mandate increases costs, shifts workers from full-time to part-time, reduces hiring and puts in jeopardy the health care that over 150 million Americans receive from their employer.  On top of that, while some businesses may see temporary relief, the White House decision does nothing to address the most critical concern facing employers, employees, individuals and families - relief from higher health costs. Employers and academics agree that the Administration’s latest delay only underscores that the law is unworkable.

“Clearly, we do not need more mandates, rules and regulations to spur our economy.  Higher taxes and fees will not create jobs. Record spending and bigger government won’t bolster consumer confidence and business certainty. 

“Only a pro-growth economic agenda will put Americans back to work.  I invite you to visit my website and take a look at my Plan for Job Creation.”

Rodney Frelinghuysen

House Passes Rodney’s Frugal Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

The House of Representatives Wednesday passed the Fiscal Year 2014 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill on Wednesday night after two days of debate.  As Chairman of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, Rodney drafted and introduced the bill last month. The legislation provides annual funding for national defense nuclear weapons activities, the Army Corps of Engineers, various programs under the Department of Energy, and other agencies.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor credited Rodney’s leadership. “I thank Chairman Hal Rogers, Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen, and the House Appropriations Committee for their work on this important measure as we in the House continue our work toward returning our nation to a path of fiscal sustainability to ensure prosperity for all Americans.”

The bill totals $30.4 billion – a clear reduction of $2.9 billion BELOW last year’s measure and a cut of $4.1 billion below President’s budget request. In addition, this level is approximately $700 million below the level caused by sequestration for these programs.

“This is a fiscally responsible bill that funds critical national security, jobs, and infrastructure programs,” Rodney said. “In a challenging fiscal environment, we have to prioritize funding, and the House agreed that we should address the readiness and safety of the nation’s nuclear stockpile, work to keep gas prices low for working families and businesses and to invest in critical infrastructure projects to protect lives and property and support economic growth.”

The Port Of New York and New Jersey is the economic engine of northern New Jersey, spurring more than $36 billion in economic activity each year. The Port is responsible for 279,000 jobs, representing $12 billion in annual wages.  At the same time, the port generates more than $5 billion in annual tax revenues to state and local governments.

Tens of thousands of people are directly employed along the piers, docks, warehouses, truck staging areas and rail yards at the Port, with thousands more working in New Jersey companies which depend on this vital asset. 

“It is critically important for jobs in our area that we remain competitive with other ports along the East Coast, especially as the Panama Canal is widened to accept the largest container ships on the planet,” Rodney said.  “An active Port of New Jersey means high quality jobs throughout the state!” 

Recommended Reading:Wednesday editorial in the Washington Post, “Senate should reach accord with House on student loan rates.”

More Questions than Answers on Obamacare Delay

The Administration’s decision to delay enforcement of the employer mandate in the so-called Affordable Care Act (ACA) has created a host of new questions and concerns that need to be addressed, according to a letter sent this week to President Obama from several House leaders.

The letter was signed by several key committee chairmen and members of the House.

“The Administration made this decision behind closed doors,” said the chairmen. “The public deserves to know what prompted this decision — and why the administration won’t give American families the same relief it gave to American businesses.”

The letter says the President’s new health care law "places an enormous new burden on employers that clearly contributes to the economy and job growth remaining relatively stagnant. We recognize that the decision to delay the employer mandate was likely not a decision you made in only a day and necessarily required substantial review by analysts at the Department of the Treasury, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, as well as the Office of Management and Budget. Your decision to delay one part of the law affecting employers and leave in place provisions regulating individual and family health care creates many new questions and concerns."

To understand the full effects of delaying enforcement of the employer mandate, House leaders asked President Obama to provide by August 1 any administration analysis that examined:

• The legality of the decision to unilaterally delay the mandate;
• The effect on the ability of the Internal Revenue Service and Health Care Exchanges to verify and prevent fraud regarding individual eligibility for premium tax credits and cost sharing subsidies;
• The change in the number of individuals expected to pay the individual mandate penalty for calendar year 2014;
• The change in the number of employers who currently provide health care coverage;
• Changes in enrollment in Medicaid for calendar year 2014; and
• The number of individuals working part-time involuntarily and business reducing the number of hours employees work to below 30 hours.

You can read the entire letter here.

Recommended Reading:Ramesh Ponnuru, writing in the Wednesday Bergen Record, “Six Inconvenient Truths About Obamacare.”

This Week’s Salutes:Randolph Kiwanis, NJ’s 508^th MP Company

Thank you to the Randolph Township Kiwanis Club for sponsoring their Freedom Festival Parade. Leading the way was a color guard from the Marines of Golf Company at Pictatinny Arsenal!

Welcome home to Matt O’Hern and other members of the New Jersey National Guard’s 508^th MP Company.  They returned in June from a deployment in Afghanistan and Rodney was on hand as they were recently honored by residents of West Caldwell!

Recommended Reading: Rodney has cosponsored House Resolution 36 which would establish a Select Congressional Committee to investigate fully the Benghazi attack and murder of our Ambassador, Chris Stevens, on September 11, 2012.  Fred Burton and Samuel Katz have written a fascinating piece in Vanity Fair magazine.  Read “40 Minutes in Benghazi” here.

Follow Rodney on social media: @USRepRodney & https://www.facebook.com/rfrelinghuysen