BOEHNER COLUMN: We’re Maintaining Our Focus

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) released the following column:

It’s filling up at the gas pump and watching the numbers climb to more than $40 for a tank of gas, or it’s a trip to the grocery store where the packaging seems to be shrinking but price tags are growing higher and higher.

While we’re seeing a lot of growth here in Ohio, the trouble is, we’re paying more for the things we need under the president’s policies, “further constraining family budgets…still reeling from a stagnant economy,” according to a recent Gallup survey.  Spending on gas and groceries tops the list of added expenses, driven up by energy costs that have nearly doubled on the president’s watch.

And the health care law is making matters worse, raising costs when it was supposed to lower them.  In just two years, Ohioans have now seen their insurance premiums spike by 53 percent on average – it’s simply unconscionable.  Meanwhile, incomes are down and many of our friends and neighbors are stuck in part-time work.

These are the things that keep a lot of parents up at night, but we don’t have to settle for this – we can do something about it.  While House Republicans have been doing our part – we’ve passed dozens of jobs bills that are being blocked by Democrats in the U.S. Senate – we need the president and his party to do theirs.

That’s why my message to the president and his Democratic allies is a simple one:  let’s focus on real solutions that will help hardworking families have more opportunities and more peace of mind.

We can give families more control over their hard-earned money by implementing a real “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that actually helps lower gas and electricity costs.

Let’s help get more people back to work by getting Big Government out of the way of our small businesses.

And let’s work to make college more affordable and accessible by simplifying the tax code and making it easier for students to apply real-world skills and experience toward a college education.

The best part about all of this is that a blueprint already exists in the common-sense solutions advanced by Republicans (see more at www.gop.gov/solutions), but we’ve run up against a brick wall created by the president and his Democratic colleagues – they are more worried about keeping their jobs than helping families find work.

In the weeks and months ahead, Republicans will continue listening to your concerns and maintaining our focus on solutions to help create more jobs, lower costs at home, and restore opportunity for all.

As we go on with our work, I’d like to hear from you.  Please feel free to stop by an Open Door session or send me an e-mail at Boehner.House.Gov.  However you choose to stay in touch, I look forward to hearing from you.

Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th District, which includes all of Butler, Clark, Darke, Miami, and Preble counties, and the southernmost part of Mercer County. He was first elected to Congress in 1990.