As a small business owner myself, I know that far too often politicians in Springfield and Washington make life more difficult for our local business owners. Burdensome red tape and a tax code that works for only a select few are hurting our economy and suppressing innovation.

At the same time, despite the fact that the federal government spends more than half a trillion dollars every year on anti-poverty programs, these initiatives have failed to solve the problem and today there are nearly 50 million Americans living in poverty. Leaders in Washington need to recognize that simply throwing more money into the same failed, one-size-fits-all programs of the past will not produce any better results in the future.

We can help families that are struggling to get by and get our economy back on track at the same time. I've introduced a jobs bill aimed at helping people in our community get back on their feet and find a job. We do this by incentivizing small businesses and local employers to help people gain valuable work skills, all while equipping the businesses with the tools and resources they need to hire more people.

At a time when Washington operates under divided government, bipartisan leadership is essential to ensuring that we break the partisan gridlock that has consumed our government in Washington and Springfield for far too long. If we work together, we can enact policies that will stop irresponsible budgeting and out of control spending, while lowering taxes and strengthening our economy.