Our state and our nation continue to strengthen as we recover from the economic crisis that gripped our country six years ago. I share the resolve of all Delawareans and Americans to create and improve opportunities across the nation.

From cutting taxes for American families and small businesses, to making critical investments in our nation’s infrastructure, clean energy, and education, I have supported efforts in Congress to build on our successes and continue our economic recovery.

As of March 2015, our economy had added private sector jobs for 60 consecutive months, resulting in a total of 12 million jobs created during that time span. In fact, in 2014 we created 2.95 million jobs, making it the strongest year for jobs growth since 1999. We still have a long way to go, with many of our friends and neighbors still out of work, but we're making real progress toward recovering the millions of jobs lost in the wake of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

In the 114^th Congress, the top priority for both parties must be to continue working together to create and maintain what I like to call "a nurturing environment for job creation and job preservation." I believe that creating a thriving environment for businesses to grow, expand, and hire more people will require enacting a bold, bipartisan plan to get our nation's fiscal house in order — something along the lines of the blueprint provided by the Bowles-Simpson Fiscal Commission. Doing so would lay the groundwork for future cooperation and begin to restore faith that those of us in Washington can still tackle big challenges. This type of plan would also reform our complicated tax code to provide businesses with the certainty and predictability they need to ramp up hiring.

We must also invest in a world-class workforce, in a modern transportation system, and in the kinds of research and development that creates new technologies that can be stamped "Made in America," commercialized, and sold all over the world. Specifically, Congress and the administration need to focus on the following priorities:

• Rebuilding our manufacturing sector by bringing jobs back from overseas and encouraging businesses to create new jobs here at home.
• Encouraging companies to invest in the research and development they need to create the next generation of American-made technologies and products.
• Reforming our education system to prepare our kids to compete and win in an increasingly global, and competitive economy.

Investing in clean energy to jumpstart a new sector of our economy so we can end the daily drain of American money to pay for foreign oil from countries that do not like us very much.

Repairing our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, which will create thousands, if not millions, of jobs building 21st Century American roads, bridges, railways, ports and communications infrastructure like broadband access, not to mention the jobs created by the more efficient economy an updated transportation system could bring.

At the end of the day, Congress must come together to address the issues that matter most to the American people, and no issue matters more than meaningful job creation. I remain committed, now more than ever, to continuing my efforts to create a more nurturing environment for job creation and job preservation in Delaware and across the country.