Issue Position: The Economy
Issue Position
Issue Position: The Economy
I believe the Bush Administration has grossly neglected our domestic needs for the last eight years. The Administration's misplaced budget priorities have lead to serious short-falls in a number of areas, most importantly jobs and job creation. The rising cost of energy, health care, and unfair trade agreements have had a cascading effect on the entire economy.
Washington has made the wrong decisions and it's time to change and rebuild our economy now. Incomes are declining while the middle class is squeezed trying to pay for rising health care, gasoline, and college tuition costs. We should work with businesses here in America as partners in transforming our economy and creating new jobs by investing in emerging industries like medical research and to develop clean alternative energy like solar, wind, and bio-fuels.
While we partner with local businesses that are the engine of innovation, we must stop big giveaways to powerful special interests like big oil and stop tax breaks to corporations that send our jobs overseas. We need to cut taxes for middle class families, not for big oil and drug companies. We must invest in education so our kids are ready to compete and get the jobs of today's global economy.
I have been working hard to attract businesses and job growth to Northern Michigan. I have fought to improve broadband access in Michigan, supported programs and incentives to promote new businesses, and I have worked to improve our harbors, highways and other infrastructure necessary to encourage businesses to come to Michigan.
In the past 18 months, I have helped to secure several major investments to help produce jobs and economic growth in Northern Michigan.:
* On October 1, 2007, Congress passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, which authorized $327 million to expand the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, and I will continue to work to secure the funding needed to complete the project;
* $200 million investment by Cleveland Cliffs at the Empire Mine in Negaunee to make iron ore nuggets;
* $100 million investment by MASCOMA to build a cellulosic ethanol plan in Northern Michigan.
* $350 million investment by LaFarge at their Alpena cement plant and Detroit port terminal;
* $8.8 million for maintenance hanger at the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport. In the last six months, Kalitta Air has already hired 150 new employees in conjunction with this project and expects to hire and additional 100 by next spring. I am assisting in securing a $22 million Economic Development Administration and Community Development Block Corporation grants to assist in improving and upgrading the infrastructure surrounding the new hanger facility;
* GE Aviation in conjunction with Michigan Tech University will bring up to 150 new high tech jobs to Houghton.
* On February 29, 2008, the Coast Guard issued a $37.5 million delivery order for 18 RB-Ms (response boats medium). With a total of 30 RB-Ms now on order, Marinette Marine will be building production incapacity to support deliveries of approximately one RB-M per month starting in August 2008. Marinette Marine is partnering with a Seattle shipyard to build a total of 180 RB-Ms, with 90 boats built in Marinette and 90 built in Seattle.
* Both Kalitta Air and Marinette Marine are looking for "skilled trade" workers for these high paying jobs.
These are just some of the projects I have been instrumental in assisting to locate, expand, and grow in Northern Michigan.
In Washington, I have helped to draft an initiative to spur innovation and provide incentives for companies that support American workers. The American Manufacturing Initiative (AMI) would ensure that our government aggressively fights for manufacturing jobs in America, so our manufactures and workers can compete globally on a level playing field. The AMI would provide tax credits to spur technological development while providing incentives for manufacturers to expand domestic facilities, not foreign plants. The AMI would also address unfair trade practices such as currency manipulation and direct the President to appoint a Special Trade Prosecutor to aggressively enforce existing trade laws.
Rest assured, I will continue to work in the U.S. House of Representatives to attract jobs businesses to Northern Michigan and to improve the economy in the state of Michigan.
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