Mr. REED. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas for yielding and for setting up this leadership hour for us to have this important conversation.
I would say to all of my colleagues, it doesn't take a whiz kid to figure out that we're on the wrong path in America. So how are we going to change it? I come to this Chamber always in an optimistic manner. I come to this Chamber with the energy and the commitment to make America better. And we're going to change that by changing the culture of Washington, D.C. I'm proud to be part of this freshman class: 87 House Republicans, 13, approximately, new Democratic faces on the other side of the aisle. So how are we going to change from that new class, develop a new breed of elected official that puts country and policy over politics?
I can tell you that my colleagues that I have spent a tremendous amount of time with in the freshman class have always taken the approach that it is policy over politics, and I am pleased to be joined on the floor here today with a colleague, a Democratic colleague, joining us, a bunch of House Republican freshman Members, a fellow freshman Member from the Democratic side, who has had the courage to stand up and publicly stand with us to talk about what is the critical issue of this Congress, and that is creating an environment where the economy improves and people can be put back to work.
It's about creating an environment that creates jobs. My colleague from Michigan, who I have developed a friendship with, is down here to join us to offer his ideas. Although we may not agree 100 percent on all of the ideas that he brings to the table, I still respect the man and I respect many of his ideas. And I respect that there are going to be areas where we will find common ground, that we can come together and move the ball forward so America will see its best and brightest days again ahead of us.
One of the common grounds that I know that's coming
down the pipeline next week is the free-trade agreements. There's vast bipartisan support for those free-trade agreements which would equate up to 250,000 new jobs essentially immediately within the next 12 months. That type of economic opportunity is what we should be focusing on and on which we focus on here in the House as a freshman class, pushing forward policies and agendas that put the country first rather than our reelection efforts and our political ambitions ahead of country and policy.
One of the other things that we have to change in Washington, D.C., and I know my colleagues on both sides here today are firmly committed to, we have to look at this from a long-term comprehensive point of view. When you've got the Senate that hasn't passed a budget in 888 days, any businessman in America will tell you that how you run an operation, you at least have to have a vision, you have to have a strategy; and in government that document that sets the vision and the policy and the guiding principles of how we should operate is a budget. It's a fundamental thing that we do. So, again, the Senate needs to join us, lock arms with this freshman class and say we're going to put country and policy over politics, and jump.
That's why I have so much respect for my colleague from Michigan coming down and joining us here today, and if my colleague from Arkansas will yield him time to offer his insights into this debate. But, again, it's a commonsense approach to governing: do the job, lay forth the vision in a budget, work together to find common ground, and create an environment in America where people can go back to work and take care of their families for generations to come. It's only through that type of commonsense approach that I believe that we will move this ball down the field the way that it needs to, and I'm proud to join my colleagues.