Issue Position: Fighting High Unemployment

Issue Position

I am proud to say that I was the only Inland Empire Area Representative to vote in favor of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This bill, signed into law by President Obama in February, 2009, has allowed thousands of Americans to keep their jobs. As of the end of October, the Recovery Act has created or saved over 640,000 American jobs. Specifically, the Recovery Act has authorized:

$64 billion for state and local governments to prevent the layoffs of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other state employees
$2.5 billion given to California for highway construction
$400 Making Work Pay tax credit for over 12 million Californians
$48.8 million in funding for municipal bonds to California's 43rd Congressional District

I was also the only Inland Empire Representative to vote in favor of the Jobs for Main Street Act, which passed the House in December. This measure will create and save jobs with targeted investments for highways and transit, school renovation, small businesses, police and firefighters, and hiring teachers. These will be fully funded by redirecting TARP funds that were used to stabilize our nation's economy. The bill will also provide emergency relief for Americans suffering from the recession by increasing unemployment benefits, strengthening COBRA provisions, and extending the child tax credit to all low-income working families with children.

I am also a part of the recently-formed Jobs NOW! Caucus. This bipartisan caucus affords Members of Congress a platform on which to share ideas on how effective job policies can be formulated in a quick and efficient manner. While our economy has begun to show the first signs of recovery from this recession, we all know that the crisis is not over until Main Street is repaired. I am confident that through the work of this caucus, Congress will be able to come up with common-sense solutions that will allow for business growth and job stimulation.

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