Working Towards a Healthier Economy
Statement
Do you remember the days when the country had a healthy, vibrant economy when there were more opportunities and people were actually getting ahead? When getting a raise was a regular event? How about when all the kids in the neighborhood were able to find good jobs right after high school or college? Too often the stories we hear today are about people having to settle for a part-time job or two part-time jobs instead of a full-time one, factories closing or cutting back production, workers not seeing their paychecks increase, and young adults living at home because they cannot find jobs.
A growing economy means restored prosperity, more jobs, higher wages, a stronger middle class, and greater opportunity for all families and individuals.
This summer almost 17,000 people responded to the 2014 Official U.S. Government Survey for Pennsylvania's Twelfth Congressional District. The survey was conducted to gauge the opinions and concerns of constituents in Western Pennsylvania.
The results of the survey echo what I hear at my Coffee with Keith constituent forums and as I travel the district visiting main street storefronts, manufacturers, and other businesses. Greater economic security and job creation is the top priority for the majority of those who responded. Western Pennsylvanians from all walks of life want the freedom that comes with job security and the ability to keep more of what they earn.
Almost 54% of those who responded to the survey did not see a pay raise in the last year. More than 27% actually saw their incomes fall. The pain and frustration of stagnant or falling wages is multiplied by rising costs for everything from food to housing to gas. Those numbers are consistent with the Census Bureau figures that show the median income for Americans dropping from $56,436 in 2007 to $51,939 in 2013.
The truth is that it does not have to be this way. We can have a booming economy again. Western Pennsylvania workers are hardworking and highly skilled. It is because of their ingenuity, innovative spirit, and industriousness that we continue to see success stories despite a national economy that continues to sputter and stagnate.
Over the past twenty months the House has focused on passing solutions to strengthen our nation's economic foundation, empower the American people, and unleash their potential. The Jobs for America Act and American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act, both of which the House recently passed, reflect our continued focus on these goals.
The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, for example, requires elected representatives in Congress to vote on regulations that cost the American people more than $50 million.
The Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency (ALERRT) Act would also help reduce the stranglehold of Washington, D.C. regulations on the economy. It includes my amendment that would require federal bureaucrats to take responsibility for regulations that will have a negative impact on jobs or wages. It forces bureaucrats to think through the costs and burdens their regulations will impose on families, businesses, and communities.
Solutions like these will create a much healthier economy. They reflect an understanding that government is not what made our nation great. Rather it is the worker who mines the coal, brings natural gas and oil out of the ground, works at the power plant, creates innovative technologies, and works the production line at the factory.
No amount of government will produce the real growth and family-sustaining jobs and wages that will bring our main streets and manufacturers back to life.
Unfortunately, Harry Reid's Senate prioritizes politics over helping the American people. House Republicans and Democrats have come together and compromised.
It is time for Harry Reid and Senate Democrats to come to the table, stand with workers and families, and approve our positive solutions.
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