Issue Position: Economy and Jobs

Issue Position

Our national unemployment has been above 9 percent for over 21 months, the longest stretch of joblessness since the Great Depression. Yet the strategy of the previous Congress, which was to increase spending at a breakneck pace, has failed to solve the unemployment problem. Now, instead of saving or spending money to stimulate economic growth, we are forced to pay out more than $1.2 billion per day just to cover the interest on our debt payment.

According to an annual report produced by the Small Business Administration, small businesses--those with fewer than 500 employees--consistently create the majority of new jobs on an annual basis along with employing more than half of the private sector workforce. As such a growth engine for getting our economy back on track, continuing small business development and innovation is critical for our future. It's vital that we continue to support small businesses as they find ways to grow, innovate and create jobs. Small businesses need certainty in tax rates, healthcare costs, lending and many other necessary considerations for operating a business. This Congress I have voted to repeal onerous tax reporting provisions placed on small businesses by the President Obama's healthcare law. I have attending hearings where we investigated the regulatory burden placed on businesses by the federal government. I am committed to helping both large and small businesses in our district in an effort to create jobs and increase economic development throughout the region.

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