Berg Responds to President's Speech, Urges Common Sense Solutions to Get Economy Back on Track

Statement

Congressman Rick Berg today released the following video statement in response to President Obama's economic recovery proposals presented in a joint session of Congress this evening:

"Our nation faces unprecedented challenges, and the stakes--our children and grandchildren's futures-- are high. Now is not the time to backtrack and pursue the same failed, Washington big government policies that have paralyzed small business and persist as road blocks to job creation and economic growth.

"We have already seen the consequences of this Washington style approach. Two years ago, Washington threw hundreds of billions of dollars into a failed stimulus that failed to create the jobs we need to get our economy back on track. Yet tonight, the President requested another round of government stimulus.

"Let's be clear--we cannot spend our way to recovery. Washington isn't just broken--it's broke--and driving our country even further into debt will not give our small businesses the certainty they need to create jobs.

"Now, I spent the past month holding town halls-- listening to the people of North Dakota. One thing is clear. North Dakotans don't want more speeches--they want solutions.

"In North Dakota, we know that jobs come from small business--not big government. And to get Americans back to work, Washington needs to step back so that small businesses can do what they do best--creating jobs and investing in our economy.

"This first means reining in onerous regulations. Washington's overreach and constantly changing rules have burdened our job creators with billions of dollars in unnecessary costs every year, making it harder to do business and difficult to create much needed jobs.

"We also need to invest in our national resources by encouraging energy production within our borders. Reining in excessive regulations and affirming our commitment to American energy will not only help us break our dependence on foreign oil, but will also help lower energy costs and create good American jobs.

"Furthermore, we need to increase opportunity for our American businesses to grow and sell their products. A robust export agenda is a key part of our path to national recovery, and I'm encouraged by the growing support for implementing pending free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.

"Finally, we need to break Washington's habit of out of control spending. Our nation is facing a spending-driven debt crisis, and the only way to solve it is by reining in the spending and forcing Washington to only spend what it takes in. That's why I support a Balanced Budget Amendment, which would fundamentally change the way Washington works. North Dakota balances its budget. American families balance their budgets. Washington needs to do the same to give American families and small businesses the certainty and confidence they need to make long-term investments in our recovery.

"We can't do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. North Dakotans know that Washington's way of doing things isn't working and it's time for things to change. We've seen these common sense solutions work in North Dakota. It's time to do the same in Washington."

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