Issue Position: Jobs and the Economy

Issue Position

As a former small business owner employing more than 50 northeastern Wisconsin workers, my number one goal as a member of Congress is to restore our economic prosperity and fuel job growth. Our nation's unemployment rate is stuck at staggeringly high levels, and business owners continually tell me that uncertainty from Washington and in our economy is preventing them from creating new jobs. I'm working to alleviate that uncertainty. Below are four items that I am working on to help Wisconsin employers create jobs.

Reducing Excessive Regulations on Small Businesses

To lessen the uncertainty in our economy, we need to give our nation's job creators a breather. The Small Business Administration estimates that government regulations cost the economy $1.75 trillion every year. Regulations disproportionally affect small businesses, which create a majority of new jobs, at a cost of more than $10,000 per employee. In order to foster economic growth and create jobs, we need to reduce regulatory burdens on small businesses. That is why I have introduced two regulatory moratorium bills to prevent the federal government from finalizing any new regulations for a given amount of time. My legislation would give employers and their employees additional certainty as we work to get our economy back on track. To learn more about this legislation, please click here.

Tax Reform

Our tax code is more than 10,000 pages long, and it is too complicated for most tax filers to understand without hiring an accountant. Years of special-interest lobbying has created hundreds of loopholes that only benefit those who can afford it. This is wrong, and it's why I have been a tireless advocate for comprehensive tax reform. We must ensure the federal government is not picking winners and losers in the economy and work to eliminate loopholes in the code so we can lower tax rates for all Americans. To learn more about my thoughts on tax reform, please click here.

Congressional Job Creators Caucus

One of my first acts in office was to bring together current and former small business owners in Congress to form a caucus to focus on developing policies that will help create jobs and spur commerce. It's called the Congressional Job Creators Caucus. To date, we have worked with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to bring to light the numerous obstacles job creators are facing, contributing our unique experiences building and growing businesses to the ongoing debates here in Congress.

Transportation

One of the most important pieces of legislation affecting job creation right now is the Transportation Reauthorization Bill or the "Highway Bill." This legislation is critical to repairing and maintaining our nation's vast infrastructure, which affects our ability to move goods across the country. I am fully supportive of passing a long-term comprehensive transportation bill to rebuild our infrastructure and reduce barriers to expanded job creation and economic activity. To learn more about my views on transportation, please click here.

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