Issue Position: Jobs

Issue Position

Unemployment is not a statistic. Unemployment is a critical problem facing millions of Americans who struggle daily to meet their basic needs. But where do jobs come from? They don't come from Washington. They come from private sector employers who see opportunities for growth and invest in them. High taxes, complicated and inconsistent regulation, an unwillingness to expand domestic energy production, and protectionist trade policies all lead to higher unemployment. Businesses invest in jobs when they see a good opportunity to make money. The huge changes that were made in healthcare policy ("Obamacare") and financial services regulation ("Dodd-Frank") made it very hard for employers to make investment decisions even for the near-term future. I believe this is the largest reason the so-called "Great Recession" lasted so long. Ask any business owner and she'll tell you: predictability in taxes, regulation, energy costs, and the cost of employee benefits are all essential to making a decision to grow, expand, and hire. Washington has spent the last several years moving these goalposts around the field, sometimes repeatedly. This wasn't smart. It hurt people.

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