Appeared First in The Record Delta
The last eight years have seen the Obama Administration lead the country through the weakest economic recovery in our nation’s history.
The President’s progressive agenda of increased taxes, burdensome regulations, and government mandates is growing the public sector at the expense of the private sector. As a result, our economy has grown slower under President Obama than it has under any President since the Great Depression. The truth is that President Obama’s policies have stood in the way of the economic growth and job creation that America needs.
To illustrate this point, look at the effect of government regulations on our economy. In 2015 alone, bureaucratic red tape cost the nation over $1.89 trillion dollars of lost productivity and growth potential, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. This is money that could be better used to create jobs and expand the economy in West Virginia.
That is why I have been working with my colleagues in Congress to create a new economic agenda that empowers small business and creates jobs for hardworking West Virginians and all Americans. This past July, the House Republican Conference, led by Speaker Paul Ryan, released a bold new agenda called “A Better Way.” This plan outlines our party’s vision for the future of America; the best place in the world to raise a family, start a business, and retire with security.
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Two major focuses of the “Better Way” agenda are regulatory reform and increased energy production. Repealing harmful regulations will make our economy more efficient, empowering small business owners instead of the Washington bureaucrats. This fresh approach will also lead to a domestic energy boom, helping to drive down prices for consumers, while creating good paying jobs and reducing our dependence on the Middle East to meet our energy needs.
As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I am working to cultivate West Virginia’s energy resources in a way that promotes jobs and the economy. You can count on me to continue to fight President Obama’s executive overreach that seeks to destroy the coal industry.
In January 2016, the House of Representatives passed my bill, H.R. 1644, the STREAM Act (Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act). My STREAM Act would prevent the Obama Administration from further overregulating our coal mining industry and would protect tens of thousands West Virginia mining jobs.
By requiring a study of whether current mining regulations need to be changed, this bill would stop another one of President Obama’s job-killing regulations on West Virginia coal mining. My bill, H.R.1644, is currently awaiting action in the U.S. Senate.
If we want more jobs and a brighter future for our children, we need to return to the small government formula used by President Reagan in the 1980s. I am committed to reducing the role of government regulators and making it easier for hard working West Virginians to earn a living. Let’s get the economic machine of America working again. That is the agenda that Republicans are fighting for in the House of Representatives.
If you have any questions about my work in Congress to protect the coal industry, create jobs, or grow the economy, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington office at 202-225-2711.