President Obama's Bus Tour

Statement

Last week, President Obama rolled in to North Carolina and Virginia on a campaign-style, three-day bus tour to promote his $447 billion jobs bill. While the House and Senate are taking a close look at some ideas in his proposal, it's clear that another massive spending bill just won't work. Everyone saw what happened with the first stimulus plan. We spent $787 billion of money we don't have with little results to show for it besides more debt and stubbornly high unemployment.

While on the road, President Obama said he wanted "to work with Republicans on ways to create jobs right now." And that he is "open to any serious idea." If the President wants to encourage job growth, he can start by rolling back unreasonable regulations that are threatening American jobs.

I am disappointed that President Obama bypassed Southside and Southwest Virginia on his tour. If he had stopped in our region he could see the real-world impacts of over burdensome regulations on the economy and jobs. From the coal mines of deep Southwest Virginia to power plants in Giles and Russell Counties to MeadWestvaco in Covington, more unreasonable regulations from the EPA are making it more difficult to do business.

These excessive regulations are holding back investment, which in turn, is holding back job creation. We have an opportunity to jumpstart economic growth, but we have to provide job creators with real world solutions and assurances that more new job-killing regulations aren't right around the corner.

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