Unemployment Rate

Floor Speech

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, 3 years ago President Obama promised Congress that the American people would have 6 percent unemployment in exchange for trillions of taxpayer dollars to pump into the economy. Today we know that the stimulus program was mismanaged, ill-conceived, and failed to create the jobs promised by the President. For 38 straight months and counting, the unemployment rate has remained above 8 percent.

The American people realize something that my Democrat friends don't seem to understand: that government cannot create jobs and shouldn't be in the business of handing out jobs. In 2010, the American people sent me and many of my colleagues to Washington to cut government spending and offer real solutions to job creation. We have been aggressively fighting to achieve that challenge.

Our country needs commonsense, pro-growth policies that will help small business regain their confidence. When business owners have faith that the government will not raise their taxes, impose new, unnecessary regulations, and pick winners and losers in the marketplace, they'll invest more. When they invest more, the company grows, and the opportunity for American jobs grows with it.

Just last week, we saw a very clear picture of the different visions for job creation held by folks in Washington. My friends in the Senate voted on but thankfully failed to pass the Buffett rule. The act would impose a tax hike on one class of Americans and would pay for approximately 11 hours of government functioning. Talk about a cynical ruse serving only to divide our country for political purposes.

But while my Democrat colleagues in the Senate are working to raise taxes on Americans and America's job creators, the House is trying to lower them. Last week we passed a small business tax cut, which will give businesses with fewer than 500 employees a 20 percent tax reduction off their active business income and encourage the creation of more jobs for our citizens.

Data shows that 7 out of every 10 jobs in this country are created by companies with fewer than 500 employees. My Republican colleagues and I truly believe that small businesses are the backbone of our country's economy and their success is vital to our economic recovery. We continue to act proactively and, as reflected in the 27 job-creating measures passed by the House this Congress alone, to ensure job providers are able to create, innovate, and lead.

We hope our friends in the Senate and White House will decide to join us as we say ``yes'' to American jobs for American people.

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