Issue Position: Jobs and the Economy

Issue Position

With working families and businesses still struggling in the midst of our fragile economic recovery, my top priority in Congress is creating jobs and building the foundation for long-term economic growth.

Our nation's economic recovery continues to make progress; in 2012, payroll employment rose by more than 2 million and the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in four years. But there are still too many Americans who can't find fulltime employment. By focusing on helping small business and local industries succeed, we'll be able to create and grow more good paying jobs for years to come.

Growing our economy means investing in education, research, and infrastructure; equipping American workers with the skills they need to compete in the global economy; fixing our broken immigration system; pursuing a balanced approach to deficit reduction; reforming the tax code to ensure fairness for working families; and opening up new markets for U.S. exports.

Long-term economic growth and prosperity require incentives and policies that encourage entrepreneurship and support innovation. Nowhere in the country is the impact of innovation on the economy more visible than in Washington's 1st Congressional District, where our local industries ranging from aerospace, manufacturing, high-tech, agriculture, clean energy, and healthcare are driving the economy forward through innovation and entrepreneurship. This district builds the world's best airplanes, grows the finest food and designs world class software.

To have strong, robust job growth, we must have an economy that works and provides access to opportunity for everyone. We must make investments in our education system that provide the training and skills workers need to be prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We must also support our colleges and technical schools that can help develop our next generation of local farmers, manufacturers and innovators and lead to good jobs for the families of the 1st Congressional District.

With determination and a willingness to look past partisan divides, Congress must come together to find solutions to spur job growth, build strong communities and create an economy that works for everyone.

Source