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We Really Can't Wait!
Posted by Congressman Jeff Miller on October 31, 2011

Last week, while announcing the President’s decision to take a series of executive actions, the Administration unveiled their latest slogan, “We Can’t Wait.”  I agree that we owe it to the millions of unemployed Americans to pass legislation that will help our economy flourish and put them back to work, but using "Executive Powers” without legislative transparency to point the finger at Republicans for a supposed unwillingness to pass legislation to help jump-start our economy is unproductive and insincere.  The fact of the matter is that while the Administration was busy trying to come up with its next catch phrase, the House of Representatives passed two more job creating measures.  In total, the House of Representatives has passed more than twenty jobs bills that would help put Americans back to work, yet only five of these have been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President.  Currently, eighteen jobs bills are stuck in the Senate awaiting further action (http://majorityleader.gov/JobsTracker).  I guess we shouldn’t be surprised about the lack of activity on the other side of the Capitol, given that it has been over 900 days since the Senate last passed a budget.

One of the Executive Orders issued by the President this week was a push to get unemployed veterans back to work.  The President “challenged” Community Health Centers to hire 8,000 veterans.  I agree that military members with medical training should have an easier time finding employment, which is why I included provisions that would make it easier for them to get the credentials they need to obtain employment in my Veteran’s Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act (http://veterans.house.gov/jobs).  And the VOW Act doesn’t stop there.  The VOW Act would help train 100,000 unemployed veterans in a full range of job sectors, improve the Transition Assistance Program, and strengthen protections that help National Guard and Reserve troops from losing their jobs while they are deployed.

I fully commend the President for focusing on measures to help get one million unemployed veterans to work.  This level of veteran unemployment is unacceptable.  Members of the House of Representatives from both sides of the aisle understand how vital it is to get unemployed veterans back to work, and that is why the VOW Act passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 418-6.  With Veterans Day less than two weeks away, passing the VOW Act in the Senate and sending it to the President’s desk would lay down a significant marker on the road to decreasing veteran unemployment.  

I have also introduced a tax incentive to complement the VOW Act, which would not only immediately help veterans, but would also help small businesses grow.  The Tax Credit to Hire Veterans Act would provide small businesses with a $25,000 incentive for hiring any unemployed veteran.  Additionally, my bill includes provisions that ensure that businesses cannot simply hire a veteran, receive the incentive and then fire the veteran.  This substantial tax incentive would allow businesses to use more of their capital to hire unemployed veterans, and provide a double incentive to businesses looking to hire veterans.

Long before the Administration coined its new slogan, the American people have been telling us that we cannot wait to create jobs.  House Republicans have understood that we do not have the luxury of standing on the sidelines waiting for the economy to right itself and have taken action.  In May, Republicans released the Plan for America’s Job Creators, a comprehensive approach to reducing government barriers to job growth.  On numerous occasions, we have answered the call to action by passing jobs legislation, and we continue to do so.  On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 1904, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act.  This bill will pave the way for American businesses to create thousands of jobs delivering approximately $220.5 million in wages every year to American workers.  More than $700 million in private funds have already been invested in this project, and over 500 Americans work at the site today.  Over the life of the project, the economic benefits will exceed $60 billion and lead to another $19 billion in tax revenue for federal, state, county and local governments.  

Passage of H.R. 1904 was followed up with the passage of H.R. 674, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the imposition of 3 percent withholding on certain payments made to vendors by government entities.  H.R. 674 would repeal an unnecessary and burdensome requirement, set to go into effect in January 2013, which would withhold 3 percent of government payments to businesses that provide goods or services to federal, state, or local governments.  This withholding tax would reduce the cash flow of businesses that contract with federal, state and local governments and undermine job creation.  I believe that the looming implementation of this requirement is contributing to the severe uncertainty facing employers during these challenging economic times.  The withholding requirement would also impose substantial costs on federal, state, and local governments, including costs to acquire new software and pay for additional accounting services.  I was glad to see the Administration come out in support of House efforts to repeal this withholding tax.  H.R. 674 received broad bipartisan support in the House, and there is no reason to add it to the list of bills that are stalled in the Senate.

The President and I may have different ideological viewpoints on how best to help the country, but I agree with him that unemployed Americans can’t continue to wait.  The House, Senate, and the Administration must work together to support our nation’s job creators.  The President does not need to circumvent the Congress through Executive Orders.  House-passed jobs bills that are currently stalled in the Senate, including the VOW Act, would help to create far more jobs than any of the President’s Executive Orders.  The House is doing its part, but only until the Senate acts, starts listening to the American people and stops trying to find new ways to delay legislation, will we create the right environment for businesses to thrive and expand their workforce.  House Republicans have shown time and again that we are committed to passing legislation to improve our economy as the elected voice of the People.  Now, we need the Senate and the Administration to do the same.  

We cannot afford to wait any longer.

Comments
The opinions expressed below are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent those of this office.
  • William Hatter commented on 11/2/2011
    I am very pleased with your introduction of your VOW Act and fully support your efforts to get the Tax Credit to Hire Veterans Act passed by the Senate! Any efforts on your part to get similar incentives to hire "the long term unemployed" past Congress will also be appreciated.
  • MELISSA KINDRED commented on 11/8/2011
    Long term unemployed. Why do we rely on the unemployment statistics?? millions of people like myself who is a military spouse, can't even qualify for unemployment. In fact, a retiring Veteran DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT. So when you force retire the millions of veterans, that won't show up on the books.
  • Bradley Hinds commented on 11/8/2011
    I am greatful you are trying to pass laws to help us. Please really listen to the folks in the field, we are truly suffering especially scared with the economy. Restore the benefits taken away from us BAH GI bill so we can survive this horrible economy.
  • Scobie Wilcoxon commented on 12/16/2011
    Why don't government just get out of the way and quit subsidizing slothfulness? How is it the job of the government to pay people compensation when they can't/won't find work? Why does the government continue to stifle business growth by legislative actions and allowing federal departments to issue decrees that pick the winners and losers in business? Why does Congress not return government to Constitutional bounds and force the other 2 co-equal branches to do the same? The best thing you guys could do would be to return government to its original Constitutional size and follow the rules.
  • pat avery commented on 1/18/2012
    What's your stand on SOPA/PIPA?
  • slogan maker commented on 4/17/2012
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  • Rose Marie Bonifay commented on 5/23/2012
    We do not need to monitor, as stated by some congressman; nor should we obsess over not being granted permission to enter their factories; they have broken the contract and are endangering lives of our military personnel each day. We know you can't manufacture parts for our weapons in one day but if you try you can start the ball rolling. Several technological firms in Pensacola would be happy and able to produce these parts. Fort Walton Beach likewise--especially with downsizing in their area. And they have vendors ready-to-go. No more counterfeited parts to endanger our precious soldiers. If you can't fix this problem, then you are a part of it and a contributor to their death as much as China is.
  • Gary Stevenson commented on 11/11/2012
    Congressman Miller, you stated, "House Republicans have understood that we do not have the luxury of standing on the sidelines waiting for the economy to right itself and have taken action." Do you or do you not have confidence in the free-enterprise system? President Coolidge did when he did nothing during the 1920 recession/depression and the economy rebounded in roughly 6 months! President Reagan reduced regulations along with tax reform and the economy took off. The problem today is that there is too much government interference.and spending which burden business and taxpayers. Will your VOW Act require more paper pushing for business owners which requires cost that could be better spent eleswhere for the business? Business will hire when the economy signals them to. Business is in survival mode and no Act from Congress enticing them with a tax break will do much. In fact, as a result of Mr. Obama's re-election we are seeing business announcing job firings by the end of the year. Why? Mr. Obama's healthcare law is the main reason.
  • Rob inFlorida commented on 12/8/2012
    Dear Mr. Miller: First, I would like to commend and congratulate you for your efforts to maintain government fiscal responsibility and adherence to our constitution and the principles upon which this great country was founded. I find it insulting and reprehensible that our President and his Democratic followers would stand so inflexible for eight days’ worth of government spending (the amount of time the increase in taxes they propose would support our government’s excessive spending). The relative insignificant amount of revenue these tax increases would generate leads me to believe that their insistence on this can only be for political purposes and a continued effort to encourage and spread class warfare between our countrymen. This tactic clearly helped get him elected and I am not surprised that the President would pursue this tactic to preserve and placate the recipients of our government overspending. My primary purpose of writing to you is to communicate my support of your continued perseverance in standing behind fiscal conservative principles. In my opinion, if the President and Democrats are not willing to reign in government spending and prefer to focus and campaign on insignificant class warfare ideas then we have no choice but to jump off the fiscal cliff. Although a possible shock to our economy, I believe that the very people that have been taking advantage of this government entitlement overspending should also bear the burden of paying it back. This means EVERYONE pays more tax as going off the fiscal cliff would cause. In addition, the cuts in entitlements and military spending are also needed. I know for a fact that our military does not need the amount of funding they are getting to accomplish their missions. An classic example would be the 100 generators sitting in a warehouse on a Florida military base still wrapped in plastic that were bought in order to demonstrate that one year’s budget was fully spent so that next year’s budget would not be decreased. We are leaner and meaner and will still be effective with military cuts. I can assure you that if we go bankrupt, our military will be in much more trouble. To abandon our ideals of fiscal responsibility, smaller and more efficient government, and personal responsibility because we are concerned that the voters will blame us for the consequences of going off the fiscal cliff would forever give up any semblance integrity and we will be doomed to be at the Democrats mercy for at least 4 more years. We will have blinked first, backed down, and shown the “other side” that we are willing to let them run our country into the ground. Lastly, I do not understand why no one has countered the President’s claim that those making more than $250,000 need to “pay their fair share” with the response of “we find it preposterous that with almost 50% of the population paying no tax, you feel that this group is not already paying MORE than their fair share”. Ayn Raynd’s vision of a country with no personal responsibility, government micromanagement, and lack of drive, integrity, innovation, and risk taking IS coming true. If we do not stand our ground and protect the individualism that this country was founded on, we are doomed to become a dependent, stagnant, and miserable nation. Go off the cliff Mr. Miller, history will show it saved us.
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