Dear Friends,
As I’ve been traveling through the First District in recent days, I’ve heard quite a bit of frustration from folks about the lack of action coming out of Washington, and the effect of that uncertainty on our local communities and small businesses.
As I have said consistently, I am adamant that Congress be in session and that it act to accomplish the work the people of this country want their elected officials to get done. Too much remains unfinished. We must return to a regular budget order, with regular, responsible adoption of budget resolutions and appropriations bills. We must come together to pass a final version of a Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act so that our men and women in uniform can have some certainty about their missions and resources. We also must replace our tax code with a modernized one that encourages savings, investment, and economic growth.
There are additionally a number of jobs bills that have passed the House of Representatives but are lying untouched in the Senate. Just a few weeks ago, I supported H.R. 4, the Jobs for America Act, a package of bills to facilitate economic growth and job creation. This legislation would repeal the 30-hours-per-week definition of a full-time employee enacted in the Affordable Care Act, which is having a significant negative impact on our small businesses. H.R. 4 also included provisions to improve the environment for businesses to gain access to capital, as well as to promote economic growth through regulatory reform. These are commonsense reforms which can truly help our small businesses operate and grow. These businesses are the bedrock of our economy – and of our communities – and we must be doing all we can to help them so that they can in turn help get America back to work.
Another piece of legislation that I voted for last week would also contribute to job creation. H.R. 2, the American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act, included a number of provisions that would create jobs, increase domestic energy production, and improve American energy independence. Too often, our domestic energy industry finds itself encumbered by strict, unnecessary regulations that slow down the process for exploring and developing energy both onshore and offshore. I strongly believe that we can increase American energy production in a safe, environmentally responsible way, and H.R. 2 would achieve that and help get a number of Americans back to work along the way.
I hope to see many of you as I visit communities and businesses in the First District. Please rest assured that I take your thoughts and ideas very seriously, and that I am fully committed to working together with you and my colleagues in Washington to pursue solutions to the challenges facing our nation. I truly appreciate the comments and feedback I’ve heard from many of you, whether in person, over the telephone, or online. Please keep your thoughts and ideas coming.
The main streets of Virginia’s First District are full of ideas to get our economy back on track, and your feedback is critically important to me as I serve you. I can be reached by telephone at (202) 225-4261, through my website (www.wittman.house.gov), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/reprobwittman), and via Twitter (www.twitter.com/robwittman
