This Week in Washington – Friday, May 14, 2010
Jobs, jobs, jobs. That's what Congressional Leadership and the Administration said would be their main focus for 2010. Not surprisingly, however, their policies of higher taxes, runaway spending, record debt, and increased regulation continue to have a chilling effect on the nation's job creators.
This past Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency made another ruling on its decision last December to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2 – the gas we all breathe out when we exhale. The EPA now requires energy producers and manufacturers, under the Clean Air Act, to seek permits if their operations exceed EPA-established emission standards. In March, I helped introduce a resolution that would prevent the adoption of this very regulation.
The move this week by the EPA attempted to slightly lessen the blow to American businesses by raising – but not eliminating – the cap on CO2 emissions. This latest maneuver is essentially an acknowledgement that last year's greenhouse gas decision will result in higher energy prices, more red tape and fewer jobs created.
It seems to me Washington should be doing everything it can to help America's businesses create jobs, not making it harder and more expensive for them to operate.
This Week
On Thursday, May 13, the House considered H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. I voted – along with 170 of my fellow Republicans and 121 Democrats – to modify the bill and cut unnecessary spending from it. The legislation would have created at least six new federal programs and increased spending by $22 billion over current levels. However, it was pulled from the floor after Leadership realized there was still significant bi-partisan opposition to the bill in its current form.
This Congress has already racked up more than $800 billion in deficit spending in the first seven months of the fiscal year. We cannot continue to deficit spend indefinitely. Hopefully this is a sign the rest of my colleagues on Capitol Hill are finally starting to realize that.
Small Business Committee
On Wednesday, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing on the impact broadband services have on small businesses, the economy and job creation. As Ranking Member on the Committee, I expressed my concern with the lack of broadband infrastructure in rural America.
The Internet and related technologies are not as widespread as we would like to think. There is a severe lack of appropriate infrastructure that limits many American communities, businesses, and families from gaining full access to these services. Rural areas in many states are particularly likely to lack the infrastructure needed to allow them to benefit from this vital technology. Without access to affordable broadband services, the economies and development of these communities can suffer.
Whatever policies this government adopts with regard to technology and broadband, we must first make a commitment to ensuring that small businesses and rural communities will benefit from this infrastructure investment.
The House will be is session again next week. Have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves