This Week in Washington – Thursday, December 09, 2010
This week I was selected by my colleagues to lead the Small Business Committee, one of 21 committees in the House of Representatives. This role will put me squarely in the fight to get our economy moving again.
As Chairman of this Committee, one of my primary goals will be to aggressively weed out waste, fraud and abuse within programs intended to encourage small business development. We will also be closely investigating federal policies that have the potential to adversely impact entrepreneurs and stifle job creation. Additionally, we will work with other Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to find better ways to address key issues like health care, taxes and energy without harming employers or creating more unsustainable debt.
We need to get government off their backs and let them do what they do best - create jobs. Government does not create jobs, but with the right policies it can help set the table for economic growth. I remain optimistic that our entrepreneurs and innovators will lead our economy back to life if Washington will simply stop making it more difficult to meet the bottom line.
This Week
On Wednesday, the House approved H.R. 3083, a bill making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011, by a vote of 211—208. The Continuing Resolution (CR) would provide over $1 trillion in discretionary funding through FY 2011. That funding level is equal to the stimulus-inflated FY 2010 spending levels. The CR also included the text of S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, a $1.4 billion bill that would expand current registration and inspection authority for the Food and Drug Administration. The last thing our farmers and small business owners need is even more deficit spending and over-regulation. Therefore, I was unable to support this bill.
On Wednesday, the House approved the DREAM Act. The bill would offer amnesty to undocumented immigrants who entered the country before the age of 15. The bill would grant permanent residency (and then citizenship) to the undocumented immigrant if the person completes two years of college or service in the military. This bill subsidizes education for illegal immigrants and may grant as many as two million people amnesty, not legislation that rewards those who come here illegally. This bill is unacceptable, and I did not support it.
On Thursday, the House approved H.R. 4994 ("Doc Fix"), by a vote of 409—2. The bill would prevent a reduction in payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients. Without this legislation, doctors would have seen a 25 percent reduction in reimbursement rates beginning on January 1, 2011. The legislation would maintain current doctor payments rates until December 31, 2011. This bill is crucial for ensuring the doctors who care for our seniors are properly compensated for the services they provide.
The House will be in session next week. Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
