Rep.
Peter Roskam on Addressing Excessive
Regulations to Promote Job Creation
Washington (Sep 16) Delivering the Weekly Republican Address, Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) talks about how excessive federal regulations are hurting job creation in America, and discusses the House’s efforts to address the problem. “In the House, Majority Leader Eric Cantor has scheduled several bills for a vote this fall aimed at cutting red tape and addressing the excessive, Washington-imposed regulations that hamper job creation,” Roskam says. One such bill passed the House on Thursday. Last week, Roskam recruited job creators hurt by Washington overregulation to attend the president’s address to Congress as guests of Speaker Boehner. Rep. Roskam is in his third term as Congressman for the Sixth District of Illinois and is the Chief Deputy Whip.
“Hello, I’m Peter
Roskam. I serve as the House Republicans’ Chief Deputy Whip, and I have
the honor of representing the people of Illinois’ Sixth Congressional District.
“Like you, I’m
frustrated with America’s jobs crisis: more than 650,000 people are out of work
in Illinois, President Obama’s home state.
“Small business owners
are fighting every day to create and innovate, but continue to face government
barriers to job creation. Among them: our unsustainable debt, the constant
threat of higher taxes, and excessive regulations.
“Today I’d like to
talk to you about excessive federal regulations, how they hurt jobs and
household budgets, and what we can do about it.
“Let me start with
this: appropriate and responsible regulations help protect our health and
safety. But things have changed quickly – and for the worse.
Washington has become a red tape factory, with more than 4,000 rules in the
pipeline – hundreds of which would cost our economy more than $100 million each
annually. The disappointing reality is that what may be a faceless regulation to
most can have a profound impact on local economies and families like yours.
“Just one rule has
Chicago White Metal Casting, a manufacturer in my district employing 240,
fighting to survive in an already tough economy. Already facing a stream
of regulations, they’ll soon face new regulations from unelected bureaucrats
implementing a back-door national energy tax – after it failed in Congress.
Chicago White Metal Casting already has one employee who spends half his time
dealing with existing federal audits, certification requirements, and complex
paperwork.
“By now, you’ve
probably heard about the case of Boeing, one of the world’s leading
manufacturers. This Chicago-based company invested more than $1 billion in
a new plant in South Carolina that would generate thousands of good-paying jobs
… only to be sued by the government and told that the plant can’t open.
Who in the government sued them? No one that’s elected, I’ll tell you
that. No, Boeing is being sued by the National Labor Relations Board,
which is charged with looking out for labor unions.
“I’d also like to
share with you the story of Gibson Guitars, a company that makes world-class
guitars. Well a few weeks ago, Gibson was raided by 26 armed federal
agents. No charges have been filed and regulators have not explained to the
company what they may have done wrong or how to rectify the situation. Well I’d
like to know how job creators can be expected to prosper with the threat of a
federal raid hanging over them?
“Stories like these
are cropping up coast-to-coast. One Illinois farmer stood up at a town
hall meeting last month and pleaded with the president. He said, ‘please
don’t challenge us with more rules and regulations from Washington.’
“I couldn’t have said
it better myself.
“That farmer was one
of several job creators who attended [the] president’s speech to the Congress as
guests of House Speaker John Boehner.
“Republicans are
listening to America’s job creators and working to address their concerns with
real solutions. In the House, Majority Leader Eric Cantor has scheduled
several bills for a vote this fall aimed at cutting red tape and addressing the
excessive, Washington-imposed regulations that hamper job creation.
“This week, the House
passed a bill to eliminate the barriers Boeing faces. It stops the
government from telling an employer where it can – and cannot – create jobs.
“We can take
common-sense steps like these and still have rules that look out for our health
and safety. What’s important is that these rules are effective and
dependable. Job creators should be able to focus on their work – not on
Washington’s busy-work.
“In his speech last
week, the president talked about the urgency of this moment. He said we
can act ‘right now.’ I agree.
“He can help us fix
this hostile regulatory environment immediately. He already canceled some
counterproductive rules that hurt our economy, and he can cancel more.
“He can call on the
Democrat-led Senate to pass the dozen or so jobs bills we’ve passed in the House
and ones that are on their way. That includes the Boeing bill that I just
mentioned. There’s also the REINS Act, common-sense legislation that gives
Congress a say before Washington imposes new rules and regulations. So
instead of being circumvented, the people’s representatives should be able to
hold accountable unelected bureaucrats who encroach on our freedoms and make it
harder to create jobs.
I hope the president
will consider our ideas as we take a look at his. Let’s listen to the
people and find common ground to remove barriers to job creation. Let’s
help small businesses return to creating jobs so that they can pick up where
they left off instead of being left behind.
“You can learn more
about our jobs plan by visiting Jobs.GOP.gov. Thank you for listening.”