Working To Get The 5th District Back To Work

 
Congressman Robert Hurt

Weekly Column 4/08/13

 

Recently, the Department of Labor announced the latest unemployment report indicating that 88,000 jobs were created last month. While it is encouraging that new jobs are being created, millions of Americans are still out of work due to policies adopted in Washington that are preventing our small businesses and family farmers from creating enough jobs to support a sustainable recovery. With more Americans dropping out of the labor force each month, it is clear we are headed in the wrong direction.

 

New statistics show that labor participation is historically low. With only 63% of Americans participating, the rate has fallen to the lowest since the 1970s. If the same amount of Americans were actively looking for work as in 2009, when President Obama took office, the unemployment rate today would indicate that 10.98% of Americans are out of work. Keeping the trend of recent months, the March unemployment report shows that nearly half a million Americans gave up looking for work this past month.

 

As the March report demonstrates, millions of Americans remain unemployed or underemployed in this economy, and I believe this is a direct result of tax and spend policies put forth in Washington that are creating uncertainty and making it harder for our small businesses to hire and expand.

 

The Senate and the President have proven that they are not serious about getting the American people back to work. They have renewed their commitment to perpetuating tax and spend policies and economic uncertainty by offering budget blueprints that raise taxes on hardworking families and never balance.

 

We in the House of Representatives are the only ones who are working to address Washington-created uncertainty and get 5^th District Virginians and all Americans back to work.  We have offered a budget that balances in ten years and gets federal spending under control, stabilizes and simplifies our tax code, strengthens and protects retirement safety programs, paves the way for affordable, American energy, and removes the federal government as a barrier to job creation.

 

I stand ready to work with our colleagues in the Senate and the White House to get 5th District Virginians back to work and to spur a robust recovery. It is my hope that the Senate and the President will come to the table and work with us.

 

If you need any additional information, please visit my website at hurt.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-4711, Charlottesville office: (434) 973-9631, Danville office: (434) 791-2596, or Farmville office: (434) 395-0120.