Representative Mike Kelly Reacts to President’s Speech

Representative Mike Kelly Reacts to President’s Speech  

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (PA-03) issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s address tonight before a Joint Session of Congress:
 

“There are 14 million Americans out of work, which is equal to the entire population of Pennsylvania. Imagine if every person in the Commonwealth woke up tomorrow without a job. It’s a tough concept to grasp, but that’s effectively the human toll of our 9.1 percent unemployment rate.

“While I have no doubt that the president wants to create jobs, I question the approach he’s taken to actually get the job done. In 2009, the president gave a speech before Congress promising the American people that his stimulus bill would create jobs and keep unemployment below 8 percent. He failed to deliver on his promise. Unemployment has averaged 9.4 percent since the ‘stimulus’ was signed into law, and more than 1.3 million jobs have been lost. All of this after spending more than 800 billion taxpayer dollars on shovel-ready infrastructure projects and other types of programs similar to what we heard about tonight.

“I look forward to seeing the president’s plans in writing so I can learn more about the details of his proposals. While he repeatedly called on Congress tonight to pass his yet-to-be released plan “right away,” I believe American taxpayers deserve to know what the short and long-term implications are of his plan before we rush into anything.

“The House has passed multiple job creation bills that I hope the Senate and the president will consider as we continue to work together to get Americans back to work. Through comprehensive tax reform, increased domestic energy production, and regulatory reform, we can create an environment that is friendly to job creation and will restore confidence in the American economy.”

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