Americans Need Opportunity, Not Entitlements

Press Release

America's small businesses have been forced to compete with the federal government for months now: first through temporary lockdowns, and now through not-so temporary social programs driving people away from going to work.

Our country depends on small and local business owners and the jobs they provide for our communities, but the current administration and Democrat leadership in Congress are prioritizing entitlements over earned pay stubs, making it more difficult for small businesses, like Beaver Steel Services of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, to thrive.

After Leader McCarthy and Reps. Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14) and John Joyce (PA-13) visited the company's facilities, we spoke further with Tony Treser, president of Beaver Steel Services, a steel service center and HVAC distributor, about the struggles of running a small business in America today.

The company was founded in 1989 by HA Treser Jr. and his two sons Tony and Steve.

Currently Beaver Steel employs around 60 people and is battling difficult business conditions. Soaring inflation, a national labor shortage, and an overbearing government are making it difficult for the company to expand and operate at its fullest potential.

"We have interviewed many, many people but they don't show up for the interview, or they come and work for just one day or a short period and then they know how to game the system. The rules we have in place allow people to do that," Tony told us, adding that while he has raised wages and would continue to do so if the market demanded, "there are a large number of people who as long as they're getting by with government subsidies and payoffs not to work, they're not going to go back regardless of the opportunities."

Aside from the labor shortage, inflation and lingering supply chain issues have hit Tony's business, too. "The steel industry has seen huge shortages and lack of product, so steel prices are 3-4 times higher than they were last year, and those costs have been passed downstream to our customers. On top of that, the significant increase in labor costs for our fabricated products has also been passed on, so it's really just multiplying the effects of inflation."

It seems the Democrats' idea of a healthy economy is to hamstring citizens who are producing for our country and working to support their families, while making it more beneficial to stay at home than work. But this doesn't just hurt our economy, it takes a toll on the very fabric of our society. There is no government replacement for the pride and satisfaction that comes from fulfilling a need, earning an income, and providing for oneself and family.

"Everyone needs a purpose in life," Tony echoed. "I think the United States is a country of opportunity. It's a country of freedom, and when you hand entitlements to people, it takes away their ability to take advantage of those opportunities."

"This is the greatest country in the world, and for it to continue to be the greatest country in the world, we need to let people choose their own path rather than give them entitlements that put them down," Tony said. House Republicans agree, and remain committed to listening to and highlighting the stories of Americans all across the country, especially those supporting and defending our small businesses and their workers.

Source