The House-Passed Jobs Agenda

Floor Speech

Mr. WOODALL. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time this morning. I came down to talk about jobs too, and I brought with me a card that folks may have seen--I know you've seen it, Mr. Speaker--that goes through the House-passed jobs agenda. I try to keep it here in my pocket so I'll be accurate when we talk about all of the good work that is happening in the people's House to promote jobs and promote the economy.

Because the truth is, Mr. Speaker, as you know, we only have two pockets we can dig into. We can dig into the pocket where we talk about government regulations that we are repealing to help job creators, we can dig into the pocket where we talk about government mandates that we're repealing to take the foot of government off the throat of small businesses, or we can dig into the other pocket. And the other pocket is where America's checkbook is. Because it's not my checkbook, as your Congressman. As you know, Mr. Speaker, when I dig into the pocket for the checkbook, I'm digging into your pocket. Every penny that we spend comes out of your pocket.

So we have two choices as we talk about jobs and the economy. Are we going to dig into the pocket of the American taxpayers' checkbook? Or are we going to get the regulatory burden off of America's small businesses? For me, the choice is easy. But the choice hasn't always been easy in this House. Time and time again, this House goes to the American people's checkbook to find solutions for America's problems. And I will tell you that there's no problem in America that taking money out of somebody else's pocket is going to fix.

The challenges in America are going to come when we get government out of the way. I represent, Mr. Speaker, as you know, a wonderful district in Georgia. I go back home and I talk about what's going on in the United States House. I ask folks what they want to happen on the United States House of Representatives floor, and they say, Rob, stop helping. Stop. Just get out of the way. Stop helping. You don't have the answers, just get out of the way.

If folks go, as you have gone, Mr. Speaker, to jobs.gop.gov, they see this House's effort to get government out of the way. And we've been successful. We were successful in passing the repeal of the President's health care bill's 1099 provision that burdens small businesses, and the President signed that bill. We've been successful in passing three free trade agreements, and the President has signed. As we know, we have manufacturing surpluses with every nation with which we have a free trade agreement.

But the work still has to be done, Mr. Speaker. There are jobs bills languishing in the Senate. We call them the ``forgotten 15''--15 bills that the Senate could pass tomorrow to get government out of the way and get Americans back to work.

Two pockets we have, Mr. Speaker, the American taxpayers' pocket and the pocket that contains the job-killing regulations that we can repeal today. Let's choose correctly, Mr. Speaker--let's get jobs.gop.gov, let's get this agenda done.

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