| Weekly Update from Sam |
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Friends:
Yesterday marked the second anniversary of the President’s failed stimulus spending bill.
As you may recall, the President and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised that this irresponsible injection of taxpayer dollars would “save or create” up to four million jobs. Instead of gaining jobs, our country has actually shed 1.8 million private sector jobs and struggled with unemployment rates at or above 9 percent since the stimulus was enacted.
If we’ve learned anything over the last two years, it is that the government cannot create jobs. However, it can promote policies that set the table for private sector growth. That’s why the House Small Business Committee met with entrepreneurs from Florida, Washington, Tennessee and Illinois earlier this week to discuss the greatest hurdles to doing business in America.
Reenergizing our economy and rekindling our nation’s spirit of entrepreneurship must be the central focus of the 112th Congress. As Chairman of this Committee, I will continue to encourage an ongoing dialogue with small business owners about what must be done in Washington, D.C. to support businesses on Main Street.
Sam Graves
Chairman
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| Stimulus Stats |
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- Unemployment Rate when the Stimulus was Passed: 8.2%
- Administration Prediction for January 2011 Unemployment Rate: 6.9%
- Actual January 2011 Unemployment Rate: 9.0%
- Debt on February 17, 2009: $10,789,783,760,341.41
- Debt on February 17, 2011: $14,129,889,690,377.50 (and counting)
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| Latest Committee Action |
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On Wednesday, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing entitled Putting Americans Back to Work: The State of the Small Business Economy.
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), and Rep. Allen West (R-FL) each invited a small business owner from their respective districts to serve as hearing witnesses. During their testimonies, the entrepreneurs offered a general overview of their business outlook and discussed the various tax, regulatory and federal policy issues that have slowed their ability to expand operations and hire new employees. To read witness testimony and view related hearing documents, visit smallbusiness.house.gov/hearings.
Next week, the House will not be in session due to Constituent Work week. The next edition of Straight Talk will be released on March 4, 2011. Remember, you can stay up-to-date on the latest small business news by visiting our website and following us on Twitter @SmallBizGOP.
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| February 18, 2011 |
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