Paulsen Post: Job Creation, Job Creators and Job Growth

by U.S. Congressman Erik Paulsen

These first couple weeks of the New Year have provided me an opportunity to visit with neighbors, students, teachers, seniors and many small business job creators in our community. I’ve listened and gathered ideas on what you believe should be a priority in 2012. I encourage all of you to continue to join the conversation and stay in touch by visiting my website, Facebook page, and Twitter. As always, please let me know whenever I can be of assistance.

2012: No Higher Priority than Job Creation

Since the beginning of the 112th Congress, the focus has been on efforts to turn around our stagnant economy, solve our nation’s debt crisis, and get America on a path to economic prosperity once again. We’ve begun to change the culture in Washington by banning earmarks, and cutting our budgets and job-crushing federal spending. The House has passed over 30 bipartisan bills to protect job creators from tax increases and burdensome regulations.  For the first time since World War II, we cut discretionary spending for two years in a row promoting an environment where job creators can begin to expand their payrolls and get Minnesotans back to work.

I’ll continue these efforts and work to drive the conversation on comprehensive tax reform, press for accountability and transparency in Washington, and work towards a full-year extension of payroll tax relief for working families. 

Gathering Feedback from Minnesota’s Job Creators

In an effort to better understand the challenges facing our job creators and their employees first-hand, I kicked off the new year with meetings involving more than 25 small business leaders in industries ranging from detailed manufacturing to business services. These employers all expressed their concerns with Washington’s inability to provide consistent solutions, and the difficulty this creates in long-term growth planning. Many of them explained the real threat they see coming from structural deficiencies in the tax code and burdensome and redundant federal regulations.

In the coming weeks, the House will consider job-creating initiatives to reduce unnecessary and burdensome regulations, and repair and improve America's infrastructure. It’s time to end short term fixes and find long term solutions to our economic problems. Congress needs to work together bipartisanly to improve our economy, create jobs, and get out of work Americans back to work.

Listen to my conversation with WCCO Radio’s John Hines regarding jobs and 2012 here.

Keystone “Key” To Job Growth

Creating American jobs continues to be my number one focus. With our economy still struggling to recover, and many of our neighbors, friends, and family members still out of work, finding ways to grow the economy must be a priority in Washington.

One way to move forward in this area is the Keystone pipeline. Estimates show that more than 100,000 jobs could be created by the Keystone XL pipeline project, which is a proposed pipeline that would stretch from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast, bringing significant new energy supplies to refineries in the United States. The project is poised to create at least 20,000 immediate jobs in construction, operations and supporting industries.

With the administration already behind schedule in approving this job-creating project, the House held a bipartisan voted in December to require a final decision by February 21st. As bipartisan support for the project grows in Congress, I hope the President takes this opportunity to move forward with this long-sought project to create much needed American jobs.