Lionville, Nov 12th - Key Notes from Congress Jim Gerlach

REP. GERLACH: THE HOUSE IS NOT THE PROBLEM

At his bi-annual breakfast conference in Lionville with GOP committeepersons from this area on Nov. 12^th, Rep. Jim Gerlach concentrated his remarks on the importance to the economy of job creation and assisting business.  

“We in the US House of Representatives have passed several measures that we feel will go a long way toward creating more jobs and to assist businesses here in the US.  None of them has been acted upon by the US Senate,” Gerlach lamented. “Talk about being irresponsible! The Senate is the reason we have not had a federal budget for the last three years and why Congress has to pass Continuing Resolutions to fund the budget.”  

Gerlach went on to list some of the energy/economic/job creating initiatives passed by the House that had been stonewalled by the Senate:

Jobs/Economy

• Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act
• EPA Regulatory Relief Act
• Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act
• Energy Tax Prevention Act
• Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act

Energy

• Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act
• Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back To Work Act
• Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act
• The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011
• North American-Made Energy Security Act

Turning toward the Executive Branch, Gerlach stated: “There is no more important item to help our economy than the defeat of President Obama in 2012. Business leaders have told me that our economy will literally take off once he and his policies are out of the way.”  

When asked about Republican presidential candidates, Rep. Gerlach stated he is going to support whoever has the best chance of defeating Obama in 2012, and that right now that appears to be Gov. Romney.

Deficit Committee

Gerlach also spent several minutes discussing the Budget Super Committee that is dealing with the budget deficit.  He said that no one hears much from either the Republican or Democrat factions on the Committee, and that is a good thing.  If the two sides were pointing fingers at each other in public that would mean nothing was being accomplished.  The general consensus seems to be that the Committee will reach some sort of accord before the November 23^rd deadline.

Balanced Budget

Gerlach concluded by discussing the atmosphere in Congress toward a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution.  He said he’s been told by those who are authoring the amendment that they are very close to having enough votes in Congress to pass it this year.

~As reported by UU3 Precinct Committee Man Ben LeGarde