Despite recent improvements in the national jobs numbers, unemployment remains well above average here in Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District. With more than 32,000 people out of work in our district, growing the local economy and fostering job creation continues to be the number one priority for folks in places like Columbia, Fayetteville, and Crossville. As we work to recover from the econom... Read more »
This week, Congress will consider a spending agreement that cuts $38.5 billion in federal spending while also taking significant steps to undermine ObamaCare. The agreement is not only a victory for taxpayers concerned about the nation’s unsustainable spending and debt, it is a victory for all Americans who join us in the fight to repeal the government takeover of health care. Here is how – Americ... Read more »
Challenges surrounding the administration of the Davis-Bacon Act have long plagued the Department of Labor. In August of 2009, Chairman Kline requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a new examination of the implementation of the Davis-Bacon Act. As Bloomberg highlights in the following article, the GAO report found “inadequate and sometimes inaccurate data has been used to set... Read more »
On January 26, 2011, House Speaker John Boehner introduced the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act (H.R. 471). The legislation would reauthorize a successful and popular program that provides low-income D.C. families with a scholarship to remove their children from failing public schools and enroll them in the private school of their choice. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program... Read more »
In February, the national unemployment rate dropped below 9 percent for the first time in nearly two years. While any sign of improvement in our economy is welcome news, there are still more than 13 million Americans out of work. Here in Pennsylvania, nearly 523,000 workers remain jobless. We have a long way to go if we are to overcome the devastation of the recent recession. Although our economic... Read more »
It’s been said that Washington, D.C., is 10 square miles surrounded by reality. Too often, policymakers in our nation’s capital get caught up in the rhetoric and lose sight of the fact that ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. And right now, what the people want is jobs. Americans are dealing with tough times. Unemployment remains about 9 percent and millions are ... Read more »
During a visit to Kenmore Middle School on March 14th, President Obama declared Congress should complete its efforts to overhaul 'No Child Left Behind' before the next school year begins in August. Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement: “The president's remarks affirm the importance of fixing the nation’s broken educa... Read more »
The American people expect every area of the federal government to be focused on removing barriers to job creation, helping expand opportunities to America’s workers. So many may be wondering why President Obama renominated Craig Becker to serve on the National Labor Relations Board. Readers of Secret Ballot Watch are well aware of Becker. Becker, a former labor lawyer, was first nominated to serv... Read more »
The following op-ed was published online at USA Today on January 20, 2011. Second, this effort allows us to take steps to truly deal with cost. Whatever else may be said of it, the new law has clearly failed to address the ever-rising cost of care and coverage. In many cases, the law is actually responsible, at least in part, for the increases. Many employers are facing higher costs, individuals a... Read more »
As the clock winds down on the House Democratic Majority, workers may be feeling a sense of relief that the assault on the secret ballot is finally ending. But they shouldn't get too comfortable yet – not if unelected bureaucrats in the Obama administration have anything to say about it. A recent ruling by the Obama National Labor Relations Board suggests the threat to the secret ballot will survi... Read more »
