Legislative update from Congressman Mike Ross

Dear Friends:

Each year, the President of the United States reports to Congress and the nation the state of our union. This annual report is an opportunity for members of Congress and the President to come together and discuss our nation’s challenges and successes while building a roadmap for the future of our great country.

Last week, the President delivered his State of the Union address. I appreciate the President presenting a detailed plan on how we can strengthen the middle class and get this economy back on track – two important priorities for this Congress - and I strongly urge the President and Congress to come to the table, actually listen to one another and work in a bipartisan way. It is time to govern and get the job done for the American people.

During his address, the President outlined a plan that would help create jobs here at home by putting an end to the tax cuts given to the big corporations that ship their jobs overseas and start providing incentives to companies that bring jobs back home to America. As your Congressman, I have long fought for these commonsense solutions that support American manufacturing and help create more jobs here at home and have already voted for and helped pass in the House several bipartisan “Make it in America” bills that are now law. Among these new laws are initiatives that have sped up the patent process, invested in science and math education, encouraged small businesses to grow with tax cuts and loans and much more.

America’s strong tradition of working hard, being productive and encouraging innovation is what has helped build the world’s strongest middle class and the most prosperous country in the world. Now, at a time when millions are still out of work, it’s our responsibility to build on that tradition to create jobs, strengthen the middle class and secure our nation’s leading place in the world economy.

While supporting the President’s effort to boost American manufacturing, I was disappointed he did not address the Keystone XL pipeline, which he recently rejected. As a strong supporter of the pipeline, I urge the President to reconsider his decision because this Canada-to-Gulf pipeline will reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, lower fuel prices and create thousands of jobs here in America.

However, the President did announce that his administration would be opening more than 75 percent of America’s potential offshore oil and gas resources, something I have long supported. Exploring and harvesting our nation’s energy resources is critical to our energy independence. Americans need a stable, affordable supply of energy. The high costs of gas and other forms of energy continue to make it harder for Arkansas's working families to make ends meet and I will keep working hard in Congress to lower the price at the pump and secure our nation’s long-term energy security.

While we can all agree that strengthening the middle class and getting our economy back on track are important goals, the real challenge lies in how we achieve these goals. It will require Democrats and Republicans to work together. While many are sure that the partisan bickering in Congress will be even worse this year compared to last year, Congress and the President can and must work together in a bipartisan way to find commonsense solutions to our nation’s serious challenges.

As a fiscal conservative and leader of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, I’ll continue the fight to reduce our deficits and put people back to work. And, I’ll continue to offer commonsense leadership in our nation’s capital, fighting for you and working hard to bring both sides together.

Sincerely,

Mike Ross