Op-Eds

As my first term in Congress comes to a close, I have become all too familiar with the gridlock, political games and “gotcha” politics that have become commonplace on Capitol Hill. Fortunately, the American people are now more aware of the broken, “business as usual” system and have demanded a change in Washington.

For the past two years, the agenda in Congress has been dominated by legislation that has created more uncertainty for job creators and further weakened our economy. As someone with experience in my family’s manufacturing business, I understand the impact that employers feel when Congress threatens to raise energy costs, create new health care burdens or increase government regulations.

I am hopeful that in this lame duck session members will listen to the American people and put an end to the era of uncertainty that has plagued Congress for the past two years. As I speak to my constituents, their desire is clear: Congress must cut spending and ensure that taxes do not increase for families and small businesses. Now is the time for Democratic leadership to show they have heard the American people’s message and are willing to work with Republicans to address the needs of our constituents.

Our first priority must be to cut spending. The debate over the unsustainability of our nation’s debt is over, and this Congress needs to take immediate action to put America back on a path to fiscal responsibility. We need to return to pre-bailout, pre-stimulus spending levels which, as Speaker-designate Boehner has stated, will save $100 billion in the first year alone. We should begin to lay the foundation so that next year we can make meaningful progress toward cutting spending and balancing the budget.

We also need to ensure there are no tax increases on families and small businesses during this challenging economic time. Protecting Americans from the largest tax increase in history is one of the most important things we can do right now to help stabilize the economy.

These items are common-sense policies that Democrats and Republicans can work together on to have an immediate, positive effect. Not addressing these top priorities during the lame duck session would be irresponsible and most likely lead to greater economic hardship.

Our constituents expect all of us to make use this limited time in Washington to work together and put in place policies that end uncertainty for small businesses and create opportunities for hard working Americans. While the 111th Congress has been marred by divisiveness, the lame duck session provides us with a great opportunity to work together and begin to enact the policies that the America people have loudly championed.