Frankly Speaking - Economy
American Energy: Obama’s Actions Speak Louder Than His Words
May 17, 2012Washington, D.C. - President Barack Obama has been hitting the campaign trail hard touting his administration’s “all-of-the-above” energy policy. Unfortunately, when it comes to domestic energy, his actions speak louder than his words.
Filed under: Agriculture, Agriculture Committee, Constituent Services, Economy, EnergyTime to Act on the “Forgotten 27” Jobs Bills is Now
Feb 17, 2012When President Barack Obama took office in 2009, he promised Americans he would cut our national debt in half by the end of his first term. He also promised if we passed the stimulus our national unemployment rate would stay below 8 percent. The end of the president’s first term is quickly approaching and he has yet to fulfill the promises he made.
Filed under: Agriculture Committee, EconomyDelay in Approval of Keystone Pipeline is a Delay in Job Creation
Jan 17, 2012On December 23, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 3765, which requires the President to consider issuing a permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline within 60 days, unless he determines the project would not serve the interest of the United States. This project would create 20,000 direct jobs and spur the creation of 118,000 spin-off jobs. Additionally, the pipeline will carry 100,000 barrels per day of oil from the U.S. Bakken to Oklahoma and Gulf Coast refineries, while in-turn easing our dependence on foreign countries for U.S. oil supply.
Filed under: Agriculture, Economy, EnergyCongressman Lucas Hails Passage of H.R. 2021, Jobs and Energy Permitting Act
Jun 23, 2011Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas recently joined his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in voting for passage of H.R. 2021, a bill that ensures the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System remains operable. The bill provides a major step forward in ensuring more jobs and energy independence in America by eliminating needless permitting delays from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Filed under: EconomyJob Creation is Key to Restoring America's Economy
Jun 22, 2011It is no secret that trillions in spending and an increase in government red tape has caused many Americans to lose their jobs and resulted in a sluggish economy. More than 13.9 million Americans were unable to find work in May. Some have been seeking employment for months, but are starting to give up hope. From visiting with my constituents of Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District and listening to their concerns, I know something must be done to increase the number of jobs and get the economy back on track.
Filed under: Economy1099 Requirement Yet Another Burden on America's Small Businesses
Mar 4, 2011Buried within the more than 2,000 page health care law passed by the former Democratic majority and current administration, one of the dozens of mandates included in the legislation had nothing to do with improving the health care in this country. This mandate--a new 1099 form expansion--requires businesses to issue a 1099 form for payments of goods and services that exceed $600 per year. This requirement creates an overwhelming amount of paperwork that would hinder the overall effectiveness of every business and reduce potential growth.
Time for Real Reform
Jan 21, 2011As one of the first acts of the 112th Congress, I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues – including every member of the Oklahoma delegation – and voted to repeal the government takeover of health care. Also known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, this bill was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010 after more than 18 months of heated debate on both sides. And while I’m sure there were people in then-Speaker Pelosi’s district in San Francisco that liked this bill, I couldn’t find many in the Third District of Oklahoma.
Filed under: EconomyThe Trouble with a Bailout
Aug 13, 2010President Obama and Speaker Pelosi have tried it their way for more than a year and a half now – expanding the size and scope of the federal government, dramatically increasing federal spending and growing the national debt, and squandering more than two trillion dollars on taxpayer funded bailouts and so-called stimulus bills filled with wasteful and unnecessary pork barrel spending. Yet as their promises of creating new jobs and resuscitating our stagnate economy continue, the facts prove those promises to be empty ones. Unemployment still hovers around 10 percent across the nation as e
Filed under: EconomyLame Duck Plan Is a Lame Idea
Jul 26, 2010It’s been a rocky year and a half for the American people, who have continued to suffer from high unemployment rates and a sagging economy. And rather than addressing these tough issues facing Americans, the 111th Congress has instead focused on controversial pieces of legislation, massive in size, dramatic in impact, and unfathomable in cost. With only a few full weeks of session scheduled before the end of the year, many Americans have begun breathing a sigh of relief that many of the most controversial pieces of legislation on Speaker Pelosi and President Obama’s agenda will most likel
Filed under: EconomyDrowning in Red Ink
Jun 11, 2010This month, our country reached a staggering milestone – the national debt topped $13 trillion. To put that in perspective, if you were to spend $1 per second, it would take you about 412,000 years to rack up $13 trillion in debt. While the median income per person in 2004 was $23,535, each American taxpayer’s share of the national debt is $118,500.
Filed under: Economy