A Path to Job Creation

The recent months filled with political posturing and partisan extremism have drowned out the one thing the people of the Central Coast tell me they need and want most: good jobs.  I believe that’s the right priority and that’s why creating jobs and growing our economy remain my main concerns.

Spurring job creation is crucial for our families – too many of whom are living paycheck to paycheck, or without a job at all – and it’s essential to getting our deficit under control.  So while Washington has been fixated on default and deficits, American families have understandably watched in disbelief, wondering when we are going to get serious about creating jobs and getting the economy back on track.

Unfortunately, the new House leadership has not brought a single jobs bill to a vote since they took control back in January. Instead, they’ve focused on bills to end Medicare and slash investments in education, innovation and infrastructure.  These bills, passed in party line votes, would destroy nearly two million jobs, create economic uncertainty, and weaken the middle class.   To make matters worse, the new majority threatened to default on our national debt and rejected balanced plans to address default and debt that poll after poll tells us the American people want.  

I believe there is a better way forward, which is why I support a more responsible and effective plan to create jobs and grow our economy – the Make It in America agenda. Whether it’s in clean energy, health care or telecommunications, we must regain our standing as the global leader in manufacturing and exporting technologies to accelerate our recovery out of this recession.

By building a domestic clean energy manufacturing industry, for example, we can meet a host of challenges facing our country.  We can lower energy bills for families and businesses, and reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.  We can create high-skill, high wage jobs for the future and boost the competitiveness of American-made technologies.  And we can help support those companies with the highest potential for job growth in America: our small and medium-sized businesses.  That’s why I’m working with companies like Transphorm, Inc. in Goleta and others on the Central Coast to help them better compete in the global economy by making world class clean energy goods and exporting them overseas.

We can also create jobs and grow our economy by rebuilding America.  That means improving our roads and bridges, but also updating our water infrastructure.  Already in disrepair, in the decades ahead the nation’s drinking water and sewer systems are expected to face a series of water quality and quantity challenges brought on by severe drought, melting snowpack, more frequent heavy precipitation events, and rising sea levels.  That’s why I recently introduced the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act to help local communities upgrade their infrastructure and prepare for these events, while simultaneously creating thousands of jobs across the country.

And we must ensure that our nation’s brave veterans always have access to good jobs.  For example, I’ve introduced legislation to help experienced military medics quickly transition to civilian emergency medicine.  Our military men and women receive some of the best technical training in emergency medicine, and they prove their skills on the battlefield and on military installations every day.  When they return home, however, they are often required to start from scratch at the most basic training level to receive certification for civilian EMT jobs.  My bill will fast-track opportunities for these qualified veterans so they can take the skills they used on the battlefield and apply them in ambulances here in the U.S.  It’s a win-win: better job opportunities for our vets and better health care in our communities. 

With the economy still fragile and millions of American still looking for work, it’s the responsibility of Republicans and Democrats to come together to create jobs, provide opportunities for middle class families and their children, and secure our nation’s leading role in the world economy.  The people of the Central Coast, who work hard and play by the rules, deserve nothing less.  My top priority is creating good-paying American jobs, whether it’s manufacturing clean energy technologies, rebuilding outdated water systems or helping our returning veterans become EMT’s.

It’s time to set aside ideology and partisanship and work together to grow our economy and restore the American dream.