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Address: Working When Congress Won’t Act
May 17, 2014
Hi, everybody.
At a time when our businesses
have created 9.2 million new jobs in just over four years, and more companies
are considering bringing jobs back from overseas, we have a choice to
make. We can make it easier for
businesses to invest in America – or we can make it harder.
I want to work with Congress to
create jobs and opportunity for more Americans.
But where Congress won’t act, I will.
And I want to talk about three things we’re doing right now.
First, we’re helping more
businesses bring jobs to America from overseas.
Three years ago, my Administration created SelectUSA – a team of people
in embassies abroad and agencies here at home focused on insourcing instead of
outsourcing. Today, they’re helping a
Belgian company create jobs in Oklahoma. They’re helping a Canadian company
create jobs in Kansas. In my State of the Union Address, I asked more
businesses to do their part. And this
week, business leaders from across the country are coming here to the White
House to discuss new investments that will create even more jobs.
Second, on Thursday, I’ll be
heading to Cooperstown, New York – home of the Baseball Hall of Fame – to talk
about tourism. Because believe it or
not, tourism is an export. And if we
make it easier for more foreign visitors to visit and spend money at America’s
attractions and unparalleled national parks, that helps local businesses and
grows the economy for everyone.
Finally, we know that investing
in first-class infrastructure attracts first-class jobs. And I want to spend a minute on this, because
it’s very important this year.
We know business owners don’t
seek out crumbling roads and bridges and backed-up supply chains. They set up shop where the newest, fastest
transportation and communications networks let them invent and sell goods Made
in America to the rest of the world as fast as possible.
Here’s the problem: If Congress
doesn’t act by the end of this summer, federal funding for transportation
projects will run out. States might have
to put some of their projects on hold.
In fact, some already are, because they’re worried Congress won’t clear
up its own gridlock. And if Congress
fails to act, nearly 700,000 jobs would be at risk over the next year.
That’s why I put forward a plan
to rebuild our transportation infrastructure in a more responsible way. It would support millions of jobs across the
country. And we’d pay for it without
adding to the deficit by closing wasteful tax loopholes for companies that ship
jobs overseas.
Now, the Republicans in Congress
seem to have very different priorities.
Not only have they neglected to prevent this funding from running out,
their proposal would actually cut by 80% a job-creating grant program that has
funded high-priority transportation projects in all 50 states. And they can’t
say it’s to save money, because at the very same time, they voted for trillions
of dollars in new tax cuts, weighted towards those at the very top.
Think about that. Instead of putting people to work on projects
that would grow the economy for everyone, they voted to give a huge tax cut to
households making more than $1 million a year.
So while Congress decides what
it’s going to do, I’ll keep doing what I can on my own.
On Wednesday, I was in New York
where workers are building the area’s first large new bridge in 50 years. And they’re doing it ahead of schedule. Three years ago, I took action without
Congress to fast-track the permitting process for major projects. Normally, it would have taken three to five
years to permit that bridge. We did it
in a year and a half. And I announced a
new plan to cut red tape and speed up the process for even more projects across
the country.
All these steps will make it
easier for businesses to invest in America and create more good jobs. All of them can be done without
Congress. But we could do a lot more if
Congress was willing to help. In the
meantime, I’ll do whatever I can – not just to make America a better place to
do business, but to make sure hard work pays off, and opportunity is open to
all.
Thanks, and have a great weekend. |
