Many times in recent months I have stated that our top priorities as a nation must be job creation, job retention, and the protection of retirement savings and pensions.  I am concerned that the existing “Stimulus” bill isn’t working as intended. Unemployment remains high with the national unemployment level at a 26-year high of 10.2 percent. The Obama administration is now planning to hold a “job summit” in December that will aim at syncing job growth with the massive government deficit spending. 

According to the White House website on the “Stimulus” bill, Arkansas’ Third Congressional District has received more than $221,000,000 in contracts, grants, and loans.  So far, recipients of this funding have reported 298 jobs. In other words, according to the Administration’s own data, $743,000 has been spent for each job created locally.  To put it another way, the “Stimulus” bill has spent the equivalent of $760 per household in the Third District, and only 298 new jobs have been reported.

Let me be clear, each job created is good news for the individual or family that benefits, but the “Stimulus” bill is not performing its intended function. I had reservations when this bill was being pushed through Congress and I am happy to say that I opposed creating an additional $787 billion in deficit spending when I voted against it. While worthy projects have received funding, the “Stimulus” bill is harming our country overall by increasing our deficit and weakening the dollar.

I feel our country should improve our policies to help get the economy back on track by encouraging private-sector job opportunities. My first priority would be tax incentives for job creation, and I would support commonsense policies that encourage investment and entrepreneurship. Tax breaks targeted to encourage entrepreneurship and competition while promoting job growth would strengthen our economy, boost GDP, and grow the retirement savings on which so many people depend.

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20 years ago, the world’s democracies celebrated as the Berlin Wall was torn down and the people of Eastern Europe began to claim a new freedom. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) played a major role in helping to bring down the Wall.  Now the NATO alliance is united to protect Afghans and the U.S. interests in Afghanistan.

This weekend, I will participate in a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. 340 parliamentarians from 28 NATO member countries will come together to discuss challenges such as Afghanistan, military defenses, and the economy. I will voice my support for the NATO mission in Afghanistan. I will also support shifting NATO’s focus away from Cold War-era issues and toward current challenges like terrorism and violent extremism. 

I believe continued support and cooperation within the NATO alliance is crucial for success in Afghanistan, and success in Afghanistan is crucial for the long-term interests and security of our country. In Afghanistan, we are trying to prevent Al Qaeda or similar terrorist groups from using the region as a safe haven. A failure in Afghanistan would be especially dangerous, because it could destabilize nuclear-armed Pakistan and increase the risk that Pakistani nuclear weapons or materials could fall into the hands of terrorists.

On March 27, 2009, President Obama announced a counterinsurgency strategy for Afghanistan, including an increase of about 20,000 troops. The President named a former Green Beret, General Stanley McChrystal, as our top commander in Afghanistan. General McChrystal is one of our nation’s top experts on counterinsurgency operations, with years of experience leading the Joint Special Operations Command. Last month, NATO defense ministers voiced united support for McChrystal’s proposed strategy. By endorsing McChrystal’s recommendations and deploying the forces necessary to carry out the counterinsurgency strategy, President Obama would have a steadfast policy to match his campaign rhetoric and would demonstrate that the United States is thankful for the support of our NATO partners.

Afghanistan is a challenge, one that the NATO alliance can and must work together on. All NATO members should do their part by sharing the burden of troop deployments, combat operations, and aid. Our goal should be limited to stabilizing Afghanistan, preventing its wide scale use by terrorists, and reducing the risk that Pakistani nuclear weapons and materials will become available to violent extremists.

NATO PA provides a link between parliamentarians from NATO countries, especially when we face shared challenges, much like we’re experiencing in Afghanistan. When I go to Edinburgh this week, one of my main goals will be to promote consensus on the importance of our shared mission in Afghanistan. Despite the challenges our county faces at home, we must not forget our troops who are fighting on the frontlines in Afghanistan. We have an obligation to do the right thing for our country and that means giving our servicemembers the resources and support the commander on the ground says is needed to make this a successful mission.

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Americans are voicing their opinions, thoughts and concerns to their congressional representatives on H.R. 3962, Affordable Health Care for America Act.

I have received several emails today from Third District residents telling me they have had a tough time getting through to me on the phone. The House switchboard is being flooded with calls from all over the country. If you can’t reach my office by calling, you can always contact me by email on my website.

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 The crowd on the west front lawn of the Capitol for the House Call to Congress and line to get into the Cannon House Office Building to talk with representatives.

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Congressman Boozman is participating in a Doctors Caucus Hearing to examine what physicians and economic experts think about the impact of health care legislation proposed by Congressional Leadership. This is streaming live on the internt at:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/health-caucus

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Eight months ago the President signed a $787 billion “stimulus” bill that was rushed through Congress. At the time President Obama Speaker Pelosi and claimed the bill would “save or create” 4 million U.S. jobs. Since then, nearly 3 million jobs have been lost and the unemployment rate has soared from 8.1 percent to a 26-year high of 9.8 percent.  

As the unemployment rate reaches 10 percent for the first time since 1983, the Administration continues to send mixed messages about the economic situation. On one hand, the White House has touted the success of the “stimulus,” saying that it already “added between 600,000 and 1.1 million to employment,” even as unemployment grew.[1]  On the other hand, the President admitted that the “stimulus” has done little for jobs and growth, and argued that more government action needs to be taken, saying, “there is more we need to do. And that’s why today, we’re announcing new steps to support more lending to America’s small businesses—steps that will lead to more jobs, more growth, and a stronger economic recovery.” [2]

The regrettable truth is that the State unemployment numbers for September continue to reveal: since the “stimulus” passed 46 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have seen increased unemployment as the spending our way to prosperity policy fails.

 [1] Executive Office of the President Council of Economic Advisers, The Economic Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 First Quarterly Report.  September 10, 2009. [2] The White House, President Obama Announces New Small Business Lending Initiatives.  October 21, 2009.

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I have been supportive of the correct portrayal of America’s religious history in the newly-constructed Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). I am pleased to say that our efforts are succeeding. ‘In God We Trust,’ is finally engraved in a permanent and prominent location.

In July 2008 I signed onto a letter with more than 100 of my colleagues to the Architect of the Captiol (AOC) expressing concern for the incomplete historical content of the CVC. As a member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, I worked to encourage support for H.Con.Res.131. This passed the House and Senate in July 2009, directing the AOC to engrave the national motto and Pledge of Allegiance in the Capitol Visitor Center. The Pledge of Allegiance is scheduled to completed in the coming weeks.

Thousands of visitors will walk through the CVC each day and will now have a more accurate depiction of our nation’s heritage.  I am very thankful for Congressman Randy Forbes (VA-04) whose leadership and vision helped pave the way for these successes.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced funds made available to the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority (OMRPWA). This project is designed to provide a source of safe and reliable drinking water for tens of thousands of people, many of them in Newton and Searcy Counties. As participating communities grow over the decades, up to 50,000 friends and neighbors throughout our region could be served. OMRPWA will prevent severe water shortages and eliminate the extreme measures currently required to provide water to families and businesses during dry conditions. The project will eliminate major public health risks identified by the Health Department (ADH). It will provide an opportunity for economic development in low-income areas. The OMRPWA project truly demonstrates the importance of collaborative efforts by meeting many local needs at once. 

I am happy to see federal funds go to projects as deserving as OMRPWA, however this funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was provided through the “Stimulus Bill” that was signed into law in February. As of this week, only 0.2 % of the “Stimulus” bill has been spent on USDA Rural Development water and environmental projects, like OMRPWA. USDA is doing an excellent job allocating the funding that was set-aside in the bill for these projects, but it remains a miniscule part of the overall spending through the “Stimulus” something I predicted would be a problem and that is why I voted against it.

 I would have supported more funding in this bill for rural development and infrastructure projects, but I opposed the overall legislation because I believe that it spends too much money on the wrong priorities. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill creates over $787 billion in new deficit spending. Only a tiny fraction of “Stimulus” spending will go toward projects like the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority. 

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We are working to address concerns about the delays our veterans are experiencing in receiving the money they’ve earned to continue their education and job training. Today I met with House Veterans Affairs Committee Members and VA Secretary Shinseki to discuss possible ways to improve the delivery system of the GI benefit.

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