No matter how loud or how often Obama says: “We can’t wait for Congress to act,” it’s really an act on his part in his melodrama for reelection. He continues to demand his stale $475 billion “jobs” plan.
The fact is: Democrats are blocking real jobs-producing bills that Republicans have passed. They have urged Senate Democrats and President Obama to support the House-passed jobs bills they call the “forgotten 15,” which GOP lawmakers say would mightily boost job growth.
Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid is blocking bipartisan jobs legislation for his usual bumbledom partisan reasons.
Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-IL) in a Republican Saturday radio address said there’s been some bipartisan progress to boost hiring. He praised the bipartisan House passage of legislation to kill the requirement that governments at all levels withhold 3 percent of payments to government contractors, a bill with White House support. But he added that many jobs bills the House has passed are stuck in the Democratic-controlled Senate, which he referred to as the “forgotten 15.”
Schilling portrayed Obama and Democrats as out of touch with the needs of small business as he touted the GOP agenda and the 15 bills in particular. The bills were written after talking with manufacturers, farmers, and small businesspeople across the country. But the Senate won’t let these bills come to a vote. The president hasn’t called for action because he’s too busy painting a profoundly false picture of a stalling GOP.
House Republican leaders want Americans to know they aren’t to blame for the congressional stalemate. Speaker John A. Boehner produced a card listing the “forgotten 15” jobs bills the House has passed but are stuck in the partisan mud of the Senate. He gave the card to members, telling them to hold it up at events at home, and flash the card during interviews to remind Americans that Republicans are doing everything they can to address employment.
The forgotten 15 are as follows:
The Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act—reduces overlapping and unnecessary regulations on pesticides, thereby reducing costs to both farmers and small business owners. It was described as a government obstacle to job creation. The House passed it 292-130 on March 31, 2011.
The Energy Tax Prevention Act—prohibits the federal government from regulating greenhouse gas emissions, preventing a needless increase in energy prices for American households and businesses and fewer jobs. The House passed it 255-172 on April 7, 2011.
A Resolution of Disapproval Regarding FCC’s Regulation (H.J. Resolution 37) prevents the federal government from regulating the Internet and broadband providers. The House passed it 240-179 on April 8, 2011.
Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act—helps to reduce energy prices and promote job creation by expediting offshore oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Virginia Coast. The House passed this by 266-149 on May 5, 2011.
Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act—promotes job creation and reduces energy prices by reinstating oil drilling permits in the Gulf Coast. The House passed it 263-163 May 11, 2011.
Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act—promotes lower energy costs and job creation by allowing drilling in at least 50 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf believed to have the most oil and gas. The House passed it 243-179 May 12, 2011.
The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act—promotes job growth and reduces energy costs by expediting the process of getting an offshore drilling permit. The House passed it 255-166 June 22, 2011.
The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act—prevents the federal government from interfering with a state’s water quality program once that state has already met existing federal standards, thereby eliminating red tape and tinkering by bureaucrats. The House passed this 239 to 184 on July 13, 2011.
The Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act of 2011—improves consumer protection and provides greater economic stability by allowing the Financial Oversight Stability Council to vote to set aside any harmful federal regulation. The House passed it 241-173 July 21, 2011.
The North American-Made Energy Security Act—promotes job creation and energy security by ending the needless delay of the construction and operation of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
A huge split is dividing two segments of Obama’s base, namely the Keystone XL pipeline, a project to carry up to 900,000 barrels of oil a day from Canadian tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast. Environmentalists believe this resource could inject so much carbon into the atmosphere it would bring climatic Armageddon.
But union labor has strongly endorsed the pipeline. It would create an estimated 20,000 union jobs and untold thousands of spinoff jobs and provide the U.S. with oil from a friendly country. The House passed the bill 279-147 on July 26, 2011.
The Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act—Seeks to guarantee private companies the flexibility to develop their businesses in the states that offer the best opportunities for growth, job creation and stability. The National Labor Relations Board is trying to stop Boeing Co. from opening a plant in South Carolina because it’s a right-to-work state. The House passed the bill 238-186 on Sept. 15, 2011.
The Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts Act—creates an interagency committee to evaluate the economic impacts of EPA regulations and delay the final dates for the maximum achievable control technology (Utility MAC, namely mercury and air toxic standards for utilities) and the cross-state air pollution rule (CSAPR) until the full impact has been studied. Both regulations would cost consumers and businesses $184 billion from 2011 to 2030 and would skyrocket electrical prices. The House passed it 249-169 on June 24, 2011.
The Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act—halts EPA’s overly burdensome rules and allows for effective rules that protect communities economically and environmentally. The vote was 275-142, Oct. 6, 2011.
The EPA Regulatory Relief Act—alleviates the excessive regulatory EPA burden on employers by the boiler MACT rules. The rules could cost more than 1.6 million jobs. The House vote was 275-142 on Oct. 13, 2011.
The Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act—bipartisan legislation for safe management of coal combustion residuals to protect jobs and encourage recycling. Passed by the House 276-144 on Oct. 14, 2011.
Those are the “forgotten 15” that Obama and stand-in-the-way Senate Democrats should be red-faced for blocking.
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