Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara)
WASHINGTON – Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) released the following statement in response to President Obama’s address to Congress and outline of the American Jobs Act.
“Tonight, President Obama laid out several straightforward, bipartisan proposals to create jobs and encourage economic growth on the Central Coast and across the United States. Keeping money in the pockets of the middle class and preserving assistance for our friends and neighbors looking for work will pump much needed demand into the economy.
“Rebuilding our roads, bridges and schools will get construction workers back on the job while making critically necessary improvements in our nation’s outdated infrastructure. And giving aid to states like California that have struggled mightily to balance their budgets in the face of a sluggish economy will provide them with the resources they need to keep teachers in the classroom and first responders on the streets. Our local elected officials on the Central Coast continue to tell me about their struggles to maintain local jobs and preserve critical services in education, public safety, and health care, and I know how important this funding would be for them.
“The Republican leadership in the House should bring the American Jobs Act to a vote as soon as possible. The time for political games is over. The time to act is now.
“Last December, the majority of Republicans in the House voted for the two percent payroll tax cut and to extend unemployment insurance benefits because it was the right thing to do for our economy. It’s still the right thing to do. Americans in every congressional district in the country are struggling regardless of whether they are represented by a Republican or a Democrat, and there is no reason that we shouldn’t be able to come together and get these commonsense measures enacted immediately.”