Friday, October 7, 2011

Weekly Update from Rep. Denham

Dear Friend,

The national unemployment rate remained at 9.1% this month, underscoring the uncertainty job creators feel from expensive regulations, constant threats of tax increases and deficit spending.

I believe real savings exist that can reduce our deficit and make American businesses competitive again. We must use the resources that we have more efficiently.  Currently, there are significant savings to be found in our federal real estate; savings that even the President has agreed should be used to reduce our deficit. By streamlining our federal leasing process, reducing our federal footprint, and doing more with less we can save billions of dollars. I have introduced the Civilian Property Realignment Act (CPRA) to accomplish these goals, save taxpayer dollars, and literally shrink the size of government.

While working to identify real savings, we also need to hold government accountable for the way it spends taxpayer money. The federal government continues to want to throw money at the California high-speed rail project without concrete business plan to explain how your money is being spent. As you know, I have always been in support of the concept of high-speed rail; but, there must be a disciplined plan that ensures accountability for taxpayer dollars and instills confidence in private investors, otherwise the project should be halted. We cannot continue to throw taxpayer money at an unproven idea. The money should be put towards shovel ready projects that will get people back to work today, not 12 months from now. Today, I co-sponsored legislation introduced by Rep. Kevin McCarthy that will freeze funding to the high-speed rail in California until there is a financially sound business plan in place.

While immediate concerns about unemployment dominate the news coverage, we must remember how important a reliable water supply is in creating jobs in California. There is a direct correlation between water and jobs here in the Valley, and with consistent double-digit unemployment rates, we need to find solutions to the storage, conveyance, and regulatory problems exacerbating our state’s man-made water crisis.

Wednesday my bill, H.R.2578, which will allow the Merced Irrigation District (M.I.D.) to propose a ten-foot modification to their spillway gates at the New Exchequer Dam, passed through the House Committee on Natural Resources. The next step for the bill is the House Floor. When passed, my bill will begin to solve the regulatory problems that arise during water shortages.  Read more in my op-ed.

This week, a local Valley business, Fulton Valley Farms, announced it will be forced to close its doors as a result of the high price of feed for its chickens and 185 Californians will lose their jobs. It is projected that 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop will be used for ethanol production this year.  This means that an ever increasing amount of corn, which could be used for food and feed for livestock, is being diverted into fuel. I co-sponsored legislation introduced by Rep. Goodlatte on Wednesday to eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) and makes ethanol compete in a free market.  Farmers in California cannot afford to pay increased prices for feed, and with double-digit unemployment in our area, families cannot afford to pay more for groceries.

Next week, we will vote on the EPA Regulatory Relief Act to alleviate the excessive regulatory burden placed on employers by the EPA's Boiler MACT rules by replacing them with sensible, achievable rules that do not destroy jobs.  We will also bring three long-pending, job-creating free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea to the House Floor. These agreements would increase exports important to the agriculture industry, lower the trade deficit, and stimulate much-needed U.S. economic growth.

During the month of October, members of my district offices are holding office hours at various locations. I encourage all of you to stop by and ask any questions that you have. Check my website for office hours in your area.

I have received great feedback on the YouTube Town Hall forum and would love for you to participate. The new, interactive format allows you to submit questions for Congress and then 'vote' for the answer with which you agree. I answered the question: Given the current economic situation, why doesn't government help manufacturing in the U.S., thereby creating jobs and increasing revenue by exporting the manufactured goods? Please watch the video, and if you agree that we need to reduce regulations in order to help American manufacturers create jobs, vote to support it and encourage your friends, family members, constituents to do the same.

Thank you to everyone who has signed up to receive these weekly updates, I encourage you to let your friends and family know that this is a great way to hear about my events in the district and to keep up with activity in Congress. They can sign up to receive this email on my website.

I hope you all have a great weekend and Columbus Day!

Sincerely,

JEFF DENHAM
United States Representative

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