Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Obama Economy Leads to 8.2% Unemployment


I hope you and your family enjoyed a beautiful Memorial Day holiday. Over the weekend, I attended events in Spring Lake and Broadway and was proud to share in the remembrance of military heroes. In this newsletter you will find some photos from last weekend as well as from my recent trip to Afghanistan.

This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the national unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent as the economy created only 69,000 jobs. The figures confirm what previous reports detailed — that the number of Americans exiting the workforce has exploded over the last year. I have additional comments on the disappointing numbers below. You will find below my response to this troubling economic news.

Also in this newsletter you will find excerpts and links to an op-ed I wrote on the work of the 112th Congress, as well as an op-ed I co-authored with Rep. Tom Price on the “Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2011.” This proposed legislation  repeals the excise tax imposed by the president’s health care law on all medical devices.

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40 Straight Months Above 8 % Unemployment

Enough is enough, forty straight months of unemployment above 8.2 percent is a national disgrace. As today’s unemployment numbers clearly show, our free enterprise system continues to suffer under the job-destroying policies of President Obama. For three and a half years, we have seen this Administration cast blame on the problems they inherited while creating further obstructions to job growth and prosperity for all Americans. The warnings are all around us and today’s unemployment rate confirms what we have known all along: President Obama inherited a damaged economy but made it worse.

I will not rest until pro-growth, free market policies are embraced and signed into law. We have passed over 30 job-creating bills that languish in the Senate as Democrats refuse to do their job and fight for the American people. As public servants, we must have the courage to act, and I will continue to do so each day if that means more jobs and the protection of our free market system for tomorrow.

Click here to read a full summary of today’s unemployment figures.

Reclaiming Our Future

Years from now, the 112th Congress will be remembered for the historic number of new members that were elected to fix our economy and fight back against the liberal policies that are alien to our shared American tradition. We have succeeded in changing the conversation in Washington from ‘how much can we spend’ to ‘how much must we cut?’ But before any progress is made in reclaiming our future, the policies that have made our economy worse have to be replaced.

Read my full column at The Ripon Society.org.

Dismantling ObamaCare: Repeal of the Medical Device Tax

By Rep. Tom Price and Rep. Renee Ellmers

As medical professionals, we understand the necessity of accessible and affordable health care. A critical component of such care is the availability of technologies that improve, enhance and even save lives.

Right now, access to innovative quality care in America is threatened by a 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices that was included in the president’s disastrous health care law. Between 2013 and 2022, taxes are slated to increase on device manufacturers by $28.5 billion, a cost that would certainly be passed on to patients in the form of more expensive products and procedures. Tools and services that physicians and nurses utilize to help meet the needs of patients will become more expensive. In fact, instead of increasing affordability and protecting access to care for all Americans, this tax further widens the gap between those who can pay for quality care and those who cannot.

The levy on device manufacturers would inevitably force layoffs across the country. At a time of widespread joblessness, removing barriers to innovation and entrepreneurship are imperative to growing our economy. Those are just the kind of jobs created at medical start-ups, small businesses and corporations. They are the jobs that will not be created or which will be lost if manufacturers have to send even more tax dollars to Washington.

Read more at The Daily Caller.com.

In Pictures

Photos above from trip to Afghanistan, May 18, 2012

Spring Lake Memorial Day parade, May 26, 2012

Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony, Veterans’ Park in Broadway, NC, May 28, 2012