This week, much of the second district was covered in a beautiful blanket of snow. As the snow began falling in North Carolina Tuesday night, the president headed to Capitol Hill to try and explain away the failures of his legislative agenda during his annual State of the Union address.
Even more disturbing than his attempt to rewrite the story of his policy failures, is the president’s determination to bypass Congress and force his policies on the American people. Instead of encouraging the Senate to take up the dozens of jobs bills House Republicans have passed, the president instead is pursuing policies that punish success and reward dependence. His speech made no mention of the Keystone XL pipeline, for example, a project that would create thousands of jobs that Americans desperately need.
While North Carolina is experiencing success as a result of economic reforms the state government has enacted, the entire country is still struggling under the burden of federal regulation—Obamacare serving as the prime example. The American people must not be fooled by the president’s State of the Union “applause lines,” which included numerous “overstatements and cherry-picked numbers,” according to Factcheck.org.
As Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers said in the GOP’s State of the Union address, Republicans believe in a government that trusts the people. We believe health care choices should be yours—not the government’s.
Additional thoughts on the State of the Union address can be found in my response below, along with links to interviews I gave following the president’s speech. Please let me know what you thought of the president’s speech by answering my weekly survey at the end of this newsletter.
In last week’s newsletter, I applauded those who participated in the March for Life and assured you I would continue to fight for the sanctity of life. This week, I supported the fight by voting in favor of H.R. 7, which prohibits the use of federal funding for abortions.
I’m honored to represent the second district of North Carolina and will continue to work to advance policies that promote economic growth and protect your values. Please share this information with your friends and contact my office if we can be of assistance to you.
My Response to the State of the Union
The following is an excerpt from my statement that we released following President Obama’s State of the Union address:
“After five years of failed leadership and empty rhetoric, Americans witnessed more of the same this evening in the president’s State of the Union address. Throughout his remarks, President Obama focused on what could be the underlying theme of his presidency: that we must spend more, expect less and blame others for our failures.”
“Once again, I am disappointed to see that after the constant failures of his legislative initiatives, the president is now declaring that he will instead bypass Congress to force his policies on every American whenever he can. Simply put, the president is conceding that he cannot lead.”
“No individual is above the law, and one would think a professor of Constitutional law would know that. This disconnect from the principles of divided government only reinforces his determination to divide the American people by punishing success and rewarding dependence. One needs to look no further than Obamacare – his signature health law – to see the effects of this failed ideology.”
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“We have so much to do and the American people are depending on us to be their voice and the stewards of their government. I’m honored to be that voice for the second district of North Carolina and will not rest until a more prosperous and free America is protected for their future.”
Click here to see my full statement regarding the president’s State of the Union address. Links to some of the interviews I did following the president’s address can be found below under the “In the News” section.
Carolina Comeback
I released this statement after the Department of Commerce announced a 2.6 percent drop in North Carolina’s unemployment. This is down from the 9.5 percent unemployment rate in December of 2012:
“North Carolina is witnessing an economic comeback – and this is no accident. Over the past year, North Carolina has seen its unemployment rate drop over two points from 9.5 percent to 6.9 percent. This comes after North Carolina declined to extend federal unemployment benefits for nearly 70,000 people in July. In the three months following this decision, civilian employment in our state rose by 39,400…”
The success of Republican economic policies in North Carolina is no accident, as noted by Wells Fargo Securities economist Mark Vitner in the Charlotte Observer last month:
In July, North Carolina decided to end the extension of federally-funded unemployment benefit—a move that ended unemployment insurance payments for more than 70,000 North Carolinians. Economic literature, Vitner wrote, has suggested that such benefits have two impacts on the labor force: they raise the required wage for someone to take a job, and they keep people seeking jobs because it’s a requirement of receiving benefits. **I made adjustments to this paragraph, but realized that you may have pulled it directly from the Charlotte Observer article. If so, I apologize and please change it back. If it is pulled from the Char Observer, we may want to add quotations around this paragraph to emphasize that we didn’t write it.**
In his study, Vitner found evidence that job seekers who used their benefits took jobs because the civilian employment in the state rose by 39,400 over the past three months.
“A cursory review … suggests the employment effect has been more powerful, as civilian employment has reversed an earlier downward slide,” Vitner wrote in the report.
You can find my full statement regarding North Carolina’s economic comeback at Ellmers.house.gov.
Click here for a full report on the December unemployment report, courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
Second District Snapshot
In spite of the winter storm that came through this week, my district office in Dunn (pictured above) and my district office in Asheboro remained open for constituents.
In the News
Ellmers Reacts to State of the Union
News 14 Carolina
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers said she was disappointed in the president’s state of the union address. The second district republican said she’s concerned about his plan to expand his use of executive orders. She says this is an admission on his part that he is not able to lead.
Post State of the Union Reaction
NBC 17 WNCN
North Carolina Congresswoman Renee Ellmers reacting to the president saying he would bypass Congress if he needed to get it passed. “I’m very concerned with his stance on national defense. I was really concerned with his discussion of Iran and the sanctions and how he will take his executive order any time he sees that he is not going to get his way. What that translates to me is that the president is acknowledging his lack of leadership and inability to work with the federal government — work with us!”
NC politicians react to Obama’s speech
Raleigh News & Observer
“After five years of failed leadership and empty rhetoric, Americans witnessed more of the same this evening in the president’s State of the Union address. Throughout his remarks, President Obama focused on what could be the underlying theme of his presidency: that we must spend more, expect less and blame others for our failures. … Our state is starting to see the rewards of making prudent decisions for growing a healthy economy. Gov. Pat McCrory and the General Assembly have instituted important economic reforms that have led to the successes we are witnessing today. It’s time Washington learns the same lesson.” U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers R-Dunn.
Rep. Renee Ellmers on S.O.T.U. Address
WPTF.com
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers talks to Bill LuMaye about the president’s State of the Union address.
NC jobless rate falls to 6.9 percent
Raleigh News & Observer
U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers of Dunn cheered the drop in joblessness as a vindication of the state’s decision to cut off unemployment checks to more than 70,000 North Carolina residents last summer. Some economists believe that unemployment benefits can reduce one’s incentive to find work, prolonging joblessness, or encourage those on government assistance to hold out for better jobs.
Ellmers, Renacci respond to Moody’s health sector downgrade
Ripon Advance
Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) and Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) both said Moody’s downgrade proved that the ACA has hurt the economy and brought unstability to the health sector. Moody’s cited the hesitancy of younger people to enroll in health plans and the troubled rollout of the healthcare law as two of the reasons for the downgrade. “…Each and every day since the law has been implemented, a domino effect of canceled plans, layoffs, soaring premiums and lost coverage has translated into a nightmare for the American people,” Ellmers said.
Health Insurer Outlook Downgraded by Moody’s, Citing Exchange’s Older Enrollees
Congressional Quarterly
Republican Renee Ellmers of North Carolina said the overhaul must immediately be repealed and replaced.“This morning, Moody’s verified something we have warned about for years: that America’s health care system is facing imminent danger due to Obamacare,” she said in a statement.