WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com: Tom Perriello-A level playing field
For far too long, policies in Washington have been written for, and sometimes by, well-financed corporate interests. The result is a playing field that is tilted in favor of special interests at the expense of consumers. I have worked in Congress to return power to the consumer where it belongs. As a consumer, you should have the power and information to make decisions that affect you and your family, whether it involves your finances, your health care, or any other personal decision.
Last year, I supported a package of reforms known as the “Credit Card Holder’s Bill of Rights.” These common-sense reforms are putting an end to some of the most egregious practices we saw from credit card companies. Far too many Americans were getting trapped in a cycle of consumer debt because of dishonest, and in some cases, downright abusive business practices that were perfectly legal under the old regulatory structure.
Link to column on WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com.
WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com: Perriello goes after Hurt on jobs
Republican nominee Robert Hurt has a hole in his jobs platform on free trade.
“Robert Hurt is a typical politician who remains so out of touch with the experience of working families that he doesn’t even realize the devastating effects free-trade agreements have had on the Fifth District. Now he’s even pledging to continue supporting these bad trade deals and protecting corporations that ship good American jobs overseas,”said Jessica Barba, spokeswoman for the Tom Perriello campaign.
Link to column on WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com.
Tom Perriello: Level the playing field
As we fight through this deep recession, we must start manufacturing, building, and growing things in America again. For too long, elites in both parties have pursued policies that ship our jobs overseas and undermine the middle and working class. Manufacturing, construction, and agriculture cannot be treated as yesterday’s news but rather must be part of today’s economic recovery. In the past couple of weeks, we have won some overdue victories for making things in America again and going after China’s efforts to manipulate currency and dump products illegally in our markets.
I am a member of the House Trade Working Group, a bipartisan group working to level the playing field for American businesses and workers to outcompete the world. Last year, we helped to stop efforts to expand NAFTA-type trade deals to other parts of Latin America. Recently, President Obama announced that he wanted to send the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement to Congress for our approval. I joined several of my colleagues from the Working Group to write President Obama to express our opposition to this expansion of NAFTA-style trade deals. I have consistently opposed agreements that devastate our manufacturing and industry in Central and Southern Virginia.
Our area has continued to suffer because of NAFTA and the World Trade Organization. 5,900 5th district jobs were lost to China between 2001 and 2008. We need better trade that benefits American workers, not deals that will send our jobs offshore. I have consistently stood up to both parties on this issue and will continue to do so because we simply cannot afford any new NAFTA-style agreements.
The Korea FTA, which was negotiated by President George W. Bush’s administration, is yet another NAFTA deal that may help some on Wall Street while leaving America’s Main Street businesses and workers at a disadvantage. It would essentially give Korean companies total access to American markets without offering the same benefits to American industry.
At a time when our economy is struggling to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression, we should be investing in a America’s competitive advantage in the world, making it easier to make it, build it and grow it in America again. As your representative, I have been active in advancing the new “Make it in America” initiative to promote domestic manufacturing and construction. We must get back to these activities if we are going to see the economic recovery and job creation we need.
Part of supporting American jobs is making sure other countries play by the rules. In the past few years, China has continued a dangerous trend of manipulating its currency and dumping products in ways that illegally disadvantage American products. These tactics aggravate our growing trade deficit, and I was part of a group that demanded the first major Congressional hearings into some of these latest tactics.
Our economic and political leaders cannot sit idly by; we all must fight back to give American workers and businesses a fair chance to outcompete the world.
Finally, I have begun a series of 20 town hall meetings that will continue through mid-September. The meetings have been a great opportunity to hear from constituents, answer their concerns, and gather ideas. Much of the legislation I sponsor and support comes from conversations just like the ones we are having at these meetings. We have had great meetings already in Appomatox, Charlotte Courthouse and Fluvanna, with many more in the weeks ahead. The meetings have been a great chance to share ideas for turning around our economy and getting much-needed economic relief to working and middle class families. So far our meetings have been civil and substantive and I look forward to continuing the conversation over the coming weeks.
Tom Perriello represents the Fifth District in the United States House of Representatives.
Tom Perriello: It’s the economy
Column by Tom Perriello
www.house.gov/perriello
During last week’s congressional district work period, I spent time talking with business owners, workers, job seekers, and others about what we can do to turn our economy around. I cherish my time here because I never want to lose touch with the challenges and needs of the families who sent me to Washington to work for them. These conversations help supply me with many good ideas that I can take back to Washington.
Before leaving Washington for Memorial Day, I voted to extend unemployment benefits for workers who have been displaced through no fault of their own. They paid into the system for years and deserve its support now that they need it. Although these benefits can’t replace the good jobs they had, it is important to provide a safety net for our displaced workers while they get back on their feet. Read more
Tom Perriello: Government accountability
Column by Tom Perriello
www.house.gov/perriello
When I came to Congress last year, I promised to fight for economic relief for my constituents, but also to change the way business is done in Washington. For far too long, both parties have answered to the special interests instead of to the people. Sometimes it can seem like Congress is not bound by the same rules as everyone else. It’s time to bring Main Street values of decency, openness, and accountability to the halls of Washington. Read more
Tom Perriello: Reducing the burden
Column by Tom Perriello
www.house.gov/perriello
One of my top priorities in Congress has been reducing financial burden on middle- and working-class families during these tough economic times. Last week, USA TODAY reported that Americans paid their lowest level of taxes in 2009 since Harry Truman’s presidency. The news story reported: “Federal, state and local taxes – including income, property, sales and other taxes – consumed 9.2 percent of all personal income in 2009, the lowest rate since 1950, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports. That rate is far below the historic average of 12 percent for the last half-century.” Read more
Tom Perriello: Social Security is a ‘promise’
Posted by afp on August 16, 2010 · Leave a Comment
For 18 months, I have been preaching that true economic recovery only comes when we start to make, grow, and build in America again. It has been tough to get either party in Washington to grasp the importance of this simple and familiar rule, but in recent weeks I have seen encouraging signs that they may be coming around. We have won some important victories for manufacturing, construction, farming and forestry. The House passed two bills I cosponsored to eliminate our trade deficit and produce a coordinated national manufacturing strategy. These are common sense measures that ultimately received bipartisan support.
This week we won another overdue victory for America’s competitiveness by finally closing the offensive tax loopholes that subsidize multinational corporations for sending American jobs overseas. The House had voted to close the loopholes several times, and I had helped to lead those efforts, but they had ultimately died in the US Senate. But we would not give up on delivering a level playing field for the American worker, and last week we finally succeeded in ending this giveaway that had cost too many American jobs.
Using the revenue from closing these loopholes and also $17.7 billion in federal spending cuts, Congress last week passed the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, a fully paid-for aid package to states that will keep teachers in the classrooms and police and firefighters on the beat, protecting our communities. The bill also helped states to ensure basic health care services for those who are struggling.
Many local governments have been hit hard by the economic downturn and would have had to either impose major tax increases or slash needed services, such as law enforcement and public education. By passing this aid package to the states we were able to prevent these tax hikes and ensure our children get a quality education that will allow them to compete in a global economy. With the school year about to begin, we took needed action to save 160,000 teaching jobs and another 150,000 jobs across America, including 437 teachers right here in the 5th Congressional District.
As part of the package, Virginia will also receive approximately $289 million for its Medicaid program to help provide basic medical care to low-income Virginians and ensure that doctors receive the reimbursements they were promised. Right now it is crucial to keep our quality doctors as participants in Medicaid and Medicare programs. Earlier this year, 47 Governors, including our own Governor Robert F. McDonnell, wrote Congressional leadership asking for this exact assistance. I supported efforts to respond to this bi-partisan call for relief and to make sure it did not add one dollar to the federal debt.
In order to help pay for the aid to states, we not only closed the tax loopholes that were paying companies to export jobs, but also made tough choices to cut some social programs. I have heard often from constituents that it is time for Congress to make tough decisions and set some priorities. That is what we did with this jobs bill. We have actually reduced the deficit by about $1.4 billion by making tough choices in tough times, just like Virginia families are doing every day.
Tom Perriello represents the Fifth District of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives.
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