Making over 30 stops across the 5th District along Route 29 this past week I talked to and met with many Central and Southside Virginians about the pressing issues currently facing our nation. Whether it was in Danville, Chatham, Gretna, Altavista, Bedford, Forest, Lynchburg, Rustburg, Piney River, Lovingston, Arrington, Charlottesville, or Ruckersville, the overwhelming message I heard from constituents – Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike – was that we must take action to address both our dire debt crisis and our unacceptable level of unemployment.
A solution to these related issues is to adopt policies that help create long term economic growth in the 5th District and across the nation.
One of the most effective ways to jumpstart our economy, unleash innovation, and invite opportunity is to remove the federal government as a barrier to job growth and change the way Washington does business to provide our farmers and small businesses – our true job creators – with the confidence and freedom necessary to do their jobs to the fullest, hire, and expand.
An important component in our efforts to shrink the size and scope of the federal government to encourage a sustainable economic recovery includes putting an end to the Administration’s hyper-regulatory agenda.
While this general sentiment was echoed by many 5th District Virginians this past week, one specific example of government overreach that several concerned constituents discussed with me was the possibility that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) would impose regulations mandating that farmers obtain commercial driver’s licenses to use and transport farm vehicles and equipment.
The regulatory burden that the federal government places on America’s farmers is already staggering; unnecessary rules restricting the use of farm vehicles or imposing excessive regulatory requirements would only make these burdens more onerous and impede farmers’ ability to bring their crops to market at a time when they can least afford it.
Due to pressure from Congress and the agricultural community, DOT announced that it would not pursue any new rules or regulations governing the transport of agricultural products and thankfully, this nonsensical concept has been abandoned.
While this is a great announcement for the people of the 5th District, it is critical that we continue to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit by fighting against an ever-expanding federal government so that we can grow our economy and put our nation on a more sound fiscal and economic path for this and future generations.
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