Portman Statement on President's "Jobs Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s speech today:

"Good speeches and more deficit spending won’t get Americans back to work.  But unfortunately that’s what we heard tonight – President Obama doubling down on his failed stimulus that pushed the country further into debt while not creating the jobs promised.  What’s worse, it appears President Obama is once again abdicating responsibility in paying for his plans, pushing it off on the Deficit Reduction Committee. 

"Instead of more temporary measures and deficit spending, we need an aggressive, pro-growth approach that gives job creators more certainty and incentives to invest. There is a simple list of reforms we should enact immediately, including a more competitive tax code that will lead to economic growth, sensible regulatory relief that will remove unnecessary burdens on employers, and new policies tying high tech federal job training directly to employers. And we must expand exports because they equal jobs. The President should immediately submit the job-creating agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama that knock down unfair barriers for our workers, farmers and service providers.

"What we don’t need are the same failed policies the President has proposed in the past – more government spending and more government involvement. Since President Obama proposed the $800 billion stimulus bill more than two years ago, there are 1.7 million fewer jobs in the country, while Washington’s debt continues to skyrocket. Clearly, the nation cannot spend its way to prosperity.

"I had hoped to see less time spent assigning blame, and more time fighting for results with new, bipartisan proposals that will unleash the private sector and spur economic growth."