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Statement of

Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen

It has been one of the high honors of my life to serve the people of this great state as their Representative in the United States Congress.   I am humbled to have consistently received the trust and support of the residents of 56 great municipalities across five counties.

Last Friday, I filed nominating petitions with the New Jersey Secretary of State, officially signaling my intent to seek the Republican nomination in the newly-configured 11^th Congressional District.  Today, I am formally beginning my campaign for re-election, asking our citizens to affirm their trust once again.

My approach to public service will continue to be straightforward: I will fight every day to improve New Jersey’s future and change the way business is done in Washington. I have a solid philosophical foundation, but I continue to strive to put fact-based problem-solving ahead of politics to address the challenges we all face.

We all know family, friends and neighbors who have faced job loss and financial stress.  That’s why our single-minded focus in Congress must be private sector jobs and economic growth and I will continue to press my action plan to attack this problem:

• Turn back job-killing tax increases and excessive regulations;
• Foster an environment where American businesses – large and small – can create private sector jobs and opportunities;
• Revamp the tax code with lower rates, no loopholes and much more simplicity;
• Cut government spending. New Jersey families have had to tighten their belts and do more with less.  So should Washington!

No matter the issue, I will continue to listen and actively seek my constituents’ opinions and advice so I can carry their concerns to Washington and fight for policies such as lower taxes, government accountability, stronger national security, and more economic security and freedom.

Of course, I never forget that I come from a 9-11 state.  And that is why I am absolutely committed to providing our men and women in uniform, the Department of Homeland Security and our first responders all the tools and resources they need to protect all Americans.  And to restore America’s leadership position in the world.

We all owe a great debt to the men and women of the armed forces of the United States.  Tens of thousands of them are serving in harm’s way at this very moment.  Others continue to sacrifice and contribute at bases far from their families.  We are indebted to all of them – the military and their families alike – for making this the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

I am once again, asking for the opportunity to lead America down the right path. We must fight to guarantee our national security and act to control the deficit and the national debt, as I have in my role on the House Appropriations Committee – the only committee to actually cut spending. By doing so, we will provide this generation and succeeding generations with a brighter and a better future.

I pledge to continue to give my dedicated and tireless best effort to the people of New Jersey on issues large and small.

In the months ahead, I look forward to meeting and listening to citizens in all four counties and 54 great municipalities of the new 11^th Congressional District.

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First Published: February 2, 2012

By: Rodney Frelinghuysen

Exactly one week after President Obama delivered this third State of the Union address, the Congressional Budget Office predicted the “official” national unemployment rate will rise to 8.9 percent by the end of 2012, and to 9.2 percent in 2013. And you can be sure that if the official jobless rate is moving up again, so is the number of underemployed workers and frustrated job-seekers. Combined, some experts say, the “unofficial” unemployment figure tops 15 percent.

Clearly, proposals to spur job creation presented by the President over the last three years have not worked. And yet, he told the nation in his annual address, “With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow.”

Therein lies a major problem: when the President isn’t taking this kind of “go it alone” approach, he insists that Congress pass his proposals “as is” like he did last fall with his so-called “American Job Act.”

That’s disappointing because history has shown that the Congress and the President can, and should, work together. Several proposals supported by President Obama have passed the Republican House and been signed into law, including three bipartisan trade agreements, a bipartisan veterans hiring bill and a repeal of the IRS withholding tax on job creators.

We have to find a way to build on these successes.

The “real economy” is what I hear about when I visit small businesses and meet with constituents. People are hurting. Over 14 million are unemployed, many for a year or more. Adding to this misery is the belief of many Americans that 1) they will not see a pay raise this year, 2) the value of their home will not increase in coming months, and 3) this is not a wise time to make new investments. These factors perpetuate a deep sense of financial pessimism, uncertainty and limit consumer demand.

I am an optimist by nature and I still believe that better days are coming! I support an action plan to create private sector jobs and careers, encourage growth, protect families and restore badly-needed economic confidence:

1. Fix the tax code to help job creators. We can increase American competitiveness to spur investment by streamlining the tax code and lowering the tax rate for individuals and businesses, including small business owners, to no more than 25 percent. We have the highest corporate tax rate in the world. It needs to be lowered.

2. Reduce government burdens on job creators. Businesses in Morris, Sussex, Passaic and Essex counties want government to get “off their back” and “out of the way.” We should require congressional review of any government regulations that have a significant impact on the economy or burden small businesses, repeal the damaging Obamacare takeover of health care, exempt smaller companies from the onerous provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley accounting law and revisit the burdensome Dodd-Frank banking “reform” law which let the government pick “winners and losers” instead of the marketplace.

3. Allow American manufacturers to compete and win in global markets. Now that we have approved three major free trade agreements to create up to 250,000 jobs including thousands in New Jersey, we should continue to work to open additional new markets to American-made products.

4. Reform government mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Our housing markets will not emerge from its current crisis until these financial relics adjust to a more competitive environment.

5. Encourage entrepreneurship and growth by investing in real infrastructure (roads, bridges, rail, power grids) without mandating union labor hires.

6. Maximize domestic energy production by diversifying supplies and encouraging increased conservation.

7. Pay down America’s unsustainable debt and live within our means. We must stop spending money we do not have by enacting significant federal budget cuts and spending controls. In the meantime, Congress should pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. .

Let’s get to work!

U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen represents the 11th Congressional District.

View on Daily Record website: http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012302050009

Fix the Tax Code

America’s tax code has grown too complicated and cumbersome, and it is fundamentally unfair. It is filled with loopholes and giveaways. Congress should eliminate the special interest tax breaks that litter the code and reduce the overall tax rate to no more than 25% for businesses and individuals including small business owners. This would make the tax code flatter, fairer, and simpler. Common sense changes to the tax code will ensure that everyone pays their fair share, lessen the burden on families, generate economic expansion, and create jobs by making America more competitive.

Reduce Government Burdens on Job Creators

Businesses want government to get “off their backs” and “out of their way.” Yet, job creators are being bogged down by burdensome regulations from Washington that prevent job creation and hinder economic growth. These regulations are particularly damaging for the real job creators in the country: small business owners. We must remove onerous federal regulations that are redundant, harmful to small businesses, and impede private sector investment and job creation. That includes a repeal of the damaging Obamacare takeover of health care.

Maximize Domestic Energy Production

The energy sector is crucial to our economic growth, and high energy costs are a major drag on job creation. We have an abundant supply of natural resources in America that we must use to meet our nation’s energy needs. We need policies that allow us to harness our own resources, develop our own new sources of energy, and promote conservation.

Allow American Companies to Compete and Win in Global Markets

For more than three years free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea sat idle, blocked by Nancy Pelosi’s political posturing. As President Obama said in January of 2010, “If America sits on the sidelines while other nations sign trade deals, we will lose the opportunity to create jobs on our shores.”

We finally passed these three free trade agreements which will create up to 250,000 jobs, including thousands in New Jersey. We should build on these successes by looking for other ways to expand market access for U.S. made products. Exports are key to the success of the Port of New York and New Jersey!

Pay Down America’s Irresponsible Debt, Start Living Within Our Means

The federal government is spending and borrowing so much that the United States will soon go broke. Washington’s spending binge has put our nation in debt, eroded economic confidence, and caused massive uncertainty for job creators in the real economy. Enough is enough!

We have to stop spending borrowed money like there is no tomorrow! We must fight for hardworking taxpayers by supporting no-nonsense spending controls, including a Balanced Budget Amendment to our Constitution. We’ve already begun to reduce spending in a meaningful way by approving legislation to decrease spending for the rest of the year and adopting a budget that reduces government spending by almost $6 trillion over the next ten years! After all, we don’t need President Obama’s “balanced approach.” We need a balanced budget!

Encourage Innovation and Entrepreneurship

America has historically been on the cutting edge of innovation and technological development, but we are increasingly falling behind our global competitors. Stronger protections for new ideas and products, greater access to a well-educated workforce, and a more efficient and predictable government approval process will empower American business owners to compete in the 21st Century economy.

This action plan recognizes that Washington does not have all the answers. We do not need more government control. We need accountability and common-sense, fiscally responsible solutions to restore economic security and create jobs in a strong economy.

A healthy economy will ensure that Americans – now and in the future – get a fair shake. All they ask is that if they work hard and play by the rules, they will have the opportunity to get ahead. Hard work should be rewarded!

Frelinghuysen: Repeal is no “stunt’

By RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

Since the beginning of the debate over the future of America’s health care system, Daily Record editorial page editor Fred Snowflack has always supported efforts by President Obama and the last Congress to have Washington take control of America’s health care, at the expense of a system that I believe is patient-centered and provides health care choices, not government-imposed mandates.

Now Snowflack is calling last week’s House vote on repealing Obamacare “a political stunt” and wonders “why should the House even bother?”

I will tell you why the repeal effort, only just beginning, is important.

With the national debt approaching $14 trillion, the November elections sent a strong message that the American people want Congress to live within its means and cut spending. Passage of the 3,000-page Obamacare bill last year was a perfect example of Washington’s out-of-control attitude toward “the people’s money.” Obamacare’s backers claim that the new health law would actually reduce the federal deficit. However, everyone recognizes that you can’t provide coverage for another 34 million Americans, maintain the quality of their care and save the government money!

No, the deficit reduction claim is based on flawed economic assumptions, double-counting and other dubious budgetary gimmickry. For example, only in Washington can you count 10 years of anticipated revenues to offset six years of new spending.

Here’s a simple fact: if Obamacare is fully implemented it will not cut the deficit. The law will actually add at least $700 billion to the deficit in its first 10 years. But while the impact on our public debt is important, so too is the profound effect the Obamacare law is already having on my constituents’ right to make their personal healthcare choices for themselves and their families.

The new law has given the Washington bureaucracy extraordinary power to control the health care decisions of all Americans:

Forcing us to buy health insurance that Washington politicians deem to be acceptable.
Potentially fining us for refusing to do so, which I believe to be a violation of our
Constitution.

Determining our choice of doctors, hospitals and homecare.

Deciding which medicines we can take and which medical procedures will be available to our families.

This law is creating more than 150 new boards, bureaus, committees, commissions, offices, pilot programs, working groups and agencies which will issue tens of thousands of pages of onerous regulations that will change health care forever — and not for the better.

It is important to remember that over 90-percent of all Americans have health coverage for themselves and their families. Why did the last Congress insist on a virtual government takeover to benefit the other 10-percent?

That’s why I support repeal, coupled with major changes that assist those who do not have coverage without harming the care of hundreds of millions of Americans who do.

I know from recent interactions that New Jersey doctors are changing their practices because this law discourages their ability to work as a single practitioner or in a group practice and are signing up to be salaried hospital employees. Many doctors are contemplating retirement in the face of more paperwork, more red-tape and more risks to their license to practice.

The new law also does nothing to solve, or even diminish, the wave of junk medical lawsuits that force doctors, medical professionals and hospitals to practice defensive medicine. Also missing from the law is any effort to promote medical education in America. Where will we get the next generation of young doctors and nurses? You cannot insure 34 million people and simultaneously cut medical education.

At the same time, under the new law, doctors and hospitals will face reduced Medicare reimbursements, more onerous Medicare rules and regulations and even less incentive to treat senior citizens.

In addition, current Medicaid enrollees are already having trouble finding doctors who will see them because of low reimbursement rates. This new law proposes to add another 18-million patients and make the situation worse.

Our hospitals are reeling. Passage of the new health law has accelerated the layoff of hundreds of employees in hospitals in my congressional district. When $500 billion in Medicare cuts take hold, how are these institutions going to maintain their current quality of care?

That’s why the Senate should join the House and take the first steps towards replacing this deeply flawed law, piece by piece, with reforms that will bring down costs and expand health care accessibility.

A “political stunt?”

Tell that to the small businessmen and women who are being crushed by the new law’s heavy-handed 1099 IRS reporting requirements and penalties. Tell that to families who will be buried under $529 billion in new tax hikes. Tell that to anyone concerned about protecting the rights of those who have healthcare today and will need it tomorrow.

Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, R-Harding, represents the 11th District in the House of Representatives.

Original Article Here