In spite of the negative reports in the press, Congress is passing legislation, much of it with bipartisan support, that helps everyone.
By Congressman Rob Woodall
Congressman Rob Woodall (R) represents the Seventh Congressional District of Georgia, which includes the majority of Forsyth and Gwinnett counties, and currently serves as Chairman of the Rules Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process, as well as serving on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, and Budget Committee.
There’s a lot that can be said about the progress we’ve seen across the Seventh District, the State of Georgia, and all across the country over the past two years, but sadly, we don’t always hear about the good news the way we should. There’s no shortage of partisan politics, but that’s certainly not all there is to the story. Together, you and I have done amazing things to move America forward, and just in case you haven’t heard – or if you’d like a reminder, I’d like to share a little bit more with you about our successes.
The best place to start is also likely the most obvious: a surging American economy. We just experienced the second consecutive quarter of GDP growth greater than 3% (4.2 and 3.5 respectively), and that hasn’t been done since 2014. The economy has added 276,000 jobs on average per month in 2018 alone – 94,000 more per month than in 2017 – unemployment is down with the fewest Americans filing jobless claims since 1969, and we have an unemployment rate as low as we’ve seen since well before the Great Recession. The Consumer Confidence Index is at an 18-year high according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employee Cost Index, and just this week, the Department of Labor reported that wages and salaries for American workers have increased by the largest amount in a decade!
The list of successes includes more than just economic achievements, by the way. We have returned to regular order in America’s appropriations process, for example, bringing nine of twelve spending bills to the President’s desk prior to the conclusion of the fiscal year for the first time since 2007! I don’t recall seeing a single headline covering this, but it shows that contrary to what we often hear, there is common ground success to celebrate – and it happens daily. Even at a time when Americans disagree on many things, we agree that our troops deserve a pay raise, and that those protecting the American people should have the tools they need to be successful. We believe in investing in medical research. We believe in providing funds for increased school safety resources and programs. We agree that our veterans should have what they need to transition back to civilian life and careers. We accomplished all of these things together. They received broad support across the aisle, were signed by the President, and are the law of the land.
Just last week, President Trump signed into law overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation comprised of dozens of bills that will deliver assistance and resources to parents, patients, teachers, state officials, and communities to combat the opioid epidemic. The Support for Patients and Communities Act takes crucial steps to improve and expand access to treatment and recovery services, establish comprehensive opioid recovery centers, crack down on foreign shipments of illicit drugs, improve data such that we can more effectively identify and assist at-risk individuals, and much more. No one expects this to be the end of the effort to overcome this challenge, but I could not be prouder of the bipartisan work that got us here. It was shared resolve that got these important things across the finish line, and we didn’t’ stop there. I’ve got even more to share with you, so please check back soon!
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