GOP Address: Democrats Blocked Our Job Creation Bill
The most important issue facing our nation is job creation, according to Sen. Tim Scott. In this week’s Republican address, the South Carolina senator and former small business owner discusses a bill he’s introduced, The SKILLS Act”.
Scott was Tuesday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”. Here are his words:
“Hi, I’m U.S. Senator Tim Scott from the great state of South Carolina.
As we all know, the most important issue facing our nation today is job creation. Unfortunately, it’s been that way for the last six years.
But instead of tackling the causes of unemployment and underemployment, too many politicians are focused only on the effects and on making political points. We should without a doubt make sure folks get a hand up, but more importantly, that they have a solid foundation on which to stand.
As someone who grew up in poverty, I know the hard choices facing so many families every night. And as a former small business owner, I know the importance of ensuring that the next generation of Americans is the most well-trained, best-educated workforce the world has ever seen.
There are currently 4 million open jobs in America, including 65,000 in my home state of South Carolina. These are good jobs that for a variety of reasons, including a lack of workers trained for their specific industry, go unfilled day after day, week after week. “That’s four million families that could sleep a little better at night and thousands of businesses that could become more profitable and offer more opportunities for their employees.
So let’s tackle this problem head on. A more responsive and efficient system will ensure our workforce competes and wins in the 21st century. Less bureaucracy means more resources helping those in need, rather than getting caught up in the quagmire pit of red tape and regulation that big government creates.
Instead of having 35 separate federal workforce training programs with expensive overhead and administrative costs, let’s simplify them into one flexible Workforce Investment Fund.
Instead of throwing billions of dollars each year at these programs with no measurable end results, let’s give states and localities the flexibility they need to develop targeted plans to help low-income families, young folks, those with disabilities and of course the unemployed, the long-term unemployed and the underemployed.
And instead of watching 4 million jobs sit empty, let’s make sure those who want to work are learning the skills they need to succeed.
My SKILLS Act will do all of this. That’s why it has already passed the House of Representatives under the great leadership of Congresswoman Virginia Foxx and why I introduced it as an amendment to the Senate unemployment insurance bill.
Unfortunately, Senate Democrats, for some reason – I can only imagine a political reason – blocked its passage this week. Simply put, the American people deserve better than that. A modern, efficient workforce development system is essential to our future.
I believe in America, and I believe that our greatest days still lie ahead. The SKILLS Act is a straightforward, common sense solution for American families and for helping get America back to work. “Thank you and God Bless America.”
The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45am.
