Today, Republican Leader of the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Rick Allen (R-GA) delivered the following opening statement, as prepared for delivery, at the joint subcommittee hearing on successful models for protecting communities from COVID-19:
“Our nation’s pre-pandemic economy was the best in the world.
“Unemployment, particularly for minority groups, was at an all-time low. Wages increased for more than 19 straight months and grew faster for the bottom 10 percent of income earners than for the top 10 percent of income earners.
“Business owners and workers are eager to get back to this unprecedented period of economic growth and prosperity. But President Biden is either incapable of or unwilling to lead our economy and our nation forward.
“There are currently over 8.4 million unemployed Americans and 10.9 million job openings, a gap that is due in part to the Biden administration’s absurd policies that are keeping would-be workers out of the workforce. For minority groups, the unemployment rate is as high as 8.8 percent.
“At gas pumps and grocery stores, workers are spending more due to President Biden’s inflation crisis. To put it simply, inflation is a tax on the middle class, and the Biden administration is forcing already cash-strapped families to tighten their belts to pay for Democrats’ outlandish taxpayer-funded spending sprees. It is truly astonishingto watch an administration trade long-term economic prosperity for short-term liberal special interests. The worst part is that there is little evidence that government-mandated lockdowns did much to reduce COVID-19 transmission.
“As we’ve successfully demonstrated in my home State of Georgia, our economy can and should safely reopen. Effective, life-saving vaccines are readily available to those who make an informed decision based on their physicians' advice. Schools and employers have received far more government funding than necessary to weather the pandemic-induced economic disruption.
“More top-down mandates from Washington will not alleviate the financial suffering this President’s policies have inflicted.
“As Members of Congress, we must lead by example. It is imperative that this Committee meet in person as a signal to job creators that it is safe for them to do so as well. Without strong leadership from our President, it is equally as important that we continue to bolster state and local efforts to balance public health with economic prosperity and uphold individual freedoms.
“The federal government does not have all the answers, which is why I look forward to a discussion with our witnesses about how our economy can regain its footing without burdening businessowners and restricting individual freedoms."
