Washington, DC - Today, Chairman Dave Camp delivered remarks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, below are excerpts followed by the full remarks.
The Challenges We Face
“Today, we face some historic challenges. The national unemployment rate has not been this high for this long since the Great Depression. Despite this fact, the President - at virtually every turn - argues for higher taxes on small businesses, investors, corporations, and even on families. His Administration is deaf to employers when it comes to complaints about regulations new and old. Frankly, I am baffled by the President’s seeming hostility to entrepreneurs, to employers and to the economic innovation this country needs now more than ever."
Our Current Tax Code is a Burden on Businesses
“The challenges created by the tax code - for job creators and families - are rooted in a similar place. The tax code is too complex, too costly, and takes too much time to comply with. Whether it is the compliance and administrative burdens or the impact of temporary and expiring tax provisions, today’s tax code is hampering the ability of businesses to plan their finances with reasonable certainty. If they can’t plan, they can’t invest. If they can’t invest, they can’t grow. And, if they can’t grow, they can’t do what we need them to do most - hire."
We Must Act Now on Our Long-Pending, Job-Creating Trade Agreements
“With the unemployment rate at 9.2 percent, I would expect the Administration to be rushing to send up, support and implement these agreements. Instead, by holding them up, the President has given the Europeans and the Canadians a head start in these critical and strategic markets"
“I believe we have negotiated a good TAA package, one that can and should stand on its own. Last week, 12 Senate Republicans vowed to vote for cloture on that package and set a clear path forward for consideration of the trade agreements and TAA in the Senate. The Speaker has already promised that he would put the TAA bill on the floor. What more does the President need?"
