A view of Washington, via Iowa
Washington, D.C. — Congress has been active in moving the economy in the right direction, according to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
Ernst addressed an audience of pro dealers this morning at the 2018 National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Spring Meeting and Legislative Conference being held here at the Wink Hotel.
“The passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was a monumental moment for our nation,” Ernst said, noting that nearly 4 million Americans received some form of bonus from their employers.
But work still needs to be done to put people in unfilled jobs, she said. In her home state, Ernst said there are roughly 50,000 unfilled jobs. “Especially in the skilled trades like the ones needed to manufacture and install your products,” she said.
The senator pointed to apprenticeship programs as one key method of rebuilding the American workforce. “We need to connect the workforce of tomorrow with the in-demand jobs of today,” Ernst explained.
Ernst, elected in 2014, also discussed the current softwood lumber dispute between the United States and Canada. “Negotiations are moving slowly,” she said “But we believe free and fair trade is very important.” The senator said she has met with President Donald Trump several times to discuss the subject, along with talks about NAFTA.
“NAFTA is working,” she said. “Can we modernize it? Yes, we certainly can.”
Rep. David Young (R-Iowa), also elected in 2014, agreed that NAFTA needs to be updated and discussed current Capitol Hill topics including an overload of federal regulations.
“We think the federal government is regulating us to death,” Young said. “The government likes to do one size fits all. But New York is not like Iowa and not like Idaho.”
Young said he believes government works best when its closest to the people, “like the city council down the street or your state legislator” and said there needs to “more accountability” when it comes to who creates and passes regulations.
“When rules and regulations are levied down from a nameless, faceless bureaucracy, you have no idea who is controlling your life in that manner,” Young said.
The Iowa representative has introduced The Fingerprints Act, which requires the authors and consultants behind government regulations to sign their names to the code. “When you put your names to something there is more accountability,” Young said. “I believe in public shaming.”
Young also challenged the perception, provided by mass media, that party division in Washington leads to a toxic government. “When we get things done, it’s not always news.”
Providing a ground-level view of Congress, Young said, “Compromise to some is a very dirty word — compromise doesn’t mean you have to give up your value your morals or your beliefs — it sometimes means you only get half the loaf of bread instead of the whole thing.”
Ernst addressed an audience of pro dealers this morning at the 2018 National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Spring Meeting and Legislative Conference being held here at the Wink Hotel.
“The passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was a monumental moment for our nation,” Ernst said, noting that nearly 4 million Americans received some form of bonus from their employers.
But work still needs to be done to put people in unfilled jobs, she said. In her home state, Ernst said there are roughly 50,000 unfilled jobs. “Especially in the skilled trades like the ones needed to manufacture and install your products,” she said.
The senator pointed to apprenticeship programs as one key method of rebuilding the American workforce. “We need to connect the workforce of tomorrow with the in-demand jobs of today,” Ernst explained.
Ernst, elected in 2014, also discussed the current softwood lumber dispute between the United States and Canada. “Negotiations are moving slowly,” she said “But we believe free and fair trade is very important.” The senator said she has met with President Donald Trump several times to discuss the subject, along with talks about NAFTA.
“NAFTA is working,” she said. “Can we modernize it? Yes, we certainly can.”
Rep. David Young (R-Iowa), also elected in 2014, agreed that NAFTA needs to be updated and discussed current Capitol Hill topics including an overload of federal regulations.
“We think the federal government is regulating us to death,” Young said. “The government likes to do one size fits all. But New York is not like Iowa and not like Idaho.”
Young said he believes government works best when its closest to the people, “like the city council down the street or your state legislator” and said there needs to “more accountability” when it comes to who creates and passes regulations.
“When rules and regulations are levied down from a nameless, faceless bureaucracy, you have no idea who is controlling your life in that manner,” Young said.
The Iowa representative has introduced The Fingerprints Act, which requires the authors and consultants behind government regulations to sign their names to the code. “When you put your names to something there is more accountability,” Young said. “I believe in public shaming.”
Young also challenged the perception, provided by mass media, that party division in Washington leads to a toxic government. “When we get things done, it’s not always news.”
Providing a ground-level view of Congress, Young said, “Compromise to some is a very dirty word — compromise doesn’t mean you have to give up your value your morals or your beliefs — it sometimes means you only get half the loaf of bread instead of the whole thing.”