“To everything there is a season,” Ecclesiastes reads. The end of the campaign season is a relief to those who tire of hearing all the political ads.
It also brings the beginning of a new, more important season: a season for governing. We have work to do getting this country back on track, and the time to start is now.
Over the past two years, my colleagues and I in the House of Representatives have worked to pass dozens of commonsense, bi-partisan bills. Among them:
– Restoring the 40-hour work week and repealing the Obamacare employer mandate tax;
– Incentivizing the hiring of veterans and improved programs to help those returning from war to find good-paying jobs;
– Providing new education tax credits and the making the existing child tax credit more efficient and workable for families;
– Implementing reforms to help welfare recipients find jobs and lift their families out of poverty;
– Improving America’s energy infrastructure to boost domestic production and create tens of thousands of jobs.
Unfortunately, these bills and hundreds more have gone on to die in the Senate. Why? Politics.
The Senate has been dominated by partisan politics, and Majority Leader Harry Reid has stopped popular, bi-partisan bills from even coming up for debate. I can understand ideological differences on policy, and allowing the civil discussion of those differences is part of what our deliberative legislative system is all about. But blocking the Senate from even debating bills that don’t fit your radical agenda is outrageous. The American people are tired of these kinds of political games, and it’s time for them to end.
It’s time for governing. As the political season ends, elected leaders must return to Washington ready to listen to the people, uphold the Constitution, and govern responsibly. As your representative in Congress, I will strive to do just that.
Martha Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. Follow her on Twitter @RepMarthaRoby.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.