I built a small, successful family business over 40 years. I know what small businesses and working families need to succeed.
I didn’t support Donald Trump for President, but when he won I said I wanted him to succeed. Along with my Democratic colleagues in Congress, I pledged to work with him if he came to us with sensible ideas to help this country create jobs.
Unfortunately he has taken a different path, and chosen to spend his first 100 days trying to cut taxes for the wealthy and take health care coverage away from 24 million Americans.
He hasn’t focused on creating the jobs of today and tomorrow, instead he’s tried to force our country and our economy backwards.
Trump is taking actions to hurt growing jobs sectors like the tech industry and clean energy through cuts to science, research and development, and misguided cuts to environmental protection. Instead of trying to help people in these industries which are losing jobs to outsourcing by funding retraining programs, he’s cutting Labor Department funding for job training.
But the President’s broken promise on jobs that hurts Northern Virginia most is his failure to offer a comprehensive infrastructure bill. He promised to launch a massive new infrastructure project in his first 100 days. Where is the infrastructure bill?
Maybe he’s too busy watching cable TV, tweeting, visiting his golf courses and enriching himself at taxpayer expense to deliver on his infrastructure promises.
Senate Democrats have introduced a broad infrastructure plan which is ready for action, and the people I represent badly need some of these projects funded. They need to repair Memorial Bridge, which is falling down, and they need funding for Metro, which faces serious budget shortfalls. Instead Trump has proposed huge cuts to the Transportation Department.
We would appreciate it if the President would stop breaking his promises and get to work creating jobs for the American people.
Rep. Beyer can be reached through his website at www.beyer.house.gov, on Twitter @RepDonBeyer or his office at (202) 225-4376.