Trump making important economic strides

August 25, 2017

By U.S. Congressman Raul Labrador As I travel across Idaho this month – meeting with folks in Coeur d’Alene, Lewiston, Meridian and so many places in between – I hear a lot about what some people call “kitchen table issues:” jobs, the economy, education, healthcare, retirement security, etc; how we can make Idaho a more prosperous place to live, work, and raise a family. I don’t hear a lot about whatever the national media is obsessed about these days. Never before has the disconnect between what regular Idahoans are focused on and what the DC elites are focused on been greater. And there’s a reason for that. Idahoans, like most Americans, know our government is broken, especially at the federal level. We want reform. We demand reform. So it shouldn’t be surprising when those who benefit from the status quo want to distract us from the reform agenda and get us talking about anything but what the people want and what our politicians were elected to do. Take the economy, for instance. While the media refuses to talk about it, President Trump is making important strides in growing our economy and creating a better climate for job creation, investment, and innovation. Working closely with a Republican Congress, President Trump is creating the strongest American economy in at least 15 years. Consider:   * So far this year, more than a million jobs have been added to the economy   * Unemployment is at a 16-year low   * Since President Trump was elected, the stock market has surged 19 percent   * In 2017, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has set an all-time record 34 times   * The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort measure recently reached a 16-year high   * The National Association of Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey recently showed the highest two-quarter average for manufacturing optimism in the survey’s 20-year history   * According to June’s CNBC All-America Economic Survey, 54 percent of Americans think their home prices will rise in the next year. This is not an accident. President Trump is taking a smart approach to the economy. He is trying to unleash the talent and ingenuity of the private sector by reducing the cost of government rules and regulations. Specifically, he is using number of executive orders to reduce and shrink government power over the economy and unleash free enterprise. Among other things, President Trump has nixed or is in the process of reforming several Obama-Era regulations on land and water use that would have been especially detrimental to Idaho. These include the Obama-Era power grabs pertaining to national monuments, sage grouse and the so-called “WOTUS Rule,” (which affected puddles, ditches, and other water sources that have no connection to interstate commerce). Congress is doing its part too. So far in 2017, the House has used the long-dormant Congressional Review Act (CRA) over a dozen times to repeal last-minute Obama administration regulations, most of which would be detrimental to the economy. Through CRA, we were able to eliminate the Bureau of Land Management’s Planning 2.0 Rule, which would have given federal bureaucrats and radical environmental groups control over land use and resource planning in Idaho and other Western states. I voted for every CRA bill that has been signed into law. I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to letting government get out of the way so our citizens can grow our economy, and I will continue working closely with him to encourage new jobs, bolster American competitiveness, and expand opportunity.