Jobs at Stake

This week the Senate failed to pass an important resolution that would have blocked the EPA from moving forward with controversial regulations on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.  I was a co-sponsor of this bipartisan resolution because decisions on these issues should be made by Congress, where the people are represented through elected officials, rather than in the federal bureaucracy, where there is no way for the people to hold officials accountable.  These environmental policies have a major impact on the economy and jobs, so it should be up to Congress to make these important decisions.  What’s more, by moving ahead, the EPA was simply trying to bully Congress by effectively saying, "either you pass a bill that will raise costs for American families and destroy jobs, or we’ll pass regulations that will be even worse."  The administration acknowledged as much.  For Iowa families and employers, EPA’s go-it-alone policy is an even bigger hit than for other parts of the country because of Iowa’s energy intensive economy, especially in agriculture and manufacturing.