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Rep. Robert Dold

Mr. Speaker, I know in just listening to some of the comments that I'm joined by I think all of my colleagues in welcoming Gabby Giffords back to this body for this evening's State of the Union Address, and certainly our thoughts and prayers are with her for a full and speedy recovery as she continues to make strides.

Mr. Speaker, this past month, I've had the opportunity, as many of my colleagues have, to travel throughout our districts, and as the number one manufacturing district in our country, it's no surprise that people are frustrated and concerned about jobs and the economy.

I know that's common because when I talk to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and my colleagues over on this side of the aisle about the number one issue we face, they also say it's jobs and the economy. So whether you're a Republican or a Democrat or an independent, I think we can all come together and agree that we need to find the common ground to spur economic growth.

It's time that we work together in a bipartisan way to pass legislation that empowers job creators and puts America back to work. I firmly believe that if we put people before politics and progress before partisanship and find common ground, we will move our country forward. If you have an idea that is going to move our country forward, I think that we ought to vote on it and move it forward immediately.

Mr. Speaker, today marks the 1,000th day that the United States Senate has not passed a budget. As someone that ran a small business before coming to Washington, sitting around kitchen tables, Americans are wondering how they tighten their belt, how they balance their budget.

But the point there is that they have a budget. Small businesses all across the land can't operate without a budget. Big businesses can't operate without a budget. American families generally can't operate without a budget. And yet we here in Washington have not had a budget in far, far, far too long. You could build the Empire State Building two and a half times in the time that it has taken the Senate to even pass their version of a budget. This is just plainly unacceptable for the American public.

Put something forward. Let us know where we should be putting our priorities. And that, unfortunately, creates an enormous inefficiency. Can you imagine trying to figure out where you're supposed to spend your resources, what you're supposed to spend your money on in terms of trying to move your family forward without a budget?

There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty, Mr. Speaker, out there and I hear it from people each and every day, uncertainty that Washington is creating. Excessive regulations, there's no question about that. We look at Dodd-Frank. In Dodd-Frank, frankly, we've got 400 rules and regulations, over 200-some-odd that have yet to even be written. What it does is it paralyzes small businesses. People are sitting on their hands. They're not moving forward; they're not hiring people. This is something that we here in this body have an opportunity to change. We can provide that level of certainty, and I think that we must.

We're going to hear a lot about a do-nothing Congress, and frankly, I get frustrated when I hear about that. This body has passed over 30 jobs bills and sent them across the courtyard to the other side of the Capitol where they sit on Harry Reid's doorstep. Now, these aren't partisan bills, Mr. Speaker; these are bills like Access to Capital for Job Creators that passed this body by over 400 votes. That's wildly bipartisan, something that we agree upon, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and my colleagues on this side of the aisle; and yet they're sitting on Harry Reid's doorstep, and they won't even come up for a vote. This is the frustration that I think the American public has.

Washington needs to move forward. We need to address jobs and the economy. We need to address the out-of-control spending that has happened, yes, on both sides of the aisle. We need to figure out a way that Washington can tighten its belt so that we do not bury our children and grandchildren under a mountain of debt and jeopardize the very fabric of the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, I talk to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I do sense that there is a frustration. There is a concern that we may be the first generation of Americans that leaves our country worse for our children and grandchildren than we received from our parents and grandparents. For me, this is absolutely unacceptable, which is why I think that we have to find that common ground--find the common ground and move our country forward.

I certainly hope tonight we talk about a united America, we talk about a vision that unites us as opposed to one that divides us. This will be an opportunity. And I hope it's about jobs and the economy, the out-of-control spending, and making sure that hardworking American taxpayers are moving forward.

This is our time. It's time we all come together to put America back to work.