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This Year's Successes and Hopes for 2011
I write to you today to wish you and your families the very best during this holiday season, and to share with you a number of important successes from the 111th Congress. While many people continue to struggle in this difficult economy, Congress has taken some significant steps to create jobs, cut taxes, strengthen education, restore fiscal responsibility and invest in our infrastructure.
Below, you will find some highlights of the key accomplishments of the 111th Congress. |
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Economic Recovery and Creating Jobs
AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT, enacted in the first month of President Obama's term to jumpstart our economy. ARRA created and saved 3.5 million jobs, gave 98% of American workers a tax cut, and began to rebuild America's road, rail, and water infrastructure.
SMALL BUSINESS JOBS ACT, fully paid for legislation providing eight small business tax cuts on top of the eight already enacted by this Congress. The act created nearly 500,000 jobs, by leveraging up to $300 billion in private sector lending for small businesses through a lending fund for community banks.
EDUCATION JOBS AND MEDICAID ASSISTANCE ACT, provided desperately needed state assistance to save 161,000 jobs at schools as well as 158,000 other jobs, including police, firefighters, and private sector workers, including workers who contract for services with state and local governments. This legislation was fully paid for by closing tax loopholes that encourage corporations to ship American jobs overseas.
STUDENT AID & FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT, made the largest investment in college aid in history - increasing Pell Grants, making college loans more affordable, and strengthening community colleges - while reducing the federal deficit by ending wasteful student loan subsidies to banks.
HIRE ACT, will help create 300,000 jobs with tax incentives for businesses hiring unemployed Americans. In addition, this measure will spur small business investment and unleashmuch needed cash and credit to investments to rebuild our nations infrastructure.
WORKER, HOMEOWNERSHIP & BUSINESS ASSISTANCE ACT, boosted the economy with emergency aid for the unemployed and provided a first-time homebuyer tax credit, and tax relief for struggling businesses.
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Protecting Seniors
PRESERVATION OF ACCESS TO CARE FOR MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES ACT, ensures that seniors will continue to have access to the doctors of their choice under Medicare, by blocking a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians, which would have forced many doctors to stop seeing Medicare patients. This action also updated physician payments by 2.2 percent.
EDUCATION JOBS AND MEDICAID ASSISTANCE ACT, ensures needed funding for long-term care by extending enhanced federal match provisions for Medicaid (which is the nation's largest source of coverage for long-term care) through June 30, 2011. Medicaid covers more than two-thirds of all nursing home residents.
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Supporting our Troops and Veterans
VETERANS HEALTH CARE BUDGET REFORM & TRANSPARENCY ACT, ensured reliable and timely veterans health care funding by authorizing Congress to approve VA medical care a year in advance.
CAREGIVERS & VETERANS OMNIBUS HEALTH SERVICES, landmark legislation provides help to caregivers of disabled, ill or injured veterans, and improves VA health care services for female veterans.
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Fiscal Responsibility & Government Reform
STATUTORY PAY-AS-YOU-GO, restored 1990s law that help turned record deficits into surpluses.
WEAPONS ACQUISITION REFORM, cracked down on Pentagon waste and cost overruns. |
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Protecting Consumers
WALL STREET REFORM, historic reforms to end taxpayer-funded bailouts and empower consumers to make best decisions on homes, credit cards, and financial future.
CREDIT CARDHOLDERS' BILL OF RIGHTS, banned unfair rate hikes, abusive fees and penalties.
LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY, restoring rights of women and others to challenge unfair pay.
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Looking ahead to 2011, America continues to face a number of challenges; jumpstarting our economy in the midst of a world-wide economic crisis, overcoming stagnant unemployment, rebuilding aging infrastructure and our addressing US military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan. As we work together to meet these challenges, Congress must forge an agenda that creates jobs, strengthens our middle class and requires real fiscal responsibility.
Here in eastern North Carolina we continue to confront an extremely difficult economic situation - too many people are out of work, too many homeowners are facing foreclosure and many vital state programs facing significant cuts. Given our limited resources, it is critically important to make sure that every dollar is invested in ways that will move our region, state and country forward toward economic recovery.
In the new Congress, I will continue to focus on bring federal resource to eastern North Carolina to investment in education, workforce development and infrastructure. I will also work to ensure that our small businesses have the capital and resources needed to thrive and grow, while fighting to cut through red tape, lower taxes and expand our overseas markets.
As we look back over the past two years, I am very proud of what has been accomplished on behalf of the American people. From protecting Americans' control over their health care to curbing the irresponsible and unchecked actions of Wall Street, a great number of important steps were taken to protect and improve our future.
Once again, I wish you and you families all the best for the New Year, and I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the people of North Carolina's First Congressional District.
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Thank you very much.
Very truly yours,
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G. K. Butterfield
Member of Congress |
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