It seems that almost everyone I met with during my trips around the district last week had three things on their minds: jobs, spending and health care. I can’t say this fact surprised me and there continues to be a lot of frustration among hard-working Missourians who are willing to do what is necessary at home and at work to improve their quality of life.

With unemployment at more than 8 percent and our national debt approaching $16 trillion, more people than ever before are engaged in what is going on in Washington. From Columbia to Kirksville to Hannibal to Sullivan and Hermann and all points in between, folks understand that despite promises from President Obama, our workforce is shrinking and our economy, in turn, is suffering.

It came as no shock to many of you that the labor force participation rate, which measures the percentage of able Americans working or looking for work, fell to a near 30-year low of 63.8 percent in March.  Much of the recent decline in the unemployment rate can be attributed to the historic drop in labor force participation as more and more Americans give up on finding a job.  If labor force participation were at the same level today as when the recession started, unemployment would be above 11 percent.

Then there are your concerns about spending. After borrowing nearly $1.2 trillion for failed stimulus spending, the economy is nowhere near what President Obama promised when he lobbied for the stimulus bill.  President Obama’s plan predicted that if we spent over $1 trillion on fiscal stimulus, the unemployment rate at the end of the first quarter of 2012 would be 6.1 percent.  The actual unemployment rate is 8.1 percent, and if calculated at the labor force participation assumed by the stimulus plan, actual March 2012 unemployment came in at 11 percent.

I also was encouraged by the number of people who remain optimistic about the chance that the U.S. Supreme Court will find Obamacare unconstitutional. People on Main Street Missouri repeated time and again to me that they do not believe the government has the right to force people to buy health insurance. Clearly, there will be a lot of folks back here in the 9th District who will be keeping a close eye on the Supreme Court in June when a ruling in the case is expected.

Of course, all three of these issues are related. The president’s health care law and the out of control spending from Washington make it harder and harder for small businesses to survive and compete, which means fewer jobs in our country. A recent statistic I saw indicated that 85 percent of small businesses will not be hiring this year because of these difficulties and the uncertainty they bring. This is not good news as 70 percent of all jobs are created by small businesses. We need to cut spending, repeal the health care law, eliminate red tape, and reform the tax code so that small businesses can grow and hire new workers. 

However, I am pleased to hear and see so many of you staying involved in your government because that is how we can change things. Whether we agree to disagree or find common ground, the phone calls, letters, emails and face-to-face meetings I encounter in the district provide me with real stories to share with the folks in Washington. Keep in touch, keep the stories and opinions coming, and together we can get this country back to work, back in the budgetary black and ultimately back on track.

In Washington, I remain committed to passing legislation that cuts wasteful, job-destroying spending and debt and help small businesses grow both jobs and paychecks by providing them with tax relief. House Republicans have passed more than 30 jobs bills awaiting Senate action. It’s time for the Senate to pass the House Plan for America’s Job Creators to help get our nation back to work.