NM Dem Politicos Respond to President Obama's Jobs Speech

Here are the statements released by New Mexico Democratic politicos following President Obama’s address last night to a Joint Session of Congress on the American Jobs Act:

Senator Jeff Bingaman:
“In his speech tonight, the president set forth a very good plan for the country.  As he pointed out, job creation needs to be our focus this fall. Congress wasted too many months focusing on other issues this year, and Americans are anxious to have us turn our attention back to the economy. 

“I agree with the president that we need to keep in place tax incentives that encourage businesses to hire workers, and that we can create jobs by investing in our nation’s roads and bridges. 

“I also agree that one of the fastest ways to stimulate our weak economy is by extending unemployment benefits to those who cannot find work. This will not only help keep food on the tables of American families, it will create demand in the economy and therefore support good jobs. 

“I believe we will not be able to fix our long-term economic problems if we don’t act now to stimulate jobs creation. Longer-term, we will need to put in place a deficit plan that gets us back to a balanced budget. We had one at the end of the Clinton administration and we can get there again. 

“I hope that in the coming weeks we will get the bipartisan cooperation we need – and that Americans deserve – to get our economy back on track.” 

Senator Tom Udall:
"The key to revitalizing our economy and reducing the deficit is job creation.

“President Obama outlined a framework for our economy that would help middle class families keep more of their hard-earned money and incentivize new hiring in fields like construction. He also reminded us the importance of extending unemployment insurance and keeping teachers and first responders on the job to avoid doing further economic damage.

“I also believe the president worked hard tonight to strike the right chord. Now, it’s time for Congress to stop bickering and unite to put forward a balanced and effective jobs package to inspire confidence in the economy and make the progress our country so desperately needs."

Congessman Martin Heinrich (NM-01 and candidate for U.S. Senate):
“New Mexicans want bold and immediate action to turn our economy around and put people back to work. My constituents can’t afford to wait any longer and I won’t stop working until every New Mexican who wants a job can get one.

“The President's intentions are solid and I agree with his urgency for action.  But in order for anything to get done, Republicans in Congress need to come to the table and stop trying to score political points at the expense of our economy. It’s been nearly 250 days since the Republicans took control of the House and they still haven’t introduced a jobs package.

“Action to put our neighbors back to work is long overdue.  We must reinvigorate America’s economic competitiveness, reform our tax code, and unleash our innovation and manufacturing strength to create jobs at home.”

State Auditor Hector Balderas, candidate for U.S. Senate:
"Tonight, the President outlined a common-sense plan that will help create jobs in the short-term. At a time when too many New Mexicans are worried that the American Dream is becoming out-of-reach, getting our economy moving again must be Washington's top priority.

"President Obama has the right approach and the initiatives he laid out will ignite our economy and put Americans back to work. Most importantly, President Obama's plan will create jobs for the drivers of our economy, including small business owners, teachers, emergency first responders, veterans and construction workers. They will rebuild our infrastructure and our schools.

"By cutting taxes for small businesses and those that hire new workers, New Mexico's small businesses will be able to hire and expand, ultimately providing hard working and middle class New Mexicans with more money. We can't afford to continue giving additional tax breaks to big businesses. We need to close tax loopholes for large corporations and billionaires and invest in small businesses, the middle class, and the most vulnerable citizens. I applaud the President for taking that approach.

"I look forward to seeing the President's specific proposals on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. While I agree with him that strategic reform is necessary to strengthen our safety net, I will remain steadfastly opposed to any proposal that cuts benefits or balances the budget on the backs of seniors, the middle class and most vulnerable. These programs are sacred compacts we have made with the American people, and a strong safety net is critical to creating a strong economy.

"Overall, the President's plan is a necessary and essential approach to immediately put people back to work and provide a jolt for our economy. But this must only be the first step. We need more ambitious and aggressive action that makes larger investments in education, infrastructure, and innovation, such as solar and green technology.

"New Mexicans work hard every day to fulfill their responsibilities. If Congress fails to pass the American Jobs Act and further economic initiatives, they are failing theirs."

Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, NM-03:
“I am encouraged that President Obama has made it clear to the American people that creating jobs is his top priority. During my travels across New Mexico during the recent district work period, I met with many constituents who want nothing more than the opportunity to get back to work. That is why I wrote to New Mexico’s national labs and military bases earlier today urging them to contract more with New Mexico-headquartered businesses in order to encourage more business opportunities in our state. 

“After nearly 250 days, we have yet to see any jobs agenda from House Republicans. The majority has not brought one bill to the House floor that addresses job creation. With so many New Mexicans looking for work, this failure to act is simply unacceptable.

“This evening, President Obama offered a number of proposals that I hope Congress will move quickly to enact. This plan is a good start with many ideas that have received bipartisan support in the past and are deserving of that support again. But I hope that we can build on this plan to do more to bring back our manufacturing sector so we can once again make it in America and invest in the innovation that will unleash the next generation of technological advancements.

“Putting money back in the pockets of middle-class Americans will provide a much-needed boost to the economy and help those hit hardest by the economic recession. With our nation’s infrastructure in need of significant repairs and modernization, building new roads and bridges will not only put people back to work, but will also invest in our nation’s ability to compete in the global economy.

“While it is clear that we must focus on reducing our deficit, it is critical that we do not sacrifice job creation and economic growth in that process. The President’s plan, which is fully paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes and asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share, will not add to the deficit while laying the foundation for much-needed job creation.”

Eric Griego, candidate for Congress NM-01:
“I hope Congress will push the President to be bolder and ultimately pass a plan with more substantial impact on creating jobs. With 14 million Americans unemployed and another 25 million more underemployed, Americans can no longer afford timidity from Washington. And that is why earlier today I released my job creation plan calling for a bold New Marshall Plan for American Jobs.

“I am skeptical that his plan goes far enough in direct investments to create millions of jobs immediately. While I support many provisions of the American Jobs Act, including construction projects, state aid, targeted tax cuts for working families and asking the rich to share the burden more fairly, it is simply unacceptable to even consider putting Medicare and Social Security cuts on the table. And I do not believe the President should sign any free trade agreement with South Korea and Columbia unless strong, enforceable labor, environmental and human rights provisions become part of the trade deals.

“But the President should be commended for releasing his job creation plan, since Republicans in Congress do not seem interested enough to release any at all.”

To read the full text of Eric Griego’s bold job creation proposal, "A Marshall Plan for American Jobs, released earlier yesterday, click here.

Marty Chavez, candidate for Congress NM-01:
“Tonight, President Obama laid out an aggressive plan for putting Americans and New Mexicans back to work. As a nation, we don’t have any time to waste. We need to get a jobs program moving immediately and I hope Congress will act fast.

“Times are tough for many New Mexican families and rounds and rounds of discussion won’t solve anything or put more money in people’s pockets. We need to act quickly and get people back to work right away. 

“I understand the challenges of creating jobs. As Mayor, my administration put people to work building homes, schools and offices as well as putting fair incentives in place to attract many high-tech, clean energy jobs that are driving our local economy today.

“That’s why I fully support closing the loopholes which unfairly allow wealthy corporations to pay little or no taxes so that we can cut taxes for local small businesses. Instead of giving tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas, we should be encouraging policies that support buying American products and hiring American workers.

“This economic situation was not created overnight and a large part of the deficit we currently face was brought on by two wars that were completely unpaid for. To help get our deficit under control, we must bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan because we simply cannot afford these wars any longer.

“The stakes are too high right now to continue the bickering that has plagued Washington. It’s time we put people back to work and get our economy moving again for middle class families.”

Note: If I get any additional statements, I will add them here.