On the recordJanuary 18, 2011
I thank the gentleman from Missouri for the time. Throughout this debate there's been a lot of talk about jobs. And there should be. There is little doubt that this law impacts American workers. Take, for example, Baldor Electric in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Madam Speaker, this is a company that has 6,000 employees across America, and the impact of the health care law in the first year alone is $2.9 million. How does a company like Baldor absorb that cost? By further automating its processes and through attrition, allowing 50 jobs to disappear. Eliminating 50 jobs in the first year of this law for a company like Baldor--not to mention thousands of companies across America similarly situated--is not my idea of restoring economic prosperity for America. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2 and begin the process of crafting a meaningful, affordable, and workable solution. That's the way forward.
