Bob Latta: “Again, this is a problem we are facing. Instead of saying we are going to increase certain budgets by 12 percent over…”

“Again, this is a problem we are facing. Instead of saying we are going to increase certain budgets by 12 percent over the year before, we have to go back maybe a budget before that and say that is where we need to start the cuts. One of the things that is happening with small businesses across the country, or large businesses, when I go across my district and when I have the opportunity, I try to go to as many factories and businesses as I can. And when I am talking to these individuals, I like to find out what is happening to them. But they like to ask this one question: We have cut way back to keep our doors open; what have you done in the Federal Government to help along these lines? I think one of the interesting trips I was in was at a factory in my district. I went into the plant and they had to scale back. They had to unfortunately cut employees. But at the same time they were in there saying we had to reduce the number of hours people were working. So maybe it was not 40-plus hours, but it was a 32-hour work week. Then they said we have to make sure that management does their share. They were cut 10-20 percent in their salary. And management was cleaning the restrooms in the factory to try to help do anything to scale back on costs that they would pay someone else to do.”