Lou Barletta

Common sense is not as common here as it is in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arkansas, or Colorado.

I think at some point we should take care of America and Americans first and American businesses.

Thank you. Madam Speaker, I came here to be a responsible Representative and to fight for my constituents. I didn't come here to shut down the government. My district has the highest unemployment in the State. People are hurting. They look…

I think that it is to the great advantage of rank-and-file union members to know what is going into the trusts.

Congress has a duty to protect the rank-and-file union member, who does not have any power, who is potentially intimidated by union bosses.

The bottom line of what we are trying to accomplish here is job opportunities for not only the next generation but for the many Americans who have fallen out of the job market as we try to retool them.

These regulations can be unreasonable, unfair, and yes, even unjust, and often times come with unintended consequences which are far more detrimental to the students and schools than originally prescribed or intended.

But in far too many cases, especially at the federal level, statute and regulations proposed in the name of 'program integrity', 'the interests of the taxpayers', and 'the federal interest' frankly go too far.

You have already heard me state that my institutions and our industry does not shy away from regulation, in fact, when it is fair and balanced at both the federal and state level we embrace it.

Thank you for hosting this important hearing on how higher education can help revive the economy.

We are losing our young people. We educate them and they end up going somewhere else to a job.

For far too long, governments have over taxed, over spent, and over borrowed, and the time to address this crisis is long overdue.

Listening to the concerns and ideas of the people we are elected to serve is a good place to begin putting the economy back on track.

For far too long, governments have overtaxed, overspent, and over-borrowed and the time to address this crisis is long overdue.

We all must start with getting our fiscal house in order, here at home and in Washington, D.C.

There is often more common sense on the corner of Main Street, America than in all the halls of Congress.

These schools play a major role for many people in our communities finding employment and staying in that community.

When our Nation is facing inconceivable debt levels and the taxpayers of this Nation have been clear about Washington getting its fiscal house in order, my question is, how can we afford to ignore successful programs like the D.C. choice…

Yet this administration has not supported that successful program and put forward a budget proposal that increases spending on all of these other programs that have not significantly improved student achievement.

No factor under school control affects student achievement more than the quality for the teachers in the classroom.

I completely agree that half of all insured Americans under the Affordable Care Act will be pushed into a Medicaid program that is deeply flawed, tremendously expensive and a real burden on state budgets.

Three years from now, the health care law will force employers with more than 50 employees to provide government-sanctioned coverage to their employees under a penalty of $2,000 per employment--employee tax.

Now is not the time for us to be worrying about what tax rates should be in 2 years. We should be worried about job creation today.

We all can agree that we would like to save whatever manufacturing jobs we have left here in America.

I don't have any sympathy for businesses who are trying to profit from paying somebody low wages.