Building a Healthy Economy

Job creation, higher incomes and expanding opportunities by growing Michigan’s economy is the top priority for Tim Walberg, who has previously been named Michigan’s most effective congressman by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking. Tim has advanced policies that built a healthy economy and created a brighter future for the next generation. While the global pandemic has presented setbacks, Tim's pro-jobs record will help lead this economic comeback.

Before COVID-19 halted our economic growth, we were experiencing an economic boom featuring the highest median household income ever recorded. Our unemployment sunk to a 50-year low. We created a regulatory environment which allowed small businesses on Main Streets across America to flourish. More Americans were working than ever before, and the lowest-wage earners saw their pay growth outpace high-wage earners by the greatest margin in decades.

We need leaders with a vision to spearhead our economic recovery and take us to greater prosperity than we were experiencing before the outbreak. We need policy that encourages job creation, higher incomes and expanding opportunities. 

Tim Walberg’s plan to encourage job creation and boost wages:

1. Tim has supported tax reform efforts resulting in tax cuts for over 82% of middle class families across America. Reform brought corporate tax rates to a competitive global level and spurred hundreds of billions in domestic investments.

2. Enhance Skilled Trades Training- Tim is focused on improving education and workforce training opportunities by empowering local institutions and states. Tim voted for:

   • The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act, which supports Michigan career and technical training programs and helps states reduce burdensome occupational licensing regulations.

   • The Every Student Succeeds Act, which transfers power and resources from Washington DC education bureaucrats to local schools and states, because teachers, administrators, and local school boards know best how to educate students. These bipartisan reforms have been signed into law.

   • The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which would improve workforce training by giving more power and input to local educational and training institutions, including community colleges, overwhelmingly passed the House and was signed into law.

   Michigan is blessed with many fine institutions of higher learning. Tim is committed to working with these schools as they provide a tremendous education and help students afford the opportunity. He introduced the “Helping Families Save for Education Act” with a Democratic colleague to help families save money for educational expenses. He also helped author language to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), helping students and families navigate the process.

3. Improve Infrastructure- Tim Walberg is working to improve our infrastructure and rebuild Michigan’s roads and bridges. He helped champion a long-term, bipartisan transportation plan to provide greater resources and decision-making authority to state and local governments—without raising taxes. This long-term plan, now signed into law, will help streamline and bring certainty to important road and bridge projects across our state. He also voted in favor of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, which focuses on protecting our water supply, shorelines, and environment. The legislation also streamlines the approval process, requires more accountability, and encourages public-private partnerships to leverage taxpayer resources to complete more water resources projects. 
   
   Tim will continue to support the expansion of broadband access to rural areas in America. An ever-increasing amount of daily life from shopping to education to work, is conducted digitally. He has supported efforts to better identify and improve access in underserved areas. 

4. Reduce the Regulatory Burden- Tim understands onerous regulations discourage hard work, investment, and job creation. He voted for legislation to prevent Washington DC bureaucrats from creating costly, job destroying regulations without receiving approval from the American peoples’ elected representatives, and Tim had a common sense bipartisan bill to increase efficiency within the federal government signed into law. Tim’s bipartisan legislation to increase government transparency regarding regulations passed the House.

5. Make Healthcare More Affordable- Tim has introduced legislation to allow small businesses to join together to purchase more affordable healthcare insurance. Tim supports lowering prescription drug prices and patient-centered reforms such as ending lawsuit abuse, allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines, expanding the use and flexibility of health savings accounts, reducing fraud, and giving individuals the same tax treatment as corporations when purchasing health insurance. He will continue working to make healthcare more affordable.

6. Expand American Energy Production- Tim is working to increase American energy production to create jobs, lower prices, and move our nation toward energy independence. He has voted to expand natural gas and oil exploration; improve pipeline safety; speed up the permitting process; and promote clean coal, nuclear, and renewable sources.

7. Open Global Markets- By meeting regularly with Michigan farmers and manufacturers, Tim Walberg recognizes 5th District citizens produce many quality goods to sell in the global marketplace. Tim supported the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), which will level the playing field for Michigan farmers and manufacturers. In a bipartisan manner, Tim works to open global markets to our Michigan-made goods, which supports and creates jobs here. He favors trade that is fair, and free. If an agreement is not free and fair for Michigan workers and manufacturers, Tim will not support it.