Commentary from U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil: Endless new spending will not bring economy back

Congress is gearing up to spend trillions of dollars on what is being labeled as a "transformative agenda to provide for the American people." In reality, we are expecting a massive expansion of our government, and to raise taxes in order to pay for this social spending plan. We have heard these plans will generate economic growth and cost $0. However, every American knows this proposal will cost the government trillions of dollars and increase already rising prices.

Simply spending taxpayer dollars will not generate the type of economic growth we need right now. In fact, creating new government programs will inevitably lead to more individuals staying at home on the sidelines. Our government's policies and actions must focus on encouraging individuals to return to work, promoting investment in American workers, and allowing small businesses to address the unique needs of their employees and communities. Better targeting government assistance, instead of bluntly expanding its size and scope, will unleash the power of American innovation and ingenuity to create jobs and an inclusive economic recovery.

Policies to grow the economy, like tax reform, encouraged investment in our workforce and created record wage and job growth. In 2018 and 2019, we saw record growth in wages for women, Blacks, and Hispanics. Right now, we are watching rising prices outpace wage growth for workers and seeing labor force participation stagnate with businesses unable to fill vacancies.

Across Racine, we see hiring signs in our business's windows and too many of our stores and restaurants impacted by the supply chain crisis. Soon we can expect to see delays and inventory shortages for Christmas gifts.

Policy decisions in Washington and the $1.9 trillion in so-called COVID-19 relief passed earlier this year is a direct cause of this. Yet we are still watching Congress debate the need to pass another massive spending bill that, unlike previous packages, is explicitly intended to expand government permanently.

One lesson learned from the pandemic was that public-private partnerships can be successful in lifting communities. We saw communities in Wisconsin and across the United States work together to support American workers and businesses. By promoting pro-growth policies and building upon existing relationships, we were able to help businesses keep their doors open and pay their workers, through approaches like the Paycheck Protection Program. These solutions should not be ignored.

We are already seeing businesses examining new ways to meet the needs of a modern workforce and a shift in consumer choices. These same businesses benefit from the necessary flexibility to expand and participate more in the economy. But burdensome regulations and increasing Americans reliance on the government have restricted our ability to provide support to small businesses. It is imperative that we are focusing on regulatory reform that will provide flexibility to invest in our communities. Welcoming technology and innovation, instead of hindering progress, supports the changing dynamics of our communities.

I am eager to promote policies to meet the needs of our economy and help workers return to work. Businesses have found it hard to rebuild in the aftermath of the pandemic. Many of our communities are still struggling to hire workers and are being hit by supply shortages.

Unfortunately, policies coming out of Washington are making permanent the emergency measures that were necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic without regard for the long-term economic impacts. Expanding government won't solve the underlying issues creating the economic disruptions we are currently experiencing, and it could even exacerbate them.

Endless increases in new spending will not return us to the strong economy we had before the pandemic. We must return some sanity to Washington, this starts with getting our fiscal house in order and right sizing the role of government.