Washington, July 29 - Congressman Scott DesJarlais, M.D. (R-TN-04) released the following statement on President Obama’s scheduled visit to Chattanooga, Tennessee on Tuesday, July 30, 2013:

“The Obama administration could certainly learn a thing or two about creating jobs from Tennessee. Thanks to our state’s low taxes, right-to-work policies and pro-jobs regulatory framework, Tennessee is leading the country in innovation and opportunity. 

“Unfortunately, President Obama’s approach of bigger government, more spending and higher taxes has created a situation where the federal government is actually hurting economic growth across our state.

“For example, businesses in my district are forced to navigate a seemingly impossible maze of bureaucratic red tape that the Small Business Administration estimates will cost them an average of $10,500 a year per employee. But rather than give businesses a break from this overregulation, the president has doubled down on this misguided approach by proposing even more regulatory hurdles.

“Further, the president’s inability to live within a budget has not only led to nearly $17 trillion in debt, it has caused a great deal of uncertainty that has led to businesses keeping capital on the sidelines. Business owners know that today’s debt will need to be paid with tomorrow’s tax increases.

“However, one of the greatest challenges businesses face is the president’s health care law, which is going to absolutely devastate small businesses by imposing a myriad of new taxes, penalties and mandates. In fact, we are already seeing business owners cut down on the number of employees in order to avoid paying fines imposed by the law. 

“While I certainly hope the president enjoys his time in our great state, I would suggest that rather than come here to give a speech on his plan to create jobs, he should listen to the hardworking folks who are actually creating them. They would tell him that the path to economic recovery can only be paved by empowering local businesses – not politicians in Washington.”