Congressman Tom Rooney stopped in Lehigh Acres for breakfast and met up with 30 residents of Lehigh Acres including Florida Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto, Florida Representative Matt Caldwell and East County Water Control District Manager David Lindsay. Due to redistricting, Rooney’s new area now covers about 90 percent of Lehigh Acres. The meet and greet was sponsored by businessman Eugene Borosch.
Rooney talked about the future of the nation and his bill to create jobs called the“Restore America Act.”
“Three years after the first stimulus bill passed, unemployment remains near 10 percent in Florida and above eight percent nationwide, Rooney said. He also said, “With approximately 14 million Americans out of work, we cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.”
Rooney also talked about energy and today’s high fuel costs in this political climate. Rooney said he strongly opposes the president’s political decision to block the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have allowed America to import more oil from Canada while creating thousands of good jobs here at home.
On Obamacare, Rooney said he supports efforts to repeal the law and replace it with legislation that would bring down costs and expand health care coverage, like instituting medical liability reform. He said he also supports allowing small businesses and families to pool their members across state lines and negotiate for the coverage they need at prices they can afford – just like larger businesses already can do.
According to staff comments about Social Security and Medicare, Rooney has made it very clear that he said he will not support any changes to these programs that would affect current retirees or near-retirees. He said he firmly believes Congress has an obligation to uphold their contracts with America’s seniors.