As a first-generation Indian American born and raised in California, I owe much of my success to my parents, who came to the United States to get their educations, worked hard, and paved the way for me and my two brothers. They truly achieved the American Dream, eventually making a living partly through hotel properties and teaching us a lot along the way. Now as a member of Congress, I am informed every day by many of the lessons I learned growing up in the hotel industry and helping out at the family business.
One thing that’s very clear to most small business owners—and most Americans—is that leaders should put people before politics and do what’s in the best interest of the country, regardless of their party. That’s why one of the first things I did when I got to Congress was join a new bipartisan group called Problem Solvers. It’s made up of House and Senate members, both Republicans and Democrats, who have agreed to meet regularly to build trust and find ways to work together.
I’ve become a leader in the group and helped it grow from 40 to 94 members, and we are starting to make real progress. We introduced a bipartisan package of bills aimed at making government work and cutting waste last year. A few of them, including the 21st Century Health Care for Heroes Act that I authored with my Republican colleague Rep. Chris Gibson, have become law. Our bill streamlines an easily accessible electronic health records system for military service members and veterans.
As small business owners, my parents also were always fiscally responsible and would never spend money they didn’t have. They taught me and my brothers that if you make $3, you save $2, and my experience in Congress has shown the federal government could learn a lot from that. Congress needs to address our debt and deficit while protecting important investments in our children’s futures so that we don’t leave them a mountain of debt. And because of that, I am fighting to make sure that Washington is more responsible with taxpayer money and working to address our debt in a responsible, bipartisan way.
Last year, Congress passed a version of No Budget No Pay, a bill I campaigned on and the Problem Solvers support. It says that if members of Congress don’t do their jobs and pass a responsible budget, they don’t get paid. For the first time in years, the president signed a budget into law. Now, I’m fighting for a stronger, more permanent version of No Budget No Pay because members of Congress need to be held accountable.
I also understand that we owe it to the millions of Americans who own or work for a small business and are pursuing their own American Dreams to implement policies that will help bring down the skyrocketing cost of health care and foster growth. I’m working to help small business owners cut through government red tape and grow their businesses. For example, I introduced the bipartisan Small Business and Family Relief Act with Rep. Charles Boustany, which was endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce, to delay a new Affordable Care Act tax for two years, providing immediate relief to small businesses. This harmful tax disproportionately impacts small businesses, makes providing health benefits to employees more expensive, and hinders job growth.
Because I grew up in the industry, I know hotel owners face certain challenges that are unique to the travel and tourism industry. That’s why I’ve also co-sponsored the Jobs Originated Through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act. It would boost international visitation through a number of simple, proven policy moves. For example, it would modernize and expand the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of friendly countries with sophisticated security screening of their own to avoid many of the delays and hassles commonly associated with admittance to the United States. I also support continuing the Travel Promotion, Enhancement and Modernization Act, which reauthorizes Brand USA, a public-private partnership to promote tourism to the United States.
Moving forward, I’m focused on continuing to work across party lines to find commonsense solutions to the challenges we face and to rebuild our economy. Small business owners and hoteliers like my parents are key to creating new jobs, and our economic policy needs to better reflect the central role they play in job creation. We in Congress need to put politics aside and promote policies that cut through roadblocks to growth and give businesses the tools they need to be successful.
Ami Bera, M.D., represents California’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
