Congressman Adrian Smith visited Alliance recently, stopping by the Knight Museum to speak with constituents about a variety of issues affecting the country today.
One of the topics of discussion was workforce shortages affecting businesses throughout the nation. Smith noted that removing work requirements for those who receive benefits has contributed to the shortage of workers.
“When we did tax reform, we doubled the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 per child,” said Smith. “That was in addition to significant corporate tax reform and for businesses in general. We wanted to make sure the middle class benefited, and that was one way. But, we required you to file a tax return and to have a job. Those were the first two things that went out the door when Biden took over; and not only did that, but turned it into a monthly payment.
“They say that they lifted all these people out of poverty, we’ll see what happens, though, when they see they won’t get the refunds they got last year because they already got the money, and then some,” Smith said. “Right now, more than ever before, I would argue that we need work requirements for these benefits. The job vacancies are there. I think it’s going to have a tightening impact on our economy overall. I think we need policies that encourage investments.”
Smith highlighted supply chain issues affecting the economy, noting that expanded and updated trade agreements could help mitigate some of the supply problems.
Other topics discussed during the visit include the conflict in Ukraine, school enrollment and bias in large tech companies.