DREXEL HILL, PA - Republican Pat Meehan, candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania 7th District, said today that he supports extension of federal unemployment benefits by Congress. But Meehan also noted that some of the policies before Congress supported by Bryan Lentz are only hurting efforts to create jobs and put people back to work.

"The policies and uncertainty coming out of Washington, supported by Bryan Lentz and Nancy Pelosi, have hindered the ability of small businesses and entrepreneurs to hire workers," said Pat Meehan. "I support an extension of unemployment benefits for those struggling to find work in the difficult economy but I also believe more can and should be done to address the root cause of the problem, there simply aren't enough good paying, sustainable jobs."

Meehan pointed to Bryan Lentz' support on the state level for $500 million in tax increases last year, as well as his support earlier this year for eliminating the one percent rebate given to retailers to help defray the cost of collecting the sales tax. Lentz has also expressed his support for cap and trade legislation, which would drive up energy costs for business and consumers, as well as the health care bill, which will impose a host of costly new regulations and is causing a great deal of concern among business owners about new costs.

"Policies and proposals that result in tax increases, drive up costs, and impose burdensome new regulations are stunting our economic recovery," said Meehan. "Our primary focus should be on creating an economic environment where businesses feel comfortable investing in their business and hiring new employees. But the policies supported by state legislator Lentz are having the opposite effect - they are killing job creation."

Over the past few months, Meehan has been conducting regular visits of local small businesses and meetings with business executives to discuss ways we can help revitalize the economy and begin getting people back to work. One of the repeated refrains Meehan hears from small business owners is that the current economy is forcing many small businesses to operate on razor thin margins. Many small business owners explained that they were foregoing hiring a new employee or investing in their business because they fear the financial impacts off legislative proposals on the state and federal level and their effects on their bottom line. As a result, many small businesses are holding onto money in reserves as a defensive posture against potential tax hikes and costly regulations.