Economy
We should not be satisfied with the historically low economic growth rate of the past decade.
Reforming the U.S. tax code is a key component to building economic momentum and growing our workforce. The United States has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, and this tax rate is driving American companies to send their manufacturing and customer service jobs abroad. Lowering the corporate tax rate will keep large businesses from sending jobs overseas, and a simpler tax code would allow small businesses to save money and grow. Government spending and regulation will not lead us to prosperity – only a vibrant private sector will.
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WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) announced the award of a more than $42 million federal contract with Hardwire, LLC, located in Pocomoke City. The contract will provide the Marine Corps with up to 982,749 Soft Armor Inserts. Work will be performed in Pocomoke City and is expected to be completed by 2024.
Hardwire has developed and fielded armor to protect against a variety of threats, including small firearms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Rep. Andy Harris made the following statement:
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) announced the award of a $1.1 million federal grant to the Salisbury-Ocean City: Wicomico Regional Airport. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and will fund rehabilitation of the apron, taxiway and lighting. The airport supports more than 1600 local jobs.
Rep. Andy Harris made the following statement:
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) announced the award of a $64,655 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to Wor-Wic Community College in Salisbury. The award is a discretionary grant through the Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training Grant Program. The goals of the grant program include expanding the number of commercial driver license (CDL) holders possessing enhanced operator safety training and to assist veterans and their spouses to receive training to transition to the commercial motor vehicle industry.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, July 23rd, Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) announced an award of $468,500 for the Farm-Fish-Food Program of the Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center, Inc. The grant is provided by the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The Farm-Fish-Food Program intends to invest funds in eastern and southern Maryland to address agriculture, aquaculture, and environmental challenges.
Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) made the following statement on raising the minimum wage to $15, an effort taken up by the U.S. House of Representatives this week:
"The CBO estimates we will lose up to 3.7 million jobs by increasing the minimum wage to $15 on a federal level. The last thing we need is to slow the economy."
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Harris praised the Northrop Grumman facility in Elkton for its participation in a collaborative weapons program with Raytheon - the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program.
WASHINGTON, DC: On May 6th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the imminent finalization of the rule providing for the release of 30,000 additional H-2B visas for the summer season of Fiscal Year 2019. Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) has spearheaded the effort to secure these extra visas both in the House of Representatives and in the Maryland delegation, and made the following statement supporting the DHS' decision to increase the allotted amount of H-2B visas:
WASHINGTON, DC: Today, the House Committee on Appropriations is considering the FY19 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) authored, and the committee approved, an amendment to permanently fix the H-2B visa program. The seafood processing industry and other employers on Maryland's Eastern Shore depend on this program to hire temporary workers when they cannot find Americans interested in their job openings. Congressman Harris made the following statement after the amendment was passed:
CENTREVILLE — In a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristjen Nielsen dated June 26, Republican Congressman Andy Harris, R-1st, along with 82 other U.S. Representatives, urged for more H-2B visas.
WASHINGTON, DC: On June 26, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) sent a bipartisan letter, signed by 82 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristjen Nielsen in support of the H-2B visa program. The letter urges the Department of Homeland Security to issue additional H-2B nonimmigrant temporary workers visas, in response to historically high demand for H-2B visas this year. These visas are used by seasonal industries, including the Eastern Shore's seafood processing industry, when businesses are unable to find American workers.