Politics

Oversight committee makes NLRB-Boeing fight personal

Paul Begala Contributor
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Having already sunk its teeth into the ATF’s “Fast and Furious” this year, not to mention “celebrating” the anniversary of President Obama’s “recovery summer,” Rep. Darell Issa’s Oversight Committee has set its sights on the government’s regulatory efforts, highlighting its negative effects in a new video series.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform put a name and face to the NLRB-Boeing fight Tuesday with the launch of its “Voices of Recovery.” The first video features Neil Whitman, president of a South Carolina staffing company, who testified before the committee in June regarding the recent controversy over NLRB’s lawsuit against Boeing.

The Oversight Committee chose to begin the series with Whitman as he is “the face of the cost of government regulation,” according those familiar with the project. The series is also part of Republican’s American’s Job Creator’s Program, meant to show voters the GOPs positive efforts to improve the troubled economy.

“Listening to front-line entrepreneurs like Neil is what AmericanJobCreators.com is all about. For too long, Washington has ignored clear evidence that flawed regulations cost jobs and opportunity for American small businesses,” Darrell Issa told The Daily Caller. “House Republicans are pursuing meaningful regulatory reform so that the millions of Americans like Neil are free to compete, provide jobs for their communities and power the private-sector recovery currently stifled by costly government regulations.”

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The NLRB-Boeing case has become a national issue, with congressmen and lobbyist groups from both sides weighing in. Even the candidates for Virginia’s U.S. Senate seat are wading into the heated waters. The Oversight committee is clearly trying to frame the argument in personal terms, of how the NLRB suit will hamper job creation on the ground in South Carolina.

During his testimony, Whitman called the 2009 Boeing decision to move to Charleston, S.C., a “game changer for our area” and “great potential for my small business.”

Whitman testified to the committee that his company would benefit from Boeing’s expansion into the state’s Lowcountry were it not for the interference of the Obama administration’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Those familiar with the project said the Oversight Committee has several “Voices” taped and plans to roll out the series in the near future.

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