Susan M. Collins was interviewed by Reuters at last week's Jackson Hole Summit. Asked about economic policies that might address the high unemployment rate in the United States, Collins says that monetary policy has already gone a long way, citing the Fed's recent commitment to keep interest rates low through 2013.
Therefore, says Collins, fiscal policies need to take center stage. In the longer term, she cites the need to further leverage U.S. connections with the global economy, where growth has been driven primarily by emerging economies over the past several decades. In the short run, Collins endorses the idea of a repatriation tax holiday that would be tied directly to job creation.