There is no doubt that these have been tough times. And they are very tough for the many Americans who are looking for work. So we must keep finding ways to help the unemployed in the short term and rebuild the middle class over the long term.

President Obama has focused on that challenge since his first day in office. And it’s why he addressed Congress this week to lay out the way forward to grow the economy and create jobs. There are common-sense steps we can take right now.

We have roads, bridges, water systems, rail lines, and dams across this country that need rebuilding. As I have traveled through Indiana, I have seen drinking water systems with 4-inch pipes so corroded that only 3/4-inch of the pipe is open for water to flow through.

I have seen waste water treatment facilities literally held together with plastic zip ties and the external walls ready to collapse. This failing infrastructure is inherent throughout rural Indiana. I am sure that this is common in urban communities as well.

We have private companies with the equipment and know-how to do it. Nationally, we have more than 1 million unemployed construction workers ready to take on the job of rebuilding our communities. And we can help put these folks to work now if both parties in Washington can come together to make it happen.

The President wants to extend the payroll tax cut for working families, putting an extra 1,500 dollars in the pockets of those families. It is one of the best ways to increase consumer demand – creating more work for businesses and more jobs for workers.

This approach received bipartisan support before and needs Republicans and Democrats working together to continue it.

The President wants to make it easier to help small businesses put people back to work. Especially our returning veterans, by offering tax credits for each new job created. Under his plan, 110,000 firms in Indiana would receive payroll tax cuts. President Obama wants to help state and local governments. Police, firefighters and other first responders continue to need the resources necessary to provide a safe and better environment for our families.

USDA Rural Development has been working to pursue some of these same strategies by assisting rural communities in providing the infrastructure and supporting innovative businesses that are the key to job creation, retention and expansion.

USDA Rural Development assists with building basic infrastructure that supports economic development in rural communities, including electricity, water systems, broadband, and housing. We create and sustain rural job opportunities and support entrepreneurs from the micro-enterprise level to large-scale manufacturing, so those who live in rural communities don’t have to commute to metropolitan areas in order to support their families and pay their mortgages.

In partnership with other public and private sector businesses, Rural Development programs have created or saved hundreds of thousands of American jobs and continues to improve the economic climate of rural areas by helping create additional job opportunities for the under-served rural areas and populations.

Folks in rural America know that in difficult times, we need to come together to hammer out a solution that benefits everyone. And elected leaders in Washington need to do the same as they work to support job growth and build a stronger future for all Americans.

Lehmkuhler is the State Director of the USDA Rural Development Agency in Indiana.