*Economic Opportunity
Fifty years ago, President Johnson said this on the War on Poverty. He so boldly declared – now, I am old enough that I heard him say this, and I was excited about it: ‘It will not be a short or easy struggle.
This Congress we launched the Make It In America plan with an important premise in mind: every American who wants to work hard and take responsibility ought to have a job that pays well and opens doors of opportunity to the middle class.
Last week, Majority Leader Eric Cantor released a memo detailing the House’s legislative agenda for the month of June. Although the memo touches on several legislative priorities, including three appropriations bills, there are important priorities missing from his agenda.
Our economy continued to add private sector jobs in May at a steady pace, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics announcing this morning that 216,000 private sector jobs were created last month.
Today’s announcement by the Commerce Department that the first twelve Manufacturing Communities have been selected as part of the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership demonstrates the Administration’s commitment to job creation and growing America’s manufacturing sector.
On Sunday, we mark the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which I was proud to cosponsor and work to pass in the days after Democrats took control of Congress.
Promoting the growth of U.S. exports remains one of the core components of the Make It in America plan for jobs and competitiveness, and I welcome the Administration’s announcement today of a new phase in the National Export Initiative.
Today on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, former Massachusetts Governor and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney joined Republicans Rick Santorum and Tim Pawlenty in voicing support for raising the minimum wage:
Mr. Speaker, what a waste of the people's time for Congress to spend this week on politics and not policy. We are about to vote on a resolution that is really a partisan political message.
This morning, there was a room available for some of the citizens of our country to come to Washington and their Capitol – their Capitol, with their office building, and their office and tell their story. They cut us off.