Jobs & the Economy
Throughout the 117th Congress, House Democrats have partnered with President Biden to enact policies that expand economic opportunity for businesses, workers, and communities across America. Under President Biden and Congressional Democrats, the unemployment rate is at its lowest in more than 50 years with more than 10 million jobs created, helping more of our people get ahead in today’s economy and Make It In America.
Democrats pursue an economic agenda that helps American businesses create good-paying jobs and ensure that workers have the tools not only to get by but to get ahead in our global economy. From raising the minimum wage to providing skills training and apprenticeship opportunities to ensuring equal pay for equal work, from making childcare more affordable to making it easier to save for retirement, Democrats’ economic policies are aimed at helping workers and their families attain real economic security at every stage of life.
Democrats have also delivered historic legislation investing in infrastructure and greater access to high-speed internet, taking the lead in the clean-energy economy, and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. The generational Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has already begun to expand economic opportunity for Americans in communities across the country and takes action to repair our nation’s roads, bridges, ports, and other infrastructure while creating nearly 1.5 million jobs annually over the next decade. It contains the first major American investment in climate resilience to help communities upgrade their critical infrastructure and mitigate the impact of climate change-driven extreme weather. Likewise, the Inflation Reduction Act also advances America’s clean energy goals, turbocharging clean energy research and transmission while promoting electric vehicle domestic manufacturing to reduce American dependence on gasoline while revitalizing our auto industry.
The CHIPS and Science Act includes bipartisan measures to revitalize the domestic semiconductor industry and spur research. By strengthening domestic supply chains, this law acts directly to accelerate American innovation in the long-term while acting immediately to address inflation and create good paying jobs. House Democrats will continue to champion skills training and education at every level – from early childhood learning through higher education – to prepare our people for success and advancement in a changing economy. In all of these efforts, Democrats will continue to look for ways to make access to opportunities more equitable and to combat the lingering effects of legalized discrimination that continue to make it harder for minorities to access credit for loans, seek investment capital for startups, and build wealth to pass on to the next generation.
With historic job creation under President Biden, House Democrats will continue to advance policies that expand economic opportunity for working families, support small businesses, and create better-paying jobs.
A chronic shortage of engineering students threatens America’s role as the world’s leading innovator and continues to impede our nation’s fragile economic recovery. Over the past 20 years, the percentage of engineers graduating in the United States has stagnated, while India and China surpass us with rapid progress.
“I’m disappointed that House Republicans still do not have a real, comprehensive jobs agenda that will create the millions of jobs we need to get Americans back to work. Instead they have a list of proposals to end regulations intended to protect consumers and the environment, making their agenda more about partisan ideology than jobs. While it’s important to continually review regulations to ensure they strike the right balance between protecting consumers and allowing businesses to grow, that is not a jobs agenda. Democrats’ have a real jobs agenda: the Make It In America plan to restore economic growth by creating manufacturing jobs and revitalizing American industry and innovation. I hope this Fall Republicans will work with us to move pieces of this plan forward so more families will make it in America.”
Today, Majority Leader Cantor unveiled a more-of-the-same agenda that isn’t a plan to create jobs. In their first eight months in the House majority, Republicans did not put forward a jobs plan and wasted taxpayer money trying to repeal Democratic policies that protect middle class families and seniors. And from what we’ve seen today, Republicans will return to Washington next week without a real plan to create jobs or grow the economy.
I welcome President Obama's nomination of Alan Krueger to be the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. An experienced public servant, Krueger's expertise will help our efforts to grow our economy, create jobs and address the causes of long-term unemployment. I look forward to working with Mr. Krueger and President Obama to create jobs, advance the Democrats' Make It In America plan and help get more Americans back to work.
"I believe that Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke was correct today when he observed that partisan brinksmanship over the debt limit damaged financial markets and the American economy. Now that both parties have named the members of the bipartisan joint committee on the deficit, it is time to address our nation's serious budget challenges with less concern for partisan advantage, and more concern for the common good and our shared fiscal future...
"The Congressional Budget Office's updated Budget and Economic Outlook released today reflects the seriousness of our nation's deficit problem, as well as our continuing need to create jobs...
It’s been another rough week for Republicans back home in their districts as they try defending tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while putting the burden of deficit reduction on the middle class and seniors.
Wanted to be sure you saw this Washington Post article today highlighting the Republicans’ agenda since taking the House majority eight months ago. You’ll notice the article says little about action they’ve taken to support job creation.
Today’s op-ed by Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor is pretty remarkable for several reasons. First, they’re already taking revenues off the table before the Joint Committee has even begun its work. And second, they’re completely incorrect in suggesting that Democrats agree that we should tackle entitlement reform while leaving revenues off the table:
This afternoon, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that she has selected Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn, Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Xavier Becerra, and Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen to represent House Democrats on the joint bipartisan committee on deficit reduction. Reps. Clyburn, Becerra, and Van Hollen will bring to the process a strong grasp of the issues confronting our budget and a strong commitment to standing up for the needs of middle-class Americans while bringing our deficit under control and working to create jobs. I'm confident they will represent the views of our caucus and work diligently to reach a balanced agreement that will reduce the deficit and put our nation back on a fiscally sustainable path.