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.
Today, President Obama is signing into law the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act, a key piece of Democrats’ “Make it in America” agenda that supports increased manufacturing in the U.S. and creating more manufacturing jobs right here at home. Yesterday, he signed two other Make it in America bills into law, meaning three components of the manufacturing agenda have now been enacted:
I'm pleased the President signed another piece of Democrats' Make it in America agenda into law today. Manufacturing is a critical sector of our economy, vital to both our economic recovery and to our national security. No other sector can replace manufacturing, and Democrats are committed to restoring a vibrant and strong manufacturing base in the U.S. The bill signed into law today, the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act, will make it cheaper for manufacturers to get the materials they need to make their products right here in America, spurring more manufacturing and supporting an estimated 90,000 manufacturing jobs across the country.
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) discussed Democratic efforts to save jobs on CNBC's Squawkbox this morning.
While millions of Americans are still hurting from the Great Recession and more work remains, America is starting to move forward and cannot go back to the failed Bush policies.
Today, the Senate passed important legislation to save 290,000 jobs and help states continue providing a range of essential services, from school programs to health care, without adding to the deficit.