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.
The fact of the matter is, of course, the economic environment since President Obama took office has substantially improved, incredibly improved.
Once again, Republicans are falling short on their promises to support job creation. Not only will their effort to repeal the ACA without a replacement #MakeAmericaSickAgain, but a new report shows that it will also cost millions of jobs.
From CNBC:
Working Americans should be disappointed by President-Elect Trump’s choice for Secretary of Labor.
I’m glad that President Obama has responded to the letter that I and other Democratic Members sent this week asking for civilian-military pay parity by announcing that all federal employees will be receiving a 2.1% pay increase next year.
As the Republican-led 114th Congress comes to an end, it’s clear that this Congress has become yet another closed, unproductive, do-nothing Congress.
With our economy adding another 156,000 private sector jobs in November, we are continuing to see strong job gains, in large part due to the efforts of Democrats and President Obama in the aftermath of the Great Recession.
Today, the Department of Labor’s overtime rule would have taken effect, providing a pay raise to four million workers across our economy and boosting wages by $12 billion over the next ten years.
I am very disappointed by this ruling, which is a blow to working families across our country, who deserve to see their hard work translate into higher incomes and greater opportunity.
Over the past eight years, we've seen our economy go from losing hundreds of thousands of jobs a month to a historic turnaround with more than six years of consecutive job growth.
"Over the past eight years, we've seen our economy go from losing hundreds of thousands of jobs a month to a historic turnaround with more than six years of consecutive job growth. According to the report released this morning, the month of October continued that trend, with 142,000 private sector jobs added and the unemployment rate dropping to 4.9%. Our recovery has been strong, but its benefits must be felt more widely before we can truly move the American economy from recovery to resurgence. Unless Congress plays a constructive role, that won't happen.
"While the private sector was working hard to surge back, this Republican-led Congress did just about everything to stand in its way. One manufactured crisis after another brought dangerous uncertainty that has held back private sector investment in expanding businesses and hiring more workers. And as our economy has recovered, this Republican-led Congress has failed to address the uneven nature of our recovery, in which working families and the middle class have not experienced the growth in wages and opportunities that they have earned.
"That's why House Democrats will continue to promote policies that encourage private sector growth that creates good jobs. Through our Make It In America plan and our proposals to raise the minimum wage, ensure equal pay for women, and bring down the cost of higher education, we aim to put the full measure of the American Dream within reach for all who work hard in our economy. Because everyone who works hard deserves not just to scrape by but to get ahead.
"If entrusted with the Majority next year, we will bring an end to the manufactured crises and constant gridlock that has prevented Congress from being a full partner with the private sector in creating jobs and opportunity. We must not turn the clock back to recession but continue moving our country forward. House Democrats are ready to do so by working tirelessly on behalf of working families and the middle class."
The report released on Friday by the Treasury Department demonstrates both the enormous progress made under President Obama to bring deficits down as well as the significant challenges that still remain to achieve fiscal sustainability.