Jobs & the Economy

Creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity continues to be Democrats’ top priority.

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.

Related
Hoyer Floor Remarks on the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act
Madam Speaker, the global climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. We must confront climate change, and an essential part of that is investing in clean energy innovation. This alone is certainly not going be enough to address the climate crisis we face. But it is a critical step forward that we can and must take right now.
Hoyer Statement on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act​​​​​​​
Today, the Democratic-led House passed major legislation to protect women in our workforce.  The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which would require employers to make reasonable accommodations in work conditions for employees who are pregnant, will remove barriers for women in workplaces as they seek to balance their careers with family life. 
Hoyer Statement on August Jobs Report
The jobs report for August makes it clear that millions of Americans are still struggling without work, and we have a long way to go before we recover from this crisis. While the unemployment rate improved slightly, the massive scope of Americans still out of work means we have far more work to do to build back better.
Hoyer Statement on the 85th Anniversary of the Social Security Act
Eighty-five years ago today, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, ensuring that American seniors would never again have to worry about going destitute in their later years.
Hoyer Statement on July Jobs Report
While I am relieved the unemployment rate fell slightly in July, there is little to celebrate.  At 10.2%, it is still above the worst month of the Great Recession, and the pace of job gains slowed again last month.
Republicans to Unemployed Americans: You’re On Your Own
After hitting “pause” on coronavirus relief, President Trump and Congressional Republicans are about to let enhanced unemployment assistance expire for over 30 million Americans – one in five workers – who are unemployed through no fault of their own.
Hoyer Statement on House Passage of the Water Resources Development Act Reauthorization
I am pleased that the House was able to come together in a bipartisan vote to reauthorize the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) in a way that invests in upgrading and protecting America’s vital waterways and water infrastructure.  I’ve been proud to lead the Make It In America agenda for jobs and opportunities, and strengthening infrastructure, as this bill does, is a key component of that plan.  American businesses and workers depend on safe and efficient ports, harbors, and navigable rivers to transport goods to market and access raw materials.  Communities also depend on water infrastructure to protect against flooding and ensure that the water they use for drinking and agriculture is clean and safe. 
 
Hoyer Statement on the Bureau of Economic Analysis' Second Quarter GDP Report
“The second quarter GDP report released this morning by the Bureau of Economic Analysis ought to alarm every American.  GDP contracted at an unprecedented 33% annual rate, revealing the historic scale of the economic fallout from this crisis.  There should now be no question that Congress and the President must come together and pass a relief package large enough to meet this moment.  
 
Hoyer Statement on the CBO's Ten-Year Economic Outlook Report
Today’s updated Economic Outlook by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) should serve as a call to action.  CBO unambiguously projects a challenge of unprecedented scale and scope.  Even after the extraordinary economic response in the CARES Act, unemployment will remain much higher and economic activity much lower for far longer than should be acceptable to any of us.   
Hoyer Statement on June Jobs Report
While the jobs numbers released today demonstrate an improvement from the period after this pandemic first forced the closure of large parts of our economy, the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and the subsequent decision in many states to pause or reverse re-opening plans threatens to halt the economic progress we had been making and further delay the recovery for millions of Americans who remain out of work.  Having recovered one-third of jobs lost to this crisis is good news; but the reality that two-thirds of Americans who lost their jobs are still out of work is a sobering reality.  As the extraordinary response of the CARES Act winds down, we are still a long way from a full recovery.