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.
We wanted to be sure you saw the latest effort from business community leaders urging Republican leaders to schedule a vote on reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank:
Mr. Speaker, we are now less than a month from the deadline for Congress to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank.
Even as the June 30 deadline to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank’s charter nears, House Republican leaders refuse to take responsible action to reauthorize the Bank.
Majority Leader McCarthy claims in his memo outlining the House Floor schedule for the month of June that House Republicans want to “preserve American interests abroad, grow our economy, and increase commerce.” Well that's interesting, because the bill that would help accomplish all of those objectives is nowhere to be found on his list. Which bill is that? A long-term reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. As a reminder, the Ex-Im Bank:
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the COMPETES reauthorization act, which is an attempt to disinvest, in my view, in research, innovation, and education at a time when we ought to be investing in those areas even more greatly.
As the June 30 deadline for reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank nears, House Republican leaders continue to cater to the far-right wing of their party instead of the American business owners they represent, who receive export financing assistance that helps them compete with businesses overseas.
Wanted to be sure you saw today’s column by General James L. Jones – former National Security Advisor, supreme allied commander Europe, and commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps – in USA Today with some choice words for Ex-Im Bank opponents on why we need to reauthorize the Bank’s charter before it expires on June 30. Here’s a look at key excerpts:
I rise in support of this sixty-day extension, because it's essential that we do this. The consequences of not doing it would be very, very negative.
This week, the House will vote on H.R. 1806, House Republicans’ partisan bill to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act. Unlike the original bill in 2007 and the reauthorization in 2010, which both passed with strong bipartisan support, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015 was reported by the Science Committee on a party line basis and has no chance of being signed into law.
At the end of May, the Highway Trust Fund is set to expire.