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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.


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Today is the last opportunity for millions of Americans to file their taxes, and for many it is a reminder of the tangible contribution each of us makes in making the country we love safer, stronger, and more reflective of its core values.

Today, on Equal Pay Day, we rededicate ourselves to the task of ensuring that working men and women have equal access to the opportunities that allow them to achieve the American Dream.

I’m pleased to join with Rep. Rosa DeLauro and other House Democrats to reintroduce the Paycheck Fairness Act today in the 114th Congress, and I thank Senator Barbara Mikulski for reintroducing it in the Senate. 

The House Democratic budget proposal unveiled today by Ranking Member Van Hollen is a responsible alternative to Republicans’ short-sighted proposal to disinvest in America’s future while pursuing a strategy of selective sequestration. 

This week, House Republicans unveiled their budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2016. Congress should be making the tough choices needed to grow our economy and expand middle-class opportunities for American families, while promoting fiscal responsibility.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, I rise in very strong opposition to this resolution, and I urge every one of my Members to oppose this resolution.

Today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics marks the sixtieth month of consecutive job growth for our private sector, with 288,000 new jobs created in February and 1.75 million over the last 12 months.  

The New Democrats’ American Prosperity Agenda is a blueprint for achieving the kind of commonsense, bipartisan economic policies the American people expect from their Congress.

I appreciate this opportunity to talk about how the budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2016 ought to guide our country in the direction of growth that is felt broadly, expanded opportunity, and a more competitive economy not just for today but for generations to come

I was proud to join Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters, Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Gwen Moore, and Rep. Denny Heck in introducing a seven-year reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. Businesses across the country benefit from the support they receive from the Bank, which helps them access and compete in overseas markets.