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 Statement on May Jobs Report
WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the May jobs report: 
Hoyer Statement on the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act
Earlier this month, the House passed the Heroes Act to fix issues that had arisen with regard to the initial drafting of the CARES Act, including provisions that created the Paycheck Protection Program.  
Hoyer Statement on April Jobs Report
April’s jobs report reveals the overwhelming extent to which measures necessary to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the economic well being of millions of Americans.
Hoyer Statement on the Unemployment Insurance Claims Report
With another 3.8 million Americans filing for unemployment insurance last week, bringing the six week total to nearly one in five working Americans, it is clear that Congress must do more to help those harmed by the economic impacts of our fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Hoyer Statement on GDP for First Quarter 2020
The steep contraction in our economy in the first quarter of 2020 is alarming but not unexpected. We know this is only the leading edge of the downturn, and economic growth, unemployment, and poverty in the second quarter will be much worse.
Hoyer Statement on the Unemployment Insurance Claims Report
The House has taken action today, but our work is far from complete.  There is broad understanding that the scope of this crisis is far wider than the scope of the relief offered in today’s interim bill and that therefore the House will need to take further action soon. 
Hoyer Statement on the Unemployment Insurance Claims Report
Today’s report that an additional 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance last week reflects the depth of this crisis and its impact on the economic well-being of working families across the country.
Hoyer Statement on March Jobs Report
This morning's jobs report reflects the loss of jobs as the economy shuts down while we work to stop the spread of coronavirus.  Unfortunately, this report doesn't even show the full extent of the economic pain millions of Americans are experiencing. The unemployment rate, which went from 3.5% to 4.4%, was the largest monthly rate increase since 1975 - and it only reflects data through the middle of March, before many stay-at-home orders began. 
 
Hoyer Statement on Equal Pay Day
Each year, on Equal Pay Day, we count the number of extra weeks from the start of the new year that women have to work, on average, to earn the same pay as men in the previous year for the same work.  This pay gap is even more pronounced for women of color. 
Hoyer Statement on the President’s Address to the Nation on the Coronavirus Pandemic
Tonight, the President finally did what he should have done weeks ago: take this crisis seriously and address the nation about his Administration's strategy to deal with coronavirus. While he still failed to confront the hard truths of this challenge or answer important questions - including why officials still do not have enough testing kits and how he is going to address that shortage - President Trump at last shared steps he intends to take in the days and weeks ahead.