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.
"As Secretary of Labor over the past four years, Hilda Solis has been a tireless advocate for job creation and workers' rights. I was privileged not only to serve with Hilda in the House but also to work closely with her during her stewardship of the Labor Department, where she was a key ally for Democrats as we developed and passed components of our Make It In America plan to grow our manufacturing sector. I join in thanking her for her exemplary service to our workers, their families, and all who work hard for a good job and the middle-class opportunities all Americans deserve."
“The report released this morning by the Institute for Supply Management shows new gains for America’s manufacturing sector, including in sector employment, and confirms that manufacturing remains a bright spot in our economic recovery. After a brief contraction in November, manufacturing grew once more last month, and the December 2012 report confirms that our economy overall continued to expand for the 43rd consecutive month.
"President Obama is correct: the time for immediate action to avert the fiscal cliff is here. If Congress does not act, in just a few days middle class families will see their taxes go up, arbitrary spending cuts will begin to take effect, and a number of additional critical items like unemployment insurance will go unaddressed. ...
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
This week, House Republicans wasted time on a partisan proposal instead of working with Democrats to reach a balanced, bipartisan agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff. Instead of continuing negotiations with President Obama on a responsible solution that includes both spending cuts and new revenue to restore our country’s fiscal sustainability, House Republicans attempted to hold a vote on partisan legislation that would
“I think President Obama has made it very clear that he has been willing to move. He has moved both on revenues and on cuts and spending. But he has not met with any kind of positive response to this point in time. I think Speaker [John] Boehner wants to get a deal. Whatever happened last night it did not eliminate the risk that the cliff causes our economy, and our people. It's incumbent upon us, therefore, to continue to work towards a solution and to reach a solution prior to the end of the year.”
“We still need to focus on not going over the cliff. Not going over the cliff is I think a priority for us. That's not good for the country, not good for the economy, not good for the confidence of the American people.”
Wanted to make sure you saw today's op-ed by Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX) in Politico about the need for a balanced solution to our deficits. To read the op-ed, click here or see below:
It think it's a positive sign once again that the President and [Speaker] John Boehner are sitting down. I've talked to both of them. They both want to get to an agreement. ... Nobody's walking away from the table. The stakes are very high here, the hopes of America are keen on us getting to success, and failure is going to have real consequences, so I'm very hopeful that [Speaker] John Boehner and President Obama … are talking [about] a way to get us to an agreement that Congress can consider and hopefully pass so that America will have the confidence that we have placed ourselves on a fiscally-sustainable, credible path for the long-term. I think that's what America wants.
Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I thank my friend for yielding. I want to thank the Chairman of the Rules Committee for his efforts as well. Ladies and gentlemen of this House, we talk a lot, correctly, about creating certainty, alleviating uncertainty – alleviating angst among our people and among our economy. We have an opportunity to bring certainty to a large segment of America that they will not receive a tax increase on January 1.