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.
“Today, Americans join together to honor the men and women who help make our nation and its businesses so successful. Despite a challenging economy, our country’s workers have continued to show extraordinary innovation and determination to out-produce our competitors. Our nation has a long history of striving to create more opportunities for our people to enter the middle class, and Labor Day is the perfect opportunity to renew our commitment to an opportunity-driven economy that works for working families.
“CBO’s update of its Budget and Economic Outlook released this morning couldn’t paint a clearer picture of our fiscal challenges. If Congress fails to resolve the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ by the end of this year, according to the CBO’s projections, the first half of 2013 will plunge us back into recession and sharply increase unemployment.
“I commend the Obama Administration for continuing to make manufacturing revitalization a top priority by announcing a new National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Youngstown, Ohio. This public-private partnership will begin laying the groundwork for the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation the President proposed earlier this year and remains an important part of House Democrats’ Make It In America jobs plan.
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
Yesterday, Republicans left town without completing work on a number of critical items, including giving certainty to American families that they will not see their taxes increase in January. Republicans chose confrontation over compromise by rejecting a bill already passed by the Senate that provides all Americans with a tax cut for income up to $200,000 for an individual and $250,000 for a couple.
“While I am encouraged that our economy is continuing to add private sector jobs for the twenty-ninth consecutive month, with 172,000 private sector jobs created in July, more must be done to move our jobs recovery forward. Unfortunately, House Republicans continue to pursue an extreme, ideological agenda instead of focusing on jobs or economic growth. Just this week, House Republicans once again walked away from the American people when they left town for the summer with a long list of critical work left undone, including failing to provide economic certainty to families by providing tax relief for middle class Americans.
“After thirty-four consecutive months of robust growth, our manufacturing sector contracted slightly in July for the second month in a row, a sign we must do more to help manufacturers invest in new products, expand into new markets, and grow for the future. But manufacturing companies are hampered by a deepening sense of uncertainty created by the lack of a serious effort by this Congress to enact comprehensive jobs legislation and make the investments we need in out-educating, out-innovating, and out-building our overseas competitors.
“Today’s Mid-Session Review by the Office of Management and Budget tell us what we already know – that we must get our deficits under control. The way to achieve that is by pursuing a big and balanced deficit reduction solution this year, as both the President and House Democrats proposed in our budgets.
“This morning’s report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis that our GDP growth slowed to a 1.5% rate last quarter shows the need for Congress to act to get our economy moving in the right direction. But instead of passing comprehensive jobs legislation or middle class tax relief, House Republicans have wasted time this year on partisan, political message bills.
“The Senate’s passage of a tax cut extension for middle-class families and nearly every small business in America must be a signal to House Republicans that they can no longer hold middle class tax relief hostage in return for tax breaks for the wealthiest 2%. After yesterday’s vote in the Senate, House Republicans are now the only ones standing in the way of keeping tax rates low for earnings up to $250,000 – something that should be done without delay.
By now you have probably heard House Republicans try to tout their so-called “jobs plan” as they try and explain to voters what they have been doing for the last 18 months.