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.
Yesterday, Republicans unveiled a more-of-the-same budget for fiscal year 2013 that ends the Medicare guarantee while protecting tax cuts for the wealthy, and puts our economic recovery at risk. The Republican budget makes the wrong choices and places the burden of deficit reduction onto seniors, the middle class, working families, and the most vulnerable by refusing to ask the wealthiest among us to contribute. Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan called on the American people to make a choice between two futuresfor our nation. Here’s a look at our future under the Republican budget – and the future Democrats envision instead.
Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member George Miller, Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, and Rep. John Tierney introduced the Workforce Investment Act of 2012.
Today, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan is unveiling the House Republican budget. In addition to ending the Medicare guarantee, their budget has broken the agreement made by Speaker Boehner last year as part of the Budget Control Act by setting spending levels below the level Republicans agreed to.
"After weeks of watching House Republicans attempt unsuccessfully to bring a highway bill to the Floor, today the Senate passed bipartisan legislation in the long tradition of working together on investing in our transportation infrastructure...
President Obama’s announcement today of a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation represents a major step in our efforts to revitalize manufacturing in this country and remain the world’s innovation leader.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Report out today, February marked two years of consecutive month-to-month growth in private sector employment. This is a strong sign that our economy is recovering and that our country is on the right path forward. Last month the American economy added 233,000 private sector jobs. This is progress, but as long as millions of Americans remain out of work we cannot afford to let our focus shift away from those still out of work and trying hard to find jobs.
Wanted to make sure you saw this Washington Post article from Dana Milbank on the Republican distortions on gas prices.
Democrats are committed to an all-of-the-above energy strategy, while Republicans seem to be committed to little more than drilling and distorting the facts.
Our budgets reflect our values and the direction we want for this country in the year ahead – and for several years beyond. With our economic recovery gathering momentum, we ought to ensure that our budget for Fiscal Year 2013 strengthens that recovery and helps American businesses create jobs that grow our middle class.
I rise in strong support of these six pieces of legislation, which have been put together and called a jobs bill. I think they will have a positive effect on economic growth in our country. I think they are good bills. I particularly support the Himes bill, currently called the Quayle bill, but I’m pleased to support it, by whoever's name it might have on it. Four out of the six components of this legislation have already been previously considered and passed overwhelmingly, so this is a recycle – but doing a good thing twice is not bad, so I’m going to vote for it and I’m going to be enthusiastic about voting for it. As a matter of fact, I suggested a number of these ideas on our side of the aisle.
Right now, Congress ought to be doing everything it can to help our businesses compete in the global marketplace so they can create jobs here in America. A big part of that is making sure they can also compete domestically. I have always believed that our workers create the best products, which will always do well when there is a level playing field, and when countries unfairly subsidize their companies exports, we must use all the WTO-consistent tools at our disposal to level that playing field.