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.
This week, House Republicans are bringing a partisan highway bill to the Floor that destroys jobs, rolls back safety standards and does not meet our country’s infrastructure needs. Instead of working with Democrats on bipartisan legislation to rebuild and modernize our infrastructure, House Republicans have continued their ideological streak by hijacking a traditionally bipartisan issue and putting forward a partisan bill that destroys 550,000 American jobs and makes drastic cuts to surface transportation funding.
Yesterday, President Obama unveiled his budget for fiscal year 2013, which builds on the Blueprint for an America Built to Last that he laid out in his State of the Union address. This Blueprint aims to strengthen the economy and create middle class jobs by bolstering the manufacturing sector, a bright spot in our economic recovery. This focus on manufacturing complements House Democrats’ Make It In America plan – a plan to create jobs by cultivating an encouraging environment for businesses to innovate and make products here in the U.S.
Today, President Obama laid out his budget proposal for the next fiscal year, and I am pleased that it places a strong emphasis on investments in education, innovation, and infrastructure. His budget builds on the blueprint he laid out during his State of the Union address last month – a blueprint that reflects the core commitment to job creation and the middle class in House Democrats’ Make It In America jobs plan. Manufacturing will be key to our long-term recovery, and I am glad that the President’s budget includes provisions that will help us remain the world’s manufacturing leader and a place where innovation fuels the creation of middle class jobs for years to come.
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) discussed Republicans’ lack of a jobs plan and the need to extend payroll tax cuts, unemployment insurance and the Medicare physician payment rate before they expire on The Bill Press Show today.
Today marks 400 days since Republicans took control of the House majority and have not put forward a comprehensive jobs plan to help put more Americans back to work. After promising to focus on job creation and economic growth nine times since taking the majority, House Republicans have fallen short.
Today’s report showed our economy added 257,000 private sector jobs in January, lowering our unemployment rate to 8.3%. While it is a welcome sign that the pace of hiring has increased, and our economy experienced the twenty-third month of consecutive private sector job growth, 13 million Americans remain out of work and looking for jobs as we continue our still fragile recovery.
Instead of spending time working with Democrats to pass a comprehensive jobs plan, extend middle class tax cuts, or find a solution to our deficit problem, Republicans have wasted time on these two process bills. Not only do they fail to bring us closer to finding a solution, but they only serve to tamper with the non-partisan judges we rely on at the Congressional Budget Office to provide unbiased budget analysis.
The manufacturing sector grew at its fastest rate since last summer as new orders picked up pace, contributing to the economy's strong start this year.
Over the past year, House Republicans have claimed over and over again that their focus is on jobs and the economy. Unfortunately, their record doesn’t match up with their rhetoric.
Instead of focusing on job creation or taking meaningful action on the deficit, House Republicans are considering partisan bills that change the longstanding rules about how the CBO does its work this week. These bills will not make the budget process more efficient and won’t do anything to bring down the deficit.