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 can’t be the WSJ editorial Republicans hoped to wake up to this morning:
Last fall, House Republicans unveiled their Pledge to America, promising to provide transparency by restoring “regular order” and addressing major legislative items one issue at a time.
A year later, it’s clear that the GOP has fallen short on their promises:
This morning, Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee tried to blame Democrats for any potential lapse in the payroll tax extension—despite House Republicans’ refusal to bring to the floor a measure to ensure there will not be a middle class tax increase that passed the Senate with 89 votes.
It is December 20th, and the Republicans are using it as a day to dissemble, pretending to support a tax cut for working Americans, while making it uncertain and delayed. We – of course, as we all know – could pass the Senate bill by 2pm today, send it to the President, and provide certainty to working Americans, come January 1st, that their taxes will not go up.
What they did was – in consultation with John Boehner – came to an agreement. That agreement had 89 Senators out of 100 agree on a proposition that would continue the middle class tax cut, would give certainty and assurance that as of January 1st there wouldn't be a tax [increase], would give 48 million Americans assurance that they would still have access to their Medicare doctors, and would give 2.3 million Americans an assurance they wouldn't lose their unemployment insurance and therefore their ability to support themselves and their families.
Continuing the House Republicans’ pattern of walking away from compromise, they are refusing to hold a vote on the bipartisan Senate bill that will prevent a middle class tax increase as we continue to work on a year-long extension. We must give certainty to American families that on January 1 they will not see their taxes go up, they will not lose unemployment assistance, and seniors will not lose access to their doctors. By blocking a vote on the Senate bill, House Republicans will be responsible for increasing taxes on families and putting our economy at risk.
Today House Republicans are proving our point that they don’t like middle class tax cuts by refusing to bring the bipartisan Senate compromise bill to the Floor for a vote. As a result, Republicans will be responsible when middle class families see their tax increases on January 1. Throughout this year, Republicans have stood on the side of the wealthiest Americans at the expense of middle class families.
From the Democratic Whip Press Shop:
This is not in fact a partisan issue. Thirty-nine Republicans, 83 percent of Republicans in the United States Senate voted for this and the American people are saying if 83 percent of the Republicans and almost 100 percent of Democrats are for something, why can’t you come to agreement in Washington, DC? That’s the question we ought to be asking Speaker Boehner – why can’t you take yes for an answer? Why can’t we give the American people the assurance that they need to have, particularly at this holiday time?
This evening, House Republicans are expected to oppose a bipartisan Senate bill to extend year-end items. Their opposition is risking a tax hike on middle class families, cutting off assistance to unemployed Americans, and seniors losing access to their doctors. Republicans should work with Democrats to pass the bipartisan Senate plan that extends these critical policies as we work on a full-year extension.