House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

This year has been a difficult one for working families. The American economy has shed jobs month after month, and the stock market rollercoaster has shaken the confidence of investors and savers alike.  It is clear that we need a bold and decisive plan to spur economic growth and job creation.

Unfortunately, the Democratic majority in Congress has failed to advance this type of pro-growth strategy.  Instead, they have outlined an economic stimulus package that will cost upwards of $300 billion without providing the long term stability or job creation that our economy so desperately needs.

We know the ingredients necessary to economic recovery.  We know that tax relief will help struggling consumers and job-creating American businesses, and we know that a long term strategy for energy independence will help keep energy costs down while putting Americans to work.  We also know what won’t work.  We know that higher taxes on businesses are chasing American jobs overseas, and that American companies are now at a disadvantage compared to their international peers.  We also know that big government programs can create more red tape and federal bureaucracy than actual good-paying American jobs.

There are some steps that should be taken – indeed, that we could have taken earlier this year, before we reached this point of economic distress – right here in the Education and Labor Committee.  For instance, the Workforce Investment Act has not been renewed in a decade.  In today’s economy, it is absolutely imperative that we strengthen the job training programs under WIA, which help Americans who have lost their jobs or those seeking better employment to get the skills, training, and job placement assistance they need to re-enter the workforce.

The title of today’s hearing is, “Building on Economic Recovery Package: Creating and Preserving Jobs in America.”  It’s an appropriate focus for our committee, and for Congress.  This hearing follows two prior in which we looked at a different angle on the current economic downturn, namely how it has impacted workers’ retirement security.  I would note that PBGC Director Charles Millard is offering testimony today, and I’m sure we’ll take his findings and counsel into consideration alongside the witnesses who testified at our previous hearings on retirement security.

But with regard to the topic at hand today, I would say simply this: now is not the time for politics.  It is not the time for partisan finger pointing.  The question of how to create and preserve American jobs in a struggling economy is more than a political talking point; it is a question of the livelihood of real American families.

I hope today’s hearing was called not as a means to score political points less than two weeks before an election, but in a genuine effort to foster a dialogue about pro-growth policies and economic recovery.  I hope that we can reach across the aisle and work together to provide real reforms that create good jobs, lower energy costs, and allow our employers to compete.  And I hope that today’s hearing is not the final step but a first step in this process.

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