Under President Obama's leadership, the economy has added private sector jobs for 32 straight months. During this span, 5.4 million private sector jobs have been added. 

In the Senate, Democrats are fighting to continue this positive trend and help speed along the economic recovery.

Below are examples of jobs-boosting measures enacted so far by the Senate:

Infrastructure Jobs

In June, Senate Democrats led the successful fight to pass a bipartisan, long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill that will save or create nearly 3 million jobs by making urgently needed repairs to our nation's roads, rails and bridges. The transportation bill will put an end to the uncertainty caused by nearly three years of temporary extensions by reauthorizing projects for 27 months, continuing current levels of funding, and consolidating overlapping programs. The bill was signed into law by President Obama on July 6, 2012.

Agriculture Jobs

In June, Senate Democrats passed The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 to invest in successful jobs initiatives while saving tens of billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse. The bill will increase export opportunities for American farmers and help farmers sell locally by boosting support for farmer's markets. It will make it easier for beginning farmers to access capital and get off the ground, and support innovation in bio-based manufacturing and bio-energy production. American agriculture supports 16 million jobs. The Agriculture Jobs bill awaits action in the House of Representatives.

Boosting America's Exports

Since 1934 the Export-Import Bank has supported job-creating U.S. exports by helping American businesses sell to the world. The Bank's mission is to step in when private lending is not available and to provide financing that levels the playing field for American exporters when foreign governments provide financing for their companies. In May, Senate Democrats led the successful reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank through 2014, with greater lending authority that will allow the Bank to meet the needs of future exporters. In 2011, the Bank provided more than $6 billion in financing and insurance to U.S. small businesses and supported an estimated 288,000 American jobs at more than 3,600 companies.

Modernizing the U.S. Postal System

In April, Senate Democrats passed legislation to modernize the United States Postal Service and give it the flexibility it needs to maintain critical functions while adapting to changes in the way people use the mail system. The United States Postal Service is the country's second largest civilian employer and it sustains over 8 million jobs. The postal reform bill awaits action in the House of Representatives.

Middle-Class Tax Cut

In February 2012, Senate Democrats succeeded in extending the payroll tax cut for middle class families after months of Republican opposition. With it, the typical American family will still see an extra $40 in every paycheck, keeping a total of about $1,000 of their hard-earned money in their pockets this year.  This is real money that will make a difference in the lives of 160 million American workers and help the economic recovery continue.

Emergency Jobless Assistance

The economic recovery continues to improve. The private sector has created jobs for 22 straight months.  Still, too many Americans are without jobs. In February 2012, Senate Democrats succeeded in securing a continuation of jobless benefits for Americans to help them get by while they look for work.  The compromise reached by Senate Democrats will target the most jobless assistance to the hardest hit states. Senate Democrats also succeeded in passing into law a new "Work Sharing" initiative that allows struggling employers the option - instead of laying off workers - to temporarily reduce hours and wages of employees while using unemployment insurance to supplement the employees' reduced wages.  This is a common sense solution that will keep workers on the job and businesses productive during tough times.

VOW To Hire Heroes Act

In November 2011, Senate Democrats passed the VOW To Hire Heroes Act, a comprehensive employment, job training and tax credit package that address the rising challenge of veterans' unemployment.  The VOW To Hire Heroes Act provides up to $5,600 in tax credits to businesses that hire unemployed veterans, as well as up to a $9,600 credit for hiring unemployed veterans with service-connected disabilities.  The law also expands education and training opportunities for older veterans by providing 100,000 unemployed veterans of past wars with up to one-year of additional Montgomery GI benefits towards education or training programs at community colleges or technical schools. 

Small Business Jobs Act

In September 2010, Senate Democrats secured the passage of the Small Business Jobs Act, which provided $12 billion in tax relief to help small businesses create and retain jobs.  The Act led to record-breaking Small Business Administration (SBA) lending in 2011, with SBA loans supporting $30 billion in new investments to create jobs. The increase in access to capital helps small businesses get new equipment, open new locations, and most importantly, hire more workers.

The HIRE Act

Ushered into law by Senate Democrats in March 2010, the HIRE Act provided job creators with two incentives for hiring unemployed workers. First, it granted employers a tax cut on the employer share of payroll taxes. Second, it provided job creators with a $1,000 tax credit for each unemployed worker hired. Less than eight months after the bill was signed into law, U.S. employers had hired nearly 10.6 million workers who qualified for the HIRE Act's tax credits, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Travel Promotion Act

One of the industries hit hardest by the economic downturn was America's travel and tourism industry. In February 2010, Senate Democrats led the way in creating a new  tourism promotion agency designed bring in more foreign tourists by marketing the United States as a travel destination around the world. According to the U.S. Travel Association, increased foreign tourism due to a successful marketing campaign could create as many as 40,000 jobs around the country in the first year alone.

The American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act

Passed in July 2010, the American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act extended tax incentives that encourage American innovation, like the research and development (R&D) tax credit and credits for clean energy, while encouraging businesses to keep jobs here in America by closing certain tax loopholes for companies that ship jobs overseas. The bill also kept cops on the street and teachers in the classroom by shoring up state budgets in order to help prevent layoffs.

America Invents Act

Senate Democrats spearheaded another job creation initiative in September 2011 with the passage of the America Invents Act, ushering in the most significant reform of the U.S. patent system in nearly 60 years.  In addition to transitioning the United States to the "first-inventor-to-file" patent system used in the rest of the world, the America Invents Act is reducing backlogs for patent approval, allowing U.S. companies to focus on job creation and innovation.

SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act

In their continued commitment to supporting America's small businesses, Senate Democrats fought for reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, ushering them into law in December 2011. The SBIR program is one of the most successful commercial innovation programs for American small-businesses. SBIR-backed firms have been responsible for roughly 25% of the nation's most crucial innovations over the past decade, account for 38% of America's patents, and employ 40% of America's scientists and engineers.  To date, more than 89,000 SBIR and STTR awards have been made totaling more than $28 billion in investments in the jobs of the future.

Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization

Senate Democrats are focused on creating jobs, keeping America's infrastructure globally competitive and fighting partisan gridlock. After 23 short-term authorizations, Senate Democrats passed a four-year reauthorization for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in February 2012. The new law will create or protect more than 300,000 thousand jobs, while safeguarding American airline workers, and improving service and safety for travelers. In addition, the reauthorization gives the FAA the tools and certainty it needs to build an air-traffic control system that meets the challenges of travel in the 21^st century.