Eight million people are out of work and record numbers are exhausting their unemployment benefits because they’ve been out of work for so long. The average length of unemployment is at a 10-year high.

Yet Republicans continue to fight against policies that will put Americans to work. Instead they want to give tax cuts to those who need them least, increasing the deficit and making it harder for companies to borrow money to expand.

We believe in keeping good paying jobs here in the U.S., and creating new jobs with good benefits. Under Republican policies, there aren’t enough jobs for those who want to work. And the few jobs that were created in past months are low-paying jobs that earn below the national average and are less likely to offer health insurance.

To reduce the number of unemployed, Democrats want to create incentives for companies to hire out-of-work Americans. We want to give a tax credit worth $3,000 to companies for every new job they create. This credit will aid both expanding companies that hire Americans and the individuals most in need of work.

We also want to create jobs by supporting state and local governments with the funds they need to improve their roads, increase their security, and strengthen their schools and health care programs. Maintaining a highway or building a new school means more opportunities for Americans to be put to work. We can strengthen our communities and our economy at the same time.

For Americans trying to get back into the job market, unemployment assistance can help them make ends meet during their search. Cutting people off from unemployment assistance means they won’t have money to buy goods and services, which slows down our economy. Economists have estimated that each dollar of unemployment benefits leads to $1.73 in economic growth.