Russ Feingold: Press Release

FEINGOLD FIGHTS FOR AMERICAN WORKERS
Works to invest in American jobs during time of economic slowdown

April 4, 2008

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is continuing his strong support for American workers by calling for an increase in funding for employment and training programs to help support our nation’s workforce at this critical time in our nation’s economy. In a letter to Senate Appropriators, Feingold is requesting funds be restored for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Employment Service programs after the Administration’s budget proposed reducing WIA funding by $484 million and completely eliminating Employment Services. The reduced funding levels proposed by the Administration could undermine workforce preparedness and jeopardize the ability of WIA and Employment Services programs to serve the millions of workers who will seek services under these programs this year.

“I regularly hear from Wisconsinites about the importance of protecting and improving Workforce Investment Act programs,” Feingold said. “With a struggling economy and job losses nationwide, the federal government should be helping American workers through these difficult times, not cutting the job training programs many people depend on. I am committed to fighting for American workers by investing in programs that could greatly benefit millions of Americans.”

In February 2008, the Department of Labor reported a loss of 63,000 jobs and more than 7.6 million Americans currently unemployed, a rate of about 4.8 percent. The training provided through WIA programs gives individuals the skills required to meet the needs of our changing workforce and provides employers with high-quality, trained employees.

Feingold has long been a supporter of increasing funding for WIA and improving the program’s ability to address the needs of the 21st century workforce. After hearing from many participants and administrators of the WIA programs earlier this month, Feingold sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee to advocate for improvements to WIA during the reauthorization process. The letter encouraged the Committee to include WIA on its list of priorities for the year, and to modernize and update WIA programs to reflect the changing needs of employees and employers and to include those who may not be well-serviced by existing programs. In February 2007, Feingold introduced the Community-Based Health Care Retraining Act, which would amend WIA to help train unemployed workers for employment in the growing and understaffed health care industry.

A copy of the letter can be viewed here.


# # #


Home | Press Index