Growing The Economy, Creating Jobs & Rebuilding The Middle Class

Promoting job creation and economic growth continues to be the top priority for the American people and members of the House Democratic Caucus.  House Democrats have worked to enact policies that will sustain long term economic growth, strengthen middle class families and small businesses, and prevent corporations from shipping American jobs overseas.   Democrats’ decisive action on the economy helped create or save over 3 million jobs during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  Democrats have continued to propose jobs legislation in this Congress even as Republicans have voted for legislation that would sabotage our economic recovery and destroy nearly 2 million jobs.

Make It In America

When more products are made in America, there will be greater opportunity for our people to Make It In America. House Democrats’ plan to Make It In America focuses on creating the best conditions for American businesses to manufacture their products, innovate, and create jobs right here in the U.S. President Obama has already signed ten Make It In America bills into law, many of which passed Congress with bipartisan support. Leaders in business and labor alike support the Make It In America plan because it will set us on a solid path forward to a future of greater competitiveness, more jobs, and long-term economic success. House Democrats’ plan to Make It In America includes:

  • Adopting & pursuing a national manufacturing strategy: Right now, American manufacturers are facing international competitors that benefit from other nations’ carefully crafted manufacturing strategies. Such comprehensive strategies include tax incentives, investments in research, skills development initiatives, and support for infrastructure projects in order to help their manufacturers get ahead.
  • Promoting the export of U.S. goods: Manufacturers need access to markets, both domestic and international, in order to sell their products. That requires reliable physical and telecommunications infrastructure, enforcement of fair trading rules, and targeted assistance to compete successfully in global markets.
  • Encouraging businesses to bring American jobs and innovation back to the United States: In order to maintain a strong economy and remain the world’s leader in innovation, we must encourage businesses to move jobs and innovation back to the U.S. where possible, and keep them here. When manufacturing moves overseas, innovation follows.
  • Training & securing a twenty-first century workforce: American businesses can only remain competitive when they have the trained and educated workers they need. We must strengthen our education and skills-training programs to make sure our workers are getting the preparation and certifications they need, and we ought to ensure that all those we train in high-demand skills have an opportunity to find work and contribute to our economy.

Learn more about House Democrats’ plan to Make It In America.

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When Women Succeed, America Succeeds

House Democrats’ When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families is aimed at addressing the economic challenges facing women and working families. For far too long these issues have gone unresolved leaving women to receive less pay than their male counterparts, the inability to receive paid sick leave and unable to access to affordable high quality child care. That’s why House Democrats’ Economic Agenda for Women and Families corrects these issues by:

  • Ensuring women receive equal pay for equal work: Women still only make 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts, adding up to a yearly wage gap of $11,084 between full time men and women who work full time.
  • Earned paid sick leave: The United States has no mandatory paid family leave policy — making it one of just three countries in the world and the only country among industrialized countries to not mandate paid maternity leave for new mothers. This issue is very important to ensuring that women have the proper work & family balance they need.
  • Access to affordable high quality child care: This means adequately funding Head Start and implementing President Obama’s Preschool agenda, while also expanding access to affordable high quality child care and increasing the child tax credit. These policies will not only make our students more competitive in school, but they will also give women more opportunities to advance in the workplace and allow families to spend less on child care costs.

Learn more about House Democrats’ When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families.