Jobs and the Economy
With working families and businesses still struggling in the midst of our fragile economic recovery, my top priority in Congress is creating jobs and building the foundation for long-term economic growth.
Our nation’s economic recovery continues to make progress; in 2012, payroll employment rose by more than 2 million and the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in four years. But there are still too many Americans who can't find fulltime employment. By focusing on helping small business and local industries succeed, we’ll be able to create and grow more good paying jobs for years to come.
Growing our economy means investing in education, research, and infrastructure; equipping American workers with the skills they need to compete in the global economy; fixing our broken immigration system; pursuing a balanced approach to deficit reduction; reforming the tax code to ensure fairness for working families; and opening up new markets for U.S. exports.
Long-term economic growth and prosperity require incentives and policies that encourage entrepreneurship and support innovation. Nowhere in the country is the impact of innovation on the economy more visible than in Washington’s 1st Congressional District, where our local industries ranging from aerospace, manufacturing, high-tech, agriculture, clean energy, and healthcare are driving the economy forward through innovation and entrepreneurship. This district builds the world’s best airplanes, grows the finest food and designs world class software.
To have strong, robust job growth, we must have an economy that works and provides access to opportunity for everyone. We must make investments in our education system that provide the training and skills workers need to be prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We must also support our colleges and technical schools that can help develop our next generation of local farmers, manufacturers and innovators and lead to good jobs for the families of the 1st Congressional District.
With determination and a willingness to look past partisan divides, Congress must come together to find solutions to spur job growth, build strong communities and create an economy that works for everyone.
See also information on Jobs and resources for Businesses.
More on Jobs and the Economy
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene announced that the Northwest Agriculture Business Center in Mount Vernon will receive $200,000 from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support local farmers and agriculture related businesses.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today the House Judiciary Committee approved the Innovation Act (H.R. 3309), bipartisan legislation to address the growing problem of abusive patent litigation. The Innovation Act includes a number of measures designed to deter abusive patent litigation while protecting our patent system for innovators, educators and entrepreneurs.
Ninety-five percent of the world’s mouths to feed live outside the United States, and 160,000 people in Washington are gainfully employed in feeding them, yet the state’s $40 billion agricultural export trade is threatened by Congress’ prolonged failure to write a new farm bill.
The farm bill stalemate is another Tea Party-caused breakdown of business in Washington, D.C., that is hurting Washington state.
WASHINGTON D.C. –Northwest lawmakers are urging federal officials to quickly allow Bering Sea fishermen to start fishing for Alaskan king crab. The crab season was scheduled to start on October 15th, but due to the government shutdown, the federal employees at the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) have been unable to issue permits for the fleet, thereby delaying the start of the season.
WASHINGTON — Theirs is one of the deadliest occupations, with 800-pound crab pots menacing life and limb, and stormy waters threatening their ships.
But the men and women who ply the Bering Sea pursuing the lucrative catch are facing a different challenge: The three-month Alaska crab season starts Tuesday, but government workers, idled by the federal shutdown, aren’t issuing the necessary permits.
DARRINGTON -- Owners of a Darrington river-rafting business find themselves beached until the federal government is motoring at full throttle again.
Brian Pernick and his sister, Sarah, were in the process of obtaining a new use permit from the U.S. Forest Service to provide whitewater rafting and scenic float trips on the Sauk River.
But the agency shuttered its doors Oct. 1 when the partial shutdown of government began, leaving the owners of Adventure Cascades high and dry.
SEATTLE — Most crab fishermen from Washington are already in Alaska preparing for the start of the season in just ten days, but if the government shutdown drags on, they’ll be forced to stay docked.
“The problem is the federal government is the one that actually issues the permits,” said Mark Gleason, who represents the industry. “The people in charge of issuing those permits, are currently furloughed as non essential.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene today co-sponsored new reform legislation. DelBene is leading the effort with Representative Joe Garcia (FL-26), Representative Judy Chu (CA-27), Representative Jared Polis (CO-02) and Representative Steven Horsford (NV-04).
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Suzan DelBene issued the following statement today after the House Republicans’ refusal to consider a clean continuing resolution to fund the federal government. As a result of Congress’ inaction, the nation will experience a government shutdown for the first time in seventeen years:
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Suzan DelBene issued the following statement today following House Republicans’ vote on a continuing resolution that includes a delay of the Affordable Care Act and repeals a medical device tax – provisions that increase the likelihood of a looming government shutdown: