The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) has honored Senator Coons with this year’s Congressional Partnership Award for his support of community and economic development policies that create jobs and increase the long-term competitiveness of American workers.
The National Association of Development Organizations is an advocate for federal community and economic development programs, as well as policies that help communities improve their local economies and quality of life. NADO’s biennial Congressional Partnership Award recognizes members of Congress who have been committed to promoting economic development programs at the local and regional level. Read more about NADO here.
“I’m honored to receive this award from the National Association of Development Organizations,” Senator Coons said. “To keep America competitive, we have to invest in programs that develop and grow our economy, especially at the local and regional level. During my time as New Castle County Executive, I witnessed how critical local development programs are to American workers. While in the Senate, I have made job creation a top priority, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with NADO to advance our shared goals.”
“Senator Coons is a true leader who has displayed an unwavering commitment to providing new economic opportunities for our nation’s local communities,” said NADO President Peter Gregory.
As the leader of Manufacturing Jobs for America, a campaign in the Senate to promote legislation that helps manufacturers create jobs, Chris has been a champion for economic growth, both in Delaware and at the national level. The initiative includes more than 30 bills, roughly half of which are bi-partisan. The pillars of the initiative include training a 21st century skilled workforce, expanding access to capital, opening up markets abroad, and implementing a national manufacturing strategy. Already, seven provisions have been enacted into law, while five more have been passed out of committees. Click here to learn more about Manufacturing Jobs for America and stay up to date on progress.
Passed by the Senate -- Five Manufacturing Jobs for America bills in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
The Senate passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) on June 25. The bill includes five innovative skills-training provisions from the Manufacturing Jobs for America campaign to help prepare America’s workforce for the manufacturing jobs of the 21st century. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for approval. The bills included were:
Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (S. 1400), sponsored by Sens. Reed (D-RI) and Brown (D-OH) WIOA includes key portions of S.1400, which seeks to increase investment in adult education, expand access to technology and digital literacy skills for adult learners, require better coordination and integration of adult education with state workforce development systems and postsecondary education, and strengthen English and civics education for new Americans. More:Reed press release
America Works Act (S. 453), sponsored by Sens. Hagan (D-NC), Donnelly (D-IN), Heller (R-NV), Klobuchar (D-MN), and Schumer (D-NY) WIOA includes provisions from S. 453, which seeks to prioritize federal funding for job training programs that offer portable, national, and industry-recognized credentials. This reform would promote job-training programs that match the skills of workers with the needs of local employers, thereby training individuals for the jobs that are available in their communities right now. More:Hagan press release | Donnelly press release
On-the-Job Training Act (S. 1227), sponsored by Sens. Shaheen (D-NH) and Cochran (R-MS) WIOA includes aspects of S. 1227 to significantly expand opportunities for on-the-job-training. WIOA requires state workforce investment boards to disseminate information identifying on-the-job-training opportunities and boosts incentives for employers to participate in on-the-job-training programs. More:Shaheen press release
SECTORS Act (S. 1226), sponsored by Sens. Brown (D-OH), Casey (D-PA), Collins (R-ME), and Durbin (D-IL) WIOA includes provisions from S.1226 to require state and local Workforce Investment Boards to establish sector-based partnerships between employers, educators, and local workforce administrators to train workers for the most in-demand 21st century jobs. More:Brown press release
Community College to Career Fund (S. 1269), sponsored by Sens. Franken (D-MN), Begich (D-AK), Durbin (D-IL), and Schatz (D-HI) WIOA includes aspects of S.1269 to create partnerships between businesses and schools that facilitate effective job training. More:Franken press release
Executive Action -- Presidential actions to revitalize manufacturing The administration announced new federal actions and new commitments from Mayors and other local leaders to invest in manufacturing. New actions announced include:
‘Mayors Maker Challenge’ More than 90 Mayors and local leaders committed to the ‘Mayors Maker Challenge’ to expand access to physical locations and new manufacturing and prototyping equipment in their communities, spur manufacturing entrepreneurship, and inspire young people to pursue careers in manufacturing and engineering.
Streamlining access to $5 billion of advanced equipment in over 700 R&D facilities The Administration will help manufacturing entrepreneurs access $5 billion worth of advanced equipment in federal R&D facilities that they may use to develop new technologies and launch new inventions. For example, entrepreneurs might access NASA’s National Center for Advanced Manufacturing to produce the high-strength, defect-free joints required for cutting-edge aeronautics.
Expanding investment in the Materials Genome Initiative Five federal agencies will invest more than $150 million in ground-breaking research to support the Materials Genome Initiative, upping the Administration’s investment in the manufacturing of advanced materials. The Materials Genome Initiative is a public-private endeavor that aims to cut in half the time it takes to develop novel materials that can fuel advanced manufacturing and bolster the 21st century American economy. More:White House press release
Passed by Committee -- Manufacturing priorities in CJS Appropriations The Senate Appropriations Committee included a number of manufacturing priorities in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which supports key programs for manufacturers and entrepreneurs. Included in the bill were:
Manufacturing Extension Partnerships Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEPs) are the only public-private partnership dedicated to providing technical support and services to small and medium-sized manufacturers. The Appropriations Committee recognized the importance of MEPs by raising funding to $141 million, a $13 million increase. According to data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, every dollar invested in MEP facilitates $19 in new sales growth and $21 in new client investment.
National Manufacturing Strategy The bill directs the Office of Science & Technology Policy to report to Congress with a comprehensive plan to develop a national manufacturing strategy. This language compliments the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act, which is part of Manufacturing Jobs for America and was introduced by Sens. Coons (D-DE) and Kirk (R-IL).
Bio-Manufacturing The bill includes language recognizing the importance of U.S. bio-manufacturing and directing the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase support for it in its advanced manufacturing portfolio by dedicating at least $15 million to new bio-manufacturing initiatives.
Foreign Commercial Service The Department of Commerce announced the expansion of the Foreign Commercial Service, including four new offices in Angola, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Mozambique and four office expansions in Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, and Libya. The expansion will create nearly 70 new positions and post 17 additional officers globally to help U.S. manufacturers get started in exporting or increase sales to new global markets.
Passed by Congress -- “Buy America” provisions in WRRDA Congress recently passed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). The bill includes provisions introduced by Sens. Brown (D-OH) and Merkley (D-OR) that ensure American-made iron and steel are used in federally-funded water infrastructure projects when available and competitively priced. “For our economy to continue adding jobs, we must ensure American taxpayer dollars are used to support manufacturers and workers at home, not overseas,” Brown said. “I thank my colleagues for passing legislation that will strengthen our economy and infrastructure while benefitting Ohio manufacturers." "If we don’t make things in America, we won’t have a middle class in America,” Merkley said. “Today’s news is a huge victory for the principle that American tax dollars should support American jobs.” More:Brown press release
Secretary Pritzker announces first 12 Manufacturing Communities Commerce Secretary Pritzker announced the first 12 communities that will be designated Manufacturing Communities as part of the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) Initiative. The program is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities by supporting the development of long-term economic development strategies. The 12 communities were selected from 70 that applied based on the strength of their economic development plans, the potential for impact in their communities, and the depths of their partnerships across the public and private sector. The Manufacturing Communities will receive coordinated support for their strategies from eleven federal agencies with $1.3 billion available in federal economic development assistance. The communities will also receive a dedicated federal liaison at each agency to help them navigate available federal resources. “The 12 Manufacturing Communities announced today represent a diverse group of communities with the most comprehensive economic development plans to attract business investment that will increase their competitiveness,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. More:Commerce press release | White House fact sheet
Introduced -- Defend Trade Secrets Act Senators Hatch (R-UT) and Coons (D-DE) introduced the Defend Trade Secrets Act to help combat the loss of an estimated $160 billion to $480 billion each year in the United States to the theft of corporate trade secrets. The bill empowers manufacturers and other companies to protect their trade secrets in federal court by creating a federal private right-of-action. “The intellectual property that drives the U.S. economy has never been more valuable, or more vulnerable,” Senator Coons said. “American companies are losing jobs because of the theft of trade secrets every day. This bipartisan bill will empower American companies to protect their jobs by legally confronting those who steal their trade secrets. It will finally give trade secrets the same legal protections that other forms of critical intellectual property already enjoy.” More:Hatch press release | Coons press release
Hearing -- Judiciary hearing on trade secrets Manufacturing leaders testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism on the need for urgent action to combat trade secret theft and protect American manufacturing jobs. The witnesses urged Congress to pass the Defend Trade Secrets Act, which empowers companies to defend their trade secrets in federal court and recover stolen intellectual property before it is sold to competitors. Pursuing trade theft cases in state courts results in “a whole lot more expense,” said Doug Norman, Vice President and General Patent Counsel for Eli Lilly, as well as “a whole lot more risk, because we may not be able to isolate and seize the stolen materials as quickly.” More:Coons press release
2. OTHER NEWS ==================================
News -- Landrieu urges BASF to build plant in Louisiana Sen. Landrieu (D-LA) wrote to BASF urging the company to locate its new propylene facility in Louisiana, where it would create thousands of high-paying jobs and fuel the revival of manufacturing. “Louisiana is at the center of a global manufacturing renaissance and a natural gas boom, made possible by extraordinary and swift advances in technology to locate, capture and produce natural gas,” Sen. Landrieu said. More:Landrieu press release
News -- Baldwin testifies before International Trade Commission on behalf of Wisconsin manufacturers Sen. Baldwin (D-WI) testified before the International Trade Commission (ITC) on behalf of a Wisconsin manufacturer, Felker Brothers of Marshfield. Sen. Baldwin appeared to highlight the importance of the stainless pipe industry. The manufacturer is a petitioner in an antidumping investigation on imports of welded stainless pressure pipe from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. At the ITC hearing, Baldwin focused on the challenges that Felker and the industry have faced from unfairly traded imports. More:Baldwin press release
News -- Brown calls on administration to protect steel manufacturers Sen. Brown joined Northeast Ohio workers at a rally to call on the Obama Administration to protect Ohio steel manufacturers and the jobs they support. Outside of the U. S. Steel facility in Lorain, Brown and local steelworkers urged the Commerce Department (DOC) to crack down on countries that unfairly dump their steel in the U.S. market, threatening American jobs and competitiveness. A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), supported by Sen. Brown, finds that a surge in imports is putting half a million U.S. manufacturing jobs at risk. More:Brown press release | EPI report
News -- Schumer, Gillibrand announce manufacturing grants to University of Rochester and SEMATECH Albany Sens. Gillibrand (D-NY) and Schumer (D-NY) announced grants for the University of Rochester’s New York Photonics Manufacturing Initiative and SEMATECH Albany from the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The grants will strengthen the nation’s optics, photonics and imaging manufacturers, and support SEMATECH’s Semiconductor Supply Chain Roadmapping initiative, respectively. More:Gillibrand University of Rochester release | Gillibrand SEMATECH release
News -- Harkin announces economic development funding for Iowa Sen. Harkin (D-IA) announced that three Iowa regions were awarded grants through the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to help establish comprehensive economic development strategies in their region. More:Harkin press release
News -- Shaheen opens Southern New Hampshire Regional Economic Development Center Sen. Shaheen (D-NH) joined members of the New Hampshire congressional delegation in opening the Southern New Hampshire Regional Economic Development Center, which will help support small manufacturers with counseling, pre-loan packaging, assistance in finding a location, alternative financing, and employee training. Sen. Shaheen supported REDC’s grant application to the Economic Development Administration, and in April of 2012 announced REDC’s selection for a $432,000 grant which made the new center possible. More:Shaheen press release
News -- Cardin tours Maryland manufacturers Sen. Cardin (D-MD) launched a Made in Maryland Job Tour, touring a number of Maryland manufacturers. Among the manufacturers he toured was HunterDouglas, where 860 employees manufacture high end, custom window fashions. More:Cardin press release
News -- Coons tours local manufacturer Sen. Coons (D-DE) visited WhiteOptics, a manufacturer of raw materials for LED lighting. While there, the Senator took the opportunity to address questions on how protecting trade secrets can help encourage innovation. More:Coons blog post
News -- President Obama meets with manufacturing leaders The President met with manufacturing leaders to announce a forum to attract more American and foreign companies to create jobs in the U.S. “We have made enormous strides over the last several years not just recovering from a Great Recession, but taking advantage of and now marketing the advantages of doing business in the United States — whether it’s low energy costs, an incredibly productive workforce,” the President said. More:Detroit News
News -- NIST announces award to MTConnect to promote advanced manufacturing NIST recently announced an award for MTConnect, “an open, royalty-free standard intended to foster greater interoperability between manufacturing devices and software applications.” "This is the promised land," says Doug Woods, president of the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) and a champion of MTConnect. More:IndustryWeek | NIST announcement
News -- Production of new Ford Transit Van launched at new Kansas City plant Ford recently launched production of the new Ford Transit Van at its Kansas City Assembly Plant. With 2,000 new jobs at the plant supported by a $1.1 billion investment, Ford is now more than 75 percent toward its goal of creating 12,000 jobs in the United States by 2015. In addition to the Transit Van, the Kansas City Assembly Plant produces the Ford F-150, and employs 4,878 workers on three crews. More:Ford
Report -- “The all-of-the-above energy strategy as a path to sustainable economic growth” The White House recently issued a report detailing how an all-of-the-above energy strategy can help fuel economic growth. Energy prices are of particular importance to manufacturers, and have helped fuel the U.S. manufacturing renaissance in recent years. More:White House
News -- Commerce Department honors manufacturers for export success Commerce Secretary Pritzker honored 65 U.S. exporters at the 2014 President’s “E” Awards. The 52nd anniversary of the awards, the “E” Awards are the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for significant contributions to increasing American exports. More:Commerce Department
NEW CASTLE, Del. – Senator Coons journeyed from the Senate floor to the factory floor Thursday to visit with local manufacturers at New Castle’s WhiteOptics, LLC. The award-winning startup develops and manufactures state-of-the-art materials used to improve the lighting quality and energy efficiency of LED and fluorescent lighting products. Nicole Steele from the Alliance to Save Energy, where Chris is a Congressional Vice Chair, also joined the tour.
WhiteOptics’ innovative materials, developed and assembled at their Quigley Boulevard facility, are used by some of the nation’s leading LED manufacturers, including GE and Cree. During the visit, Chris had the opportunity to meet with employees and try his hand at some of the manufacturing work performed at the facility –from sheering metal to slitting and packaging film.
“In a few short years, WhiteOptics has developed a cutting edge, highly efficient lighting product here in Delaware that’s being sold across the United States and to markets around the world,” Chris said. “Meeting with the team behind this innovative startup is a reminder of just how inventive, creative, determined, and capable American manufacturers are.”
Eric Teather, WhiteOptics’ founder and CEO, joined Chris and Nicole at the facility, and discussed some of the challenges his startup faces as it seeks to grow and create new jobs in Delaware. As an innovative, early-stage company, intellectual property protection – including protection of the trade secrets the company uses to manufacture its products – is a chief concern for WhiteOptics.
Trade secrets are often referred to as the “secret sauce” that makes companies work. In April, Senator Coons introduced the bipartisan Defend Trade Secrets Act to empower companies to protect their trade secrets in federal court. The bill creates a federal private right-of-action, to give trade secrets the same legal protections that other forms of critical intellectual property already enjoy. The legislation has been endorsed by a broad range of small and large manufacturers.
“For a small startup business, being able to act on your own, through your own attorney, promptly, is going to make a lifesaving difference,” Chris said. “When the NSA, and the FBI, and the Department of Justice are saying that American manufacturers are the subject of intentional, directed cyber-hacking designed to steal trade secrets every day, we ought to be doing more to strengthen the legal protections available to them.”
WILMINGTON, Del. – Senator Coons joined Governor Markell, Congressman Carney, and local community leaders Thursday for the grand opening of popdot, a new sign production and installation company in Wilmington’s West End neighborhood that has committed to hiring disadvantaged youth.
The business was launched as a partnership between Sir Speedy Wilmington and West End Neighborhood House – with help from a $160,000 Community Economic Development Projects (CED) grant from the Department of Health and Human Services – and is dedicated to providing career opportunities for former foster care youth in Wilmington.
Danielle Cunningham is one such youth, who shared the story of her journey after aging out of the foster care system and finding herself homeless at age 18. Danielle took advantage of housing through West End Neighborhood House and job training opportunities at Wilmington's Bright Spot Ventures and is now beginning her career as a popdot employee.
“What was most striking to hear from you, Danielle, was that this is a place where you can work together, and not just have great skills, not just have an opportunity at employment, but have a family, have a place where at work you are sharing with each other your values and your journey,” Chris said.
popdot is one of just 20 ventures across the country to submit a successful competitive CED grant application this year. The objective of the CED program is to support businesses that develop new products and services and create jobs for low-income individuals. To meet these goals, popdot has pledged to employ 75 percent low-income staff, provide full-time jobs with benefits that pay livable wages, and reinvest 51 percent of its profits into the community.
“Many of us recognize that it is small business owners, its entrepreneurs, its people who work hard day in and day out who create most of the jobs in our country and who are the real engines of vitality in our communities,” Chris said.
Senator Coons, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a daily Amtrak rider, touted a new report released this week on the economic impacts of rail service in the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The report, produced by the Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission, describes the NEC as “an engine of economic activity” for the region and details the immense costs associated with service disruptions along the corridor.
“The Northeast Corridor rail network is a vital economic artery for Delaware and the entire region,” Chris said. “While ridership has steadily increased, critical infrastructure investments needed to sustain Amtrak’s growth have been repeatedly deferred. This report demonstrates just what we stand to lose if we fail to invest in repairing and modernizing our infrastructure. Our economy, our communities, and millions of jobs depend on safe and efficient rail service along the Northeast Corridor. We’ve got to make strong, sustained investments now to ensure this vital service will be there for generations to come.”
The 457-mile NEC is one of the busiest and most complex rail corridors in the world, carrying 750,000 daily commuter rail and intercity passengers and 350,000 car-loads of freight each year. Workers traveling the NEC contribute $50 billion annually to the American economy. According to the report, the unexpected loss of the NEC, even for a single day, would cost up to $100 million per day as a result of higher congestion on roadways and lost productivity.
Other key findings from the report:
Seven million jobs are located within five miles of a NEC rail station, almost a third of all jobs in the NEC Region.
More than half of flight delays nationwide originate at New York and Philadelphia area airports. Amtrak relieves this pressure by carrying more intercity passengers for trips within the NEC Region than all airlines combined.
The NEC connects the national freight rail network to east coast ports, linking manufacturing plants in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, and North Dakota to international customers.
Automobile manufacturers, including Ford, Toyota, and Mitsubishi, use the NEC to bring their products to market. For one major automobile manufacturer, approximately 60 percent of its total exports use the NEC to reach ports in Maryland and New Jersey.
Within one mile of NEC stations, 59 percent of all jobs are in knowledge industries – a far higher rate than the national average of 42 percent.
263 colleges and universities are located within five miles of NEC stations, totaling 435,000 students. The region is also home to a concentration of some of the nation's top hospitals, medical research institutions, and cultural attractions.
Senator Coons, along with Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), met with chief executive officers and senior executives from the nation’s leading technology, venture capital, and e-commerce, companies Tuesday to discuss key issues affecting American innovation. Executives from Bloom Energy, CISCO, Oracle, and other leading technology firms shared their perspectives on proposed trade agreements, corporate tax reform, intellectual property protection, and other policy priorities.
“America is the world’s leading source of cutting-edge technology,” Senator Coons said. “The technology companies represented today employ nearly a million Americans and are key drivers of our innovation economy. Congress can and should support American innovators by working together to open up markets abroad, protect intellectual property, and build a competitive tax code that incentivizes innovation. I am grateful to all the industry leaders who participated in today’s conversation and look forward to continuing to work with them to promote our global competitiveness.”
Senator Coons has established himself as a leader on innovation policy by introducing a series of bills that support research and development, and help innovative small businesses grow to create jobs. He introduced the Innovators Job Creation Act with Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) earlier this year and the Startup Innovation Credit Act with Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) last January to help startups and other small companies take advantage of valuable R&D tax credits.
He also teamed up with Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) this year to introduce legislation that would modernize the United States’ national lab system to make the innovation pipeline more efficient and give labs new flexibility to partner with the private sector.
Senator Coons was recognized as a 2014 TechVoice Champion earlier this year by CompTIA and TECNA, two technology policy groups representing thousands of U.S. technology firms, for his work in support of innovation and America’s small and medium-sized technology firms.
Senator Coons, joined by students from William Penn’s Communities in Schools program, members of the Small Business Administration, and Delaware State Chamber of Commerce congratulated new business owners Eric and Zia Ames at the grand opening of their new ZOUP! Franchise in Wilmington. Customers and friends filled the seats and lined the walls of the new soup and sandwich store to celebrate the new business, which was launched with the investment of the Small Business Adiministration and Applied Bank .
“Small business is the lifeblood of the community, not just here in Delaware, but across America,” said Chris. “Our small businesses do more than sell us goods and services — they support and strengthen our communities. I congratulate Eric and Zia on their passion, pride and boldness, to take that leap to start this venture.”
Eric and Zia spoke to the more than 30 students gathered at the event about the sacrifices, as well as the rewards that come with being an entrepreneur in the community.
Two out of three new jobs created in this country are created by small businesses, and here in Delaware, there are 70,000 small businesses that create jobs and give many families a chance to attain the American dream.
“It takes a community to build a business, and thanks to the support of the SBA, Applied Bank, and a strong business community, my family's dream to own our own business has become a reality,” said owner Eric Ames. “As a first generation business owner, I am excited by what this opportunity means for my children, knowing that when they graduate from college, they can begin their career or pursue a passion as an entrepreneur because they saw their dad do it.”
Zoup is located 4715 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE 19808
Senator Coons joined leaders from the University of Delaware Thursday to announce new legislation designed to boost STEM education and help universities prepare students for careers in innovation and advanced manufacturing. The Manufacturing Universities Act of 2014 would award competitive grants to 25 designated ‘manufacturing universities,’ to better align educational offerings with the needs of modern manufacturers.
“The entire lifecycle of innovation, skills, and creativity in manufacturing has to include universities,” Senator Coons said. “Universities have a central role to play in continuing the cycle of innovation that is essential if American manufacturing is to continue its current recovery. Over the last three years, our economy has regained 600,000 manufacturing jobs, but hundreds of thousands more remain unfilled because there aren’t enough appropriately skilled and trained process engineers, mechanical engineers, and chemical engineers to keep that innovation going.”
Grants of $5 million per year, for a four-year period, will help universities revamp their engineering programs to emphasize manufacturing skills, incentivize partnerships with local manufacturers, increase internship and cooperative education opportunities for students, and help more recent graduates launch new manufacturing businesses.
“We want more students graduating with the skills they need to thrive in the 21st century manufacturing environment, and we want more of our universities orienting themselves toward this field where we can win, our communities can win, and our country can win.”
Following the announcement Senator Coons visited with biochemistry students and faculty at UD’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory (ISE Lab) to demonstrate a chemical reaction and discuss the importance of STEM education.
The smartest investment Congress can make is in American workers — whether they currently have a job or not.
Although we’ve come a long way since the depths of the Great Recession, there’s still more we can and must do to help our small businesses grow and create jobs. Americans continue to face a tough job market and too many of our neighbors have been out of work for a long time.
At a minimum, we must do more to help unemployed Americans stay afloat as they look for work. That’s why this week, like I did several times last month, I voted to extend emergency unemployment insurance benefits for the 1.7 million Americans and 4,300 Delawareans who have been jobless for more than 26 weeks – and whose benefits expired at the end of December. They’re folks who were laid off through no fault of their own because of the Great Recession. They’ve worked for much of their lives and paid into the system, and they deserve our support as they work to get back on their feet.
As I argued on the floor, unemployment insurance is a critical lifeline to Americans looking for work – keeping families from falling into poverty and providing needed support to our economy at the same time.
Renewing emergency unemployment insurance, though, should only be the start of our work. If we want to grow our economy and our middle class, Washington needs to renew its focus on helping our manufacturers grow and create jobs.
We need to make sure that at every level, we’re training Americans for the needs of the modern economy. Investing in American workers is how we’ll be able to rebuild our middle class and ensure that our nation can compete over the long-term. By modernizing our education system and building partnerships between our schools and our businesses, we can ensure that our workers have the skills employers need today and tomorrow.
I’m doing everything I can to help businesses create jobs in Delaware, but I can’t do it without you. We’re at our best when we remember that we’re all in this together – when we help lift each other up when one of us has fallen. Thank you for joining me in this critical fight.
