Post by bot on Aug 12, 2013 0:21:56 GMT -5
Hoyer: Democrats Remain Focused on Jobs; Add New Legislation to Make It In America Plan
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) was joined by House Democrats at a press conference this morning to discuss Democrats’ continued commitment to job creation, and to announce new additions to the Make It In America plan for the 113th Congress. He was joined by Reps. Linda Sanchez (CA-38), David Cicilline (RI-01), Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), Ann Kuster (NH-02), and Patrick Murphy (FL-18). Below is a transcript of his remarks:
“Thank you all for being here. You see our logos, of course, which you’ve seen now for years, about Make It In America. I’m pleased to be joined by my colleagues who are introducing or explaining eight of our Make It In America bills. We’ll be talking a lot about Make It In America during the August break.
“While House Republicans are wasting time on the 40th vote to repeal health care reform - the last vote before we go out for five weeks - a bill that everybody knows has no connection with reality. Democrats remain determined, however, to move jobs legislation through the Congress, and [to keep] the focus on making sure Americans have jobs and that they can make it in America. Democrats will be going home to our districts in August to talk about our plan to create jobs. That plan, as all of you know, is called ‘Make It In America.’ It aims to create jobs and invests in long-term economic competitiveness. While we were able to work with Republicans to pass some Make It In America bills last Congress, we still have a lot of work to do.
“This April, we relaunched the Make It In America agenda for the 113th Congress, and announced four core areas that we believe are critical to achieving its goals. These areas of focus comprise a platform that everyone can get behind.
“This is a unifying agenda. I tell my colleagues: I can go to the most conservative district in America, the most Republican district in America, or the most liberal, most Democratic district in America, and talk about Make It In America – manufacturing, growing goods, selling them here and around the world - and I guarantee you every head is shaking. It is a unifying agenda, not an ideologically divided agenda.
“These areas of focus comprise a platform that everyone, as I said, can get behind. Democrats, Republicans, labor, businesses – everyone. The four core components of Make It In America are: adopting and pursuing a national manufacturing strategy. Now [the National Manufacturing Strategy Act] was passed with over 360 votes in the last Congress. I’m hopeful that when we return in September, Mr. Cantor will bring it to the Floor, and if he does, it will receive well over 350 votes, in my opinion, again. Why? Because it says we’re going to have a playbook. We’re going to have a playbook to compete with the other teams. Whether those teams are called China, India, Germany – whatever they’re called. Not to beat them, but to compete with them and to do well. So we need a plan.
“Secondly, promoting U.S. exports – make it here, sell it here and around the world. Thirdly, encouraging businesses to bring jobs and innovation back to the United States. Tax preferences for manufacturing here, creating goods here, and selling them abroad, not the other way around.
“And lastly, investing in training and securing a 21st century workforce. Every businessperson I’ve talked to throughout this country, every labor union I’ve talked to throughout this country agrees, that if we’re going to compete, it will be because we trained a 21st century workforce in high schools, frankly in elementary schools. The President’s program on early childhood education is directly related to this, getting people early. Two, three, four years of age, getting them on the right educational track so they’ll be people that can participate in growing our economy.
“I want to thank all the Members, who have introduced bills. I want to thank, as well, those Republicans who have already joined as cosponsors. We will continue to seek bipartisan support. Growing jobs in America ought to be a bipartisan issue. It is the agenda that the President is taking to the American public. It is what – very frankly, notwithstanding the Washington Post photo byline today – he came to do, and did in fact do. He talked about jobs.
“We believe these bills create jobs, strengthen our economy, and grow opportunities for the middle class. These new bills include measures to promote green manufacturing and green jobs, facilitate international trade in U.S. products, and invest in skills training for a competitive workforce. You’ll hear from several sponsors of those bills today.
“Congress owes it to the American people to take action on jobs. I sincerely hope that when we return in September, Republicans and Democrats can work together to bring Make It In America bills to the Floor, and act in purposeful ways to grow jobs and opportunities, not simply spend time on bills that are going nowhere, and everybody knows are not going anywhere.”
Visit www.democraticwhip.gov/ for more press, floor and member resources.
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) was joined by House Democrats at a press conference this morning to discuss Democrats’ continued commitment to job creation, and to announce new additions to the Make It In America plan for the 113th Congress. He was joined by Reps. Linda Sanchez (CA-38), David Cicilline (RI-01), Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), Ann Kuster (NH-02), and Patrick Murphy (FL-18). Below is a transcript of his remarks:
“Thank you all for being here. You see our logos, of course, which you’ve seen now for years, about Make It In America. I’m pleased to be joined by my colleagues who are introducing or explaining eight of our Make It In America bills. We’ll be talking a lot about Make It In America during the August break.
“While House Republicans are wasting time on the 40th vote to repeal health care reform - the last vote before we go out for five weeks - a bill that everybody knows has no connection with reality. Democrats remain determined, however, to move jobs legislation through the Congress, and [to keep] the focus on making sure Americans have jobs and that they can make it in America. Democrats will be going home to our districts in August to talk about our plan to create jobs. That plan, as all of you know, is called ‘Make It In America.’ It aims to create jobs and invests in long-term economic competitiveness. While we were able to work with Republicans to pass some Make It In America bills last Congress, we still have a lot of work to do.
“This April, we relaunched the Make It In America agenda for the 113th Congress, and announced four core areas that we believe are critical to achieving its goals. These areas of focus comprise a platform that everyone can get behind.
“This is a unifying agenda. I tell my colleagues: I can go to the most conservative district in America, the most Republican district in America, or the most liberal, most Democratic district in America, and talk about Make It In America – manufacturing, growing goods, selling them here and around the world - and I guarantee you every head is shaking. It is a unifying agenda, not an ideologically divided agenda.
“These areas of focus comprise a platform that everyone, as I said, can get behind. Democrats, Republicans, labor, businesses – everyone. The four core components of Make It In America are: adopting and pursuing a national manufacturing strategy. Now [the National Manufacturing Strategy Act] was passed with over 360 votes in the last Congress. I’m hopeful that when we return in September, Mr. Cantor will bring it to the Floor, and if he does, it will receive well over 350 votes, in my opinion, again. Why? Because it says we’re going to have a playbook. We’re going to have a playbook to compete with the other teams. Whether those teams are called China, India, Germany – whatever they’re called. Not to beat them, but to compete with them and to do well. So we need a plan.
“Secondly, promoting U.S. exports – make it here, sell it here and around the world. Thirdly, encouraging businesses to bring jobs and innovation back to the United States. Tax preferences for manufacturing here, creating goods here, and selling them abroad, not the other way around.
“And lastly, investing in training and securing a 21st century workforce. Every businessperson I’ve talked to throughout this country, every labor union I’ve talked to throughout this country agrees, that if we’re going to compete, it will be because we trained a 21st century workforce in high schools, frankly in elementary schools. The President’s program on early childhood education is directly related to this, getting people early. Two, three, four years of age, getting them on the right educational track so they’ll be people that can participate in growing our economy.
“I want to thank all the Members, who have introduced bills. I want to thank, as well, those Republicans who have already joined as cosponsors. We will continue to seek bipartisan support. Growing jobs in America ought to be a bipartisan issue. It is the agenda that the President is taking to the American public. It is what – very frankly, notwithstanding the Washington Post photo byline today – he came to do, and did in fact do. He talked about jobs.
“We believe these bills create jobs, strengthen our economy, and grow opportunities for the middle class. These new bills include measures to promote green manufacturing and green jobs, facilitate international trade in U.S. products, and invest in skills training for a competitive workforce. You’ll hear from several sponsors of those bills today.
“Congress owes it to the American people to take action on jobs. I sincerely hope that when we return in September, Republicans and Democrats can work together to bring Make It In America bills to the Floor, and act in purposeful ways to grow jobs and opportunities, not simply spend time on bills that are going nowhere, and everybody knows are not going anywhere.”
Visit www.democraticwhip.gov/ for more press, floor and member resources.