Jobs Plan Unveiled By House Progressive Caucus

WASHINGTON -- The Congressional Progressive Caucus released a plan on Tuesday that would create jobs, invest in clean energy and rebuild American infrastructure -- and has little to no chance of passage. Still, the jobs package, a farther-left alternative to President Barack Obama's jobs plan, could provide a negotiating point as the president's bill moves through Congress in the coming weeks.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), co-chairman of the caucus, acknowledged that Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, are unlikely to support the caucus's proposal, but called on the American people to push for jobs legislation.

"We expect [Republicans] to be opposed," Ellison said at a press conference. "But we've got faith in the American people to rise up and demand that Congress pass a jobs bill. So we're fundamentally optimistic, but we're also realistic. ... We do expect the American people are going to bring pressure to bear."

Congressional Progressive Caucus members said it would be wrong to "cut the baby in half" and pass only parts of the Obama jobs plan, even though they do not support every aspect of the bill.

"[Obama] must insist that we have nothing less than what he presented, along with the additions we're talking about here," Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) said. "This is an emergency, we must do it, and we cannot cut this baby in half. ... The whole proposal is what we must have."

At issue for these House members is the proposed payroll tax cut for employers, which could hurt the revenue stream for Social Security. But they were careful to say that they support the vast majority of the president's bill, despite some concerns about how it will affect key entitlement programs.

"We agree with the president, and because we're progressive we may have gotten him another notch on a couple of issues," said Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).

The Progressive Caucus plan offers additional stimulus measures beyond those in the president's bill. It has several key tenets: the revival of American manufacturing, creation of a national infrastructure bank, jobs for youth, green industry development, support for labor organizing and higher taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations.

"We think [Obama's bill] is a wonderful first step. We'd like to strengthen it and make it bigger," said caucus Co-Chairman Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.).

Part of the Progressive Caucus plan is incorporated in the Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act, a bill sponsored by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). That bill, set to be formally introduced in the House on Tuesday, would create more than 2 million jobs, paid for with higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires, Schakowsky said.

Many of those jobs would be in the construction sector, with an estimated 650,000 jobs created in constructing and maintaining schools, according to Schakowsky's office. The bill would also make possible 100,000 jobs for youth, 250,000 work-study jobs for students and direct funding to hire and rehire 300,000 teachers.

Getting more people back to work would grow the economy, Schakowsky said. "Businesses don't need more confidence," she said. "They need more customers."

Comments

[Charles Yoder]

02:42 PM on 09/14/2011

Raul Grialjva to the rescue, what a joke.Congressman complained that the health care monstrosity passed by congress did"nt go far enough.!0% of big corporations plan to drop ther health care due to that brilliant Obamacare. Ther isn"t a government program Congressman Griajalva does'nt like.He's from the state of Arizona,my state.He's been hostile to business.You huffington post people bettercheck your facts.

[nothingchanges]

09:25 AM on 09/14/2011

Anyone who can resolve the Jobs crisis, my hat's off to them.

I just find it highly suspect that no one in Congress has done diddly squat about JOBS, for almost three years.

It wasn't until they started worrying about their own, that they even thought about the rest of us.

At least the progressives seem to be working for the Average American. Which is more than can be said for most in Congress, who sell their votes to the highest corporate bidder for campaign cash.

Poly can be defined as many
Tics, are blood sucking insects.

Connect the dots.

[bradenton]

08:44 AM on 09/14/2011

Sorry Progressives. Obama will never support you.

[surfinnonreality]

08:44 AM on 09/14/2011

One of the governements responsibilities is to help create an environment that encourages businesses to grow. One of the ways they could do that is to open more drilling for gas and oil and make the country self-suficient in energy. We have enough natural gas to meet our needs for over a 100 years. Surely in that time the green energy technologies could mature and become economically viable. The other benefit would be the lower energy prices for consumers and businesses. The savings would let people spend more money on other items helping to stimulate business. Also just opening up the gas and oil fields for production would put a lot of people back to work.

[Aaron Decker]

08:29 AM on 09/14/2011

Unfortunately, this has the word "progressive" in it, so no other media outlets would even discuss it.

[boomcat44]

01:48 AM on 09/14/2011

Getting more people back to work would grow the economy, Schakowsky said. "Businesses don't need more confidence," she said. "They need more customers."

Can someone tell me why THIS has been so hard for the Democrats to articulate to the Public?
This should be talking point #1.

[Chris1962]

02:01 AM on 09/14/2011

Mmm, because business has never needed anything other than government getting off their backs and out of their way.

[butterandflower]

02:18 AM on 09/14/2011

Ah...yes...The Good 'Ole Days...

robber baron

NOUN:

One of the American industrial or financial magnates of the late 19th century who became wealthy by unethical means, such as questionable stock-market operations and exploitation of labor.
A feudal lord who robbed travelers passing through his domain.

[boomcat44]

02:38 AM on 09/14/2011

Well of course. I mean, that way, business could just pay people whatever they wanted. And they wouldn't have to worry about making sure the workers had a safe working enviroment, or that they put out a safe product, right?
Who needs any of that stuff weighing down big business?
Having been through it, I can tell you that regs and taxes are not the problem.
Granted, my business was small, but everything is relative.
A hassle at times, yes, but you live with that. You don't jump in blind and ignorant.
It's when you look up and you don't see that paying customer walking through the door, that's when you have problems.
People can't spend what they don't have.

[JDZSB]

01:35 AM on 09/14/2011

This "Congressional Progressive Caucus" sounds like a liberal version of the "Tea Party" in the House. Maybe the Democrats have a unity problem like the liberals think the Republicans have since they have this CPC, the CBC, the CHP, etc, all of which are liberally biased subsets within Congress. The CPC is definitely pushing the same failed economic policies that still miss the target in terms of stimulating the creation of jobs for the broad based skills of the majority of Americans out of work. I have yet to hear how Obama and his minions are going to create jobs for service oriented administrative workers that used to work in banks and financial institutions, for technologists and engineers that used to work for oil and gas companies, for information technology technicians and customer consultants, for engineers laid off that were working on the NASA program that have been cancelled, etc. The focus of the administration is always to save or hire back public service employees like teachers and educational administration workers (all members of unions) and to provide funding for union construction workers. Never is there a focus on the professional and highly skilled workers in the private economy who have been laid off in the millions the last three years.

[butterandflower]

02:02 AM on 09/14/2011

"Never is there a focus on the profession­al and highly skilled workers in the private economy who have been laid off in the millions the last three years. "

"private economy "? This would indicate that there is more than one "economy".

Haves and Have-Nots?

"profession­al and highly skilled workers" are the ONLY workers being hired presently.

[Myles Huff]

12:59 AM on 09/14/2011

I don't see any corporate welfare or tax breaks for the filthy stinking rich... No way republican corporate tools are going to support this...

[justjp]

11:49 PM on 09/13/2011

Weprin just conceded

[Oletech71]

10:52 PM on 09/13/2011

All I am going to say about this progressive caucus is that I am so joyful that I do not have to live in the districts that these people represent. Especially that of Keith Ellison or Barbara Lee.

[butterandflower]

11:29 PM on 09/13/2011

Gee..."Oletech71",I would think that "progressive" would be a GOOD word in your vocabulary?

[butterandflower]

10:52 PM on 09/13/2011

Henry Ford's first car. http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=henry+ford%27s+first+car

Why is innovation no longer celebrated in the U.S.of A.?

"Jersey Shore"? "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant"? "Ice Road Truckers"?...and scores of other endless, ignorant,totally useless bits of lives-turned-TV that teach us nothing.

As long as our children pray in school,I guess it doesn't matter that they learn NOTHING of science,math,language or history.

How sad.

[windy33]

10:46 PM on 09/13/2011

MADE IN THE U.S.A.

[GoDems2012]

09:04 PM on 09/13/2011

In a perfect world THIS is the bill that would pass. Down with tax cuts. Let's get to work! WTG Progressives!

[Oceras]

07:12 PM on 09/13/2011

"Businesses don't need more confidence," she said. "They need more customers." , Schakowsky said.
It IS that simple.

Middle and lower class Americans need more jobs and we all need to see that the fruits of their and our labors are not transferred to the overseas accounts of the wealthy.

[desertman]

07:22 PM on 09/13/2011

you forgot the growing middle class in China. Let's be honest.

[carolina919]

08:12 PM on 09/13/2011

Bill Gates gets lots of kudos for sharing his wealth. You know what would make him an even better person - a "patriot" even? Putting his manufacturing and other jobs here in America. I read somewhere that doing that would still give Microsoft a 50% profit margin. Imagine that. ONLY a 50% margin. When is "enough" enough and when does supporting America ever come into the equation for "American" businesses?

[BadHaBritt]

05:40 PM on 09/13/2011

Yet again, no one is doing anything about the core problem.

Renegotiate the disgusting free trade agreements that only work for international corporations NOT the lower 98%. increase taxation on imports, including those from American corporations who shipped our factories and jobs overseas. Give big tax incentives for all American manufacturing on our own soil, no parts made overseas. This is just a small start to dealing with the core problems. Just giving away money to stimulate consumerism is like pouring our money overseas, it's just plain stupid.

[dennidus1680]

06:20 PM on 09/13/2011

Also how about another "Manhattan project" style effort to jump start alternative energy. That would create new products, companies and jobs for the future.

[desertman]

06:54 PM on 09/13/2011

I think that would be called fusion.

[carolina919]

08:14 PM on 09/13/2011

Very true. Support a new manufacturing base in America. Support locally sourced food and truly investigate the shoddy and toxic goods being shipped in under good old American "brand names" from China. There is life as a post industrial society. It's time someone articulated that vision.