Jobs and the Economy

President Obama inherited an economy in free fall, with huge deficits, skyrocketing health care costs, dwindling employment, and banking and housing markets on the brink of collapse. Working with the President, Democrats stabilized the financial system and helped to prevent a second Great Depression. An economy that was losing 700,000 jobs a month is now gaining jobs. We still have a long way to go, but we are now moving forward on the road to recovery.

President Obama and Democrats are fighting to strengthen our economy further and create jobs for American workers by ending tax loopholes for corporations, providing tax cuts to small businesses, investing in a clean-energy economy, and putting Americans to work rebuilding our infrastructure.

Democrats are fighting to repair a decade of damage and grow an economy based on hard work and responsibility, not greed and reckless speculation—an economy that strengthens our country and middle-class families for the long run. The current recession has touched nearly all of us in some way, but the heart of America’s promise is our resilience to overcome hardship. Democrats are committed to helping all Americans confront these challenges—spurring job creation, rebuilding our infrastructure, investing in clean-energy technologies, and restoring fairness and opportunity to our economy.

Democrats recognize the importance of meeting our most urgent needs—not just in the short term but also in the long run. Starting with the passage of the Recovery Act, Democrats began a series of strategic investments in health care, energy, and education that are laying the groundwork to build a stronger economic foundation for the future.

Democrats cut taxes for 95 percent of working families, provided help for small businesses and homeowners, and strengthened consumer protections for anyone who has a credit card or a bank loan. Despite Republican obstruction at almost every turn, Democrats have provided relief for hardworking Americans who lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

Democrats reinstated fiscal responsibility in government spending and ensured that American taxpayers will never again be forced to bail out big banks.
We still have work to do, but Democrats are moving forward with a “Made in America” economic plan to strengthen American industries and create jobs for American workers by:

Ending tax loopholes that let corporations hide profits overseas, and investing those dollars in small businesses that create jobs in America;
Providing tax cuts to small businesses and expanding lending so that businesses can create new jobs;
Investing in a clean-energy economy, and providing tax credits to spark manufacturing of windmills, solar panels, and electric cars here at home; and
Putting Americans to work rebuilding roads, bridges, rails, and ports, strengthening our economy and our infrastructure across all 50 states.
Democrats stand for the values of hard work and responsibility, and we know that as a country we are most successful when we invest in our people—middle-class families and small business owners—who can grow our economy from the bottom up. Together, we have begun to lay a new foundation for growth, building an economy that works for all Americans.

Recent Updates

Wednesday, March 6, 2013
See how the GOP sequester is hurting communities nationwide
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When they chose not to come to the table and stop the sequester, Republicans in Congress declared tax breaks for rich were more important than jobs or education, health care or defense. Check out—and share—http://www.gopsequester.com/ to see how the the GOP sequester is hurting communities across the country.

When they chose not to come to the table and stop the sequester, Republicans in Congress declared tax breaks for rich were more important than jobs or education, health care or defense. Check out—and share—http://www.gopsequester.com/ to see how the the GOP sequester is hurting communities across the country.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
What the GOP sequester means for education
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Republicans made a stark choice when they refused to work with President Obama and Democrats to avert the sequester: They declared that tax loopholes for the wealthy are more important than protecting middle-class families.

As a result, school districts, teachers, and families across the country are bracing for dramatic, damaging—and unnecessary—cuts to their education programs. Stories like these are popping up across the country. Here's a snapshot of what the GOP sequester means for education:

In Arizona, the Window Rock School District in the Navajo nation is proposing to close three of its seven schools as a direct result of the GOP sequester. Those schools are among the 1,600 public schools on Native American reservations and military bases that are reeling from the cuts to their budgets.

University of Nevada–Las Vegas students expect to lose a percentage of their financial aid and see the availability of campus jobs dwindle because of the GOP sequester. Statewide, more than 100 work-study students could lose their jobs.

The University of Missouri expects a $17 million loss in funding. That puts student financial aid at risk. 1,166 Missouri students could lose federal work-study benefits, and nearly 2,000 students could lose federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants.

48,000 young children would lose their access to Head Start—more than 30 percent of whom are Latino.

School officials in Gainesville, Florida, predict cuts in funding for school nutrition, special education, reading skills, migrant education, and programs for low-income and at-risk children.

Georgia is expected to lose $28.6 million in federal funding for primary and secondary education. This loss of funding puts 390 teacher and teacher's aide jobs at risk.

The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that the GOP sequester will force 50,000 job losses across medical schools and health care facilities nationwide.

Southern Oregon Head Start expects their current school year to be shortened as a result of the GOP sequester. Next year, 50 children could lose their spots at this preschool program.

Fed up? Tell Republicans that our children's educations are more important than politics. Add your name now.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
98 percent of what the GOP wanted
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The Republican Party got their sequester. Here’s what the rest of us get: across-the-board, automatic cuts that will do real damage to our economy.

The Republican Party got their sequester. Here’s what the rest of us get: across-the-board, automatic cuts that will do real damage to our economy.
Monday, March 4, 2013
"Truly appalling"
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Our chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, just sent this email on the GOP sequester:

Friend --

Friday at midnight, the sequester went into effect -- and Republicans are counting on the possibility that you won't notice.

While it may take time for the harmful effects of these billions of dollars in automatic cuts to be felt by some Americans, some families are already starting to feel the pain -- like families on military bases.

The sequester immediately cut a program called "Impact Aid" which is a major source of funding for schools on military bases. So now military families -- including those with a family member deployed overseas -- have to worry about immediate cuts to teaching staff, increased class sizes, and delayed building repairs.

Our men and women in uniform fighting overseas shouldn't have to worry about fighting to keep their kids in school back home just because Republicans in Congress are unwilling to negotiate.

Tell congressional Republicans to come back to the table right away to negotiate with President Obama to end the sequester. Add your name now.

President Obama has laid out a balanced, fair approach to end the sequester -- and it's supported by more than three-quarters of Americans.

But Republicans won't even consider it. And the longer they refuse to come to an agreement, the more these harmful effects will spread. Teachers could be laid off, health care for military families could be cut, support for mentally ill children could be reduced, and hundreds of thousands of jobs could be lost.

It's truly appalling.

The only way Republicans will come back to the table to end the sequester is if they know it's politically unsustainable not to -- that's why they need to know that constituents like you want them to stop these devastating cuts.

Tell my Republican colleagues to do their job and end the sequester. Click below to add your name:

http://my.democrats.org/GOP-Sequester

Thanks,

Debbie

Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Chair
Democratic National Committee
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