WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) issued the following statement in response to the Business Roundtable’s AMERICA 21 initiative, which is aimed at easing worker anxiety and maintaining American competitiveness in the rapidly-changing international economy:
“I want to applaud the Business Roundtable and Chairman Harold McGraw III for their leadership on this initiative. Since becoming Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, I have sought to establish a partnership between the business community and the Federal government to promote American competitiveness.
“Together, I believe we can take a step back from the examination of profits and instead look at the important role that people play in the health and success of our corporations and nation. Profits and people are not mutually exclusive; the investments we make today in education and health care for the American worker will determine America’s competitiveness tomorrow. American workers are the threads that weave the fabric of our country. If they are weak, the fabric will tear, with results that could be felt from America’s living rooms to America’s boardrooms.
“I would like to extend an invitation to my good friend, Chairman McGraw, to continue working together. Investment in intellectual capital, as he calls it, is money well spent with respect to keeping America’s workers ahead of the curve as technological innovations and global economic mobility frame the new, competitive business environment. Together, I am confident that we can maintain America’s strength as a global business leader."
