WASHINGTON, DC-This week marked a new low for House Republican rhetoric on jobs and unemployment. Instead of proposing any sort of job-creating measure Republicans have started:
Blaming the Unemployed for Unemployment…
Ways and Means Republicans held a Human Resources Subcommittee hearing on Thursday supposedly meant to help the unemployed find jobs. However, Republicans seem more interested in soliciting ideas for new restrictions, requirements and limits on unemployment benefits than they do on helping jobless Americans find work.
Cutting Assistance to Dislocated Workers…
At the same time Republicans were saying we should engage unemployed workers, they are letting vital training and assistance expire for workers who have lost their jobs for trade-related reasons.
Opposing Job Creation Programs…
At the hearing, Republicans claimed to support efforts to help unemployed workers return to work, but they oppose the continuation of the very programs their witnesses highlighted as successful. For example, the workforce directors from both Texas and Utah highlighted how they successfully used Recovery Act emergency funds to provide incentives for employers to hire unemployed workers. However, Republicans opposed the creation of these funds, made deceptive claims about the program and ultimately blocked its extension.
Gutting Job Training Programs…
The spending cuts that have been targeted by House Republicans for the upcoming CR legislation include a $2 billion cut to Job Training Programs, which will directly impact those who are already unemployed. Other cuts that have been targeted will likely result in a loss of jobs within State and local law enforcement programs ($25 million cut), the FBI ($74 million cut), the COPS program ($600 million cut), high-speed rail projects ($1 billion cut), and Community Health Centers ($1.3 billion), just to name a few.
