Political Quotes

“It is unfortunate we are here today, actually, but I do intend to support this short-term TANF extension. I think it is useful to understand how we got here, because it certainly informs where we should be going. While the economy is expanding at greater than 3 percent, and the unemployment rate is now below 4 percent, we know not everyone is benefiting. There are an estimated 67 million working-age American men missing from the labor force and 5\1/2\ million youth not in school or not working. This, combined with a generation of retiring workers, has left employers desperate to fill open jobs. Our committee held a series of hearings last spring to learn how Congress can help close the jobs gap, the difference between what employers need to keep the economy growing and the number of workers in the labor force. We heard from employers across the country and across industries-- technology in Colorado, manufacturing in Indiana and Ohio, auto plants in Michigan, homebuilders in Arizona, and the aerospace industry in Kansas. They all expressed the same message: We are hiring, and if you are not already proficient, we will pay you while you learn to do the work. In my own district, the need for workers is a common theme among employers. One employer I spoke with recently, whose facility is largely automated, told me his biggest impediment to growth is a lack of people to run and operate the machinery.…”