Blumenthal, Larson Outline Proposal for Joint Select Committee on Job Creation in Congress
(Hartford, CT) – Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative John Larson (D-CT, 1st District) today hosted a conference call with reporters to discuss the introduction of their legislation that would create a Joint Select Committee on Job Creation. Both Blumenthal and Larson have introduced legislation in the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively, to ensure that Congress makes a priority of creating jobs, fostering economic growth, and reducing the high unemployment rate.
Said Blumenthal, “Americans have long realized that the best way to shrink our deficit and put our economy back on track is to help hard-working people in Connecticut and across the country find good-paying jobs. The committee Congressman Larson and I have proposed will focus on restoring confidence and putting forth measures that will put our economy back on track. I have proposed this legislation to ensure that addressing the high unemployment rate in this country is put at the top of Congress’s agenda where it belongs, including working to revive Connecticut’s manufacturing industry and supporting essential Made in America initiatives vital to our state’s economy.”
Said Larson, “As President Obama said Thursday night, Americans cannot wait 14 months until the next presidential election for action on job creation. The legislation that I have proposed, and that Senator Blumenthal has submitted on the Senate side, puts forth a common sense approach to reducing the deficit and addressing unemployment at the same time. By getting the nation back to full employment, we could cut our debt by 25 percent. It’s time to put Connecticut and the United States back to work.”
The Select Committee on Job Creation would be structured similarly to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, comprised of 12 members, 6 each from the House and the Senate, with a breakdown of 6 Democratic members and 6 Republicans. Blumenthal has also introduced two other bills, one which adds the task of reducing unemployment to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, and another that increases the deficit committee by four members and mandates that those members must create a jobs plan.
Blumenthal’s bill is co-sponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D – IL), Charles Schumer (D – NY), Sherrod Brown (D – OH), Al Franken (D – MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D – RI), Mark Begich (D – AK), and Joe Manchin (D – WV).
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