Committee Democrats Call for Investments in Labor Department Programs to Strengthen the Nation’s Working Families
WASHINGTON – Today, the full Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing entitled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Labor.” The hearing focused on the Fiscal Year 2017 budget request for the Department of Labor (DOL) to continue to expand opportunities and pathways to the middle class for all working families.
“I commend Secretary Perez and the Department of Labor for their efforts to boost wages, level the playing field, and help workers balance work and family,” said Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03). “The Department’s budget request offers proposals to narrow the extreme and growing economic inequality in our country, while closing the pay gap between men and women. It also focuses on funding for summer jobs, opportunities for disconnected youth, apprenticeships, and programs that expand access to in-demand jobs. I know that Secretary Perez remains focused on preparing the nation’s workforce for the jobs of today, and more importantly, for the jobs of tomorrow.”
The Honorable Thomas E. Perez, Secretary of the Department of Labor, testified before the Committee to discuss the administration’s critical investments in job training, equal pay, paid leave, safe workplaces and secure retirements for all.
“The nation and the economy have come a long way,” said Secretary Perez in his written testimony. “Seven years later, the turnaround is remarkable. The wind is at our back again. Nevertheless, important challenges remain. The rising tide simply isn’t lifting every boat. The economy is unquestionably growing, but it remains out of balance, with middle-class families not getting their fair share of the growth and value they’ve helped create. Too many people, no matter how hard they work, can’t get by, let alone get ahead. We are not yet creating the shared prosperity we need.”
The President’s Fiscal Year 2017 Budget requests $33 billion in new mandatory spending, in addition to $45.9 billion in mandatory spending under current law. This includes investments in critical priorities and a variety of programs – workforce training, advancing economic fairness for all workers, improving worker protections – intended to break the cycle of poverty and give working families a chance to succeed.
House Democrats commended Secretary Perez and DOL for their bold response to the challenges facing American families. Democratic Members underscored the need to restore the overtime salary threshold so that hardworking people can earn a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, protect retirees and their hard earned retirement savings, and keep our workplaces safe. Committee Democrats also focused on the need to prepare the nation’s workforce for the jobs of today and for the jobs of tomorrow.
The written testimony of the Honorable Thomas E. Perez can be found here.
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