House Democrats Unveil 'American Jobs Plan'
House Democrats Unveil 'American Jobs Plan'
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Washington, D.C.-House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined several of her Democratic colleagues and two laid-off workers whose jobs were outsourced at a news conference today to unveil House Democrats' 'American Jobs Plan,' which will keep America competitive in a changing global marketplace by creating the jobs of the future, and keeping good-paying jobs here at home. Below are Pelosi's remarks:
"Thank you all for joining us this morning. We are here today because our economy is at a crossroads. Since President Bush took office, we have lost nearly 2 million private sector jobs.
"But the problem is deeper and far greater than that. According to Goldman Sachs, as many as 500,000 of these jobs were shipped overseas. And according to a recent study by the University of California, 14 million more American jobs are at risk if we do not act.
"President Bush, however, has no plan to keep jobs in America. In fact, the President recently signed his name to a report that argued that exporting jobs 'makes sense' for America. And his top economic advisor has said that outsourcing is 'a good thing.'
"Americans know trade is good for our economy when we export American goods, not when we export American jobs.
"The global marketplace is changing, and America must change with it. But as we increase international trade, we must never trade in our values. It is an American value to honor our commitment to American workers.
"House Democrats today are unveiling our 'American Jobs Plan' to keep jobs here at home and to ensure that American companies remain the most competitive and innovative in the world. Democrats are determined to keep and to create good-paying jobs here in America.
"Our plan is focused on the future. It creates two new tax incentives targeted to companies that will create new jobs in the United States. It invests in our people through job training and education. It will create new technologies - and new, high-paying jobs - by supporting research and development.
"Our plan would pay for itself by repealing $125 billion in existing tax breaks for large, multi-national corporations that do not create American jobs.
"To stop the hemorrhaging of American jobs, we must close these tax loopholes, invest in our people, and create the new technologies that will lead to tomorrow's jobs.
"Our economy is at a crossroads, and the House Democrats' 'American Jobs Plan' will put us on the right path.
"We are privileged to be joined today by two people who know firsthand the severity of this problem, Ron Larson of Wisconsin and Myra Bronstein of Washington state.
"Myra Bronstein believed she had a secure job in high tech when her entire department was told that their jobs were being outsourced, and that they would have to train their Indian replacements in order to receive their severance package.
"Myra has been actively searching for new employment for the past year, and her unemployment benefits have run out. Thank you, Myra, for joining us today to tell your story."