Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Call for Super-Committee Public Hearings on Job Creation

Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Reps. Raul M. Grijalva and Keith Ellison sent a letter today to Senator Patty Murray and Representative Jeb Hensarling, Co-Chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, calling on the so-called "Super Committee" to hold public hearings on job creation. The letter encourages the committee to "embrace a job creation strategy as the surest way to reduce the deficit and create a sustainable economy."

"The middle class has always been the engine of our economy, but right now Americans are struggling," Rep. Grijalva said. "We've tried trickle-down economics and corporate giveaways before, and it led to the slowest job growth since World War II. We need open hearings on job creation policies that work if the American people are going to have faith in this process."

"Having public hearings on job creation is the right first step for the Joint Select Committee," said Rep. Ellison. "The Republican Cut, Crash and Bust approach to the economy is failing, and we need to change course as soon as possible. We need to focus on job creation so we can put America back to work and avoid a double dip recession. It's time to get serious and rebuild the middle class."

The full text of the letter is below.

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Dear Co-Chair Hensarling and Co-Chair Murray:

As the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction begins its work, we urge the Committee to embrace a job creation strategy as the surest way to reduce the deficit and create a sustainable economy. Pursuant to Section 401(b)(5)(F) of the Budget Control Act of 2011, we call on the Joint Select Committee to hold public hearings on the essential role that a true job creation strategy plays in fueling economic growth and deficit reduction.

Americans need good jobs now. The passage of the Budget Control Act produced troubling fluctuations in the stock market. Many experts say this upheaval stems from concerns about reduced growth and increased unemployment on account of spending cuts included in that law. These fluctuations have made August a particularly difficult month for the American people. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 14 million Americans continue to look for work, and the Economic Policy Institute estimates the Budget Control Act will cut another 1.8 million jobs from our economy over the next year.

Despite this, the Joint Select Committee has not indicated any intention of examining how increased employment would reduce the deficit or benefit the overall economy. The American people cannot afford to wait any longer for Congress to act on what should be our number one priority: creating jobs. Holding public hearings on this issue would be a good, solid step toward addressing this national emergency immediately.

Sincerely,

KEITH ELLISON, Co-Chair RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Co-Chair

Congressional Progressive Caucus Congressional Progressive Caucus