Pelosi: Dems Focused On Jobs, GOP Is Not

In an op-ed published in USA Today, House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) previewed the message Democrats will be pushing this month: They are focused on jobs, while the GOP is not.

According to Pelosi, the former House Speaker, Republicans have caused the threat of a first-ever default on the nation’s debt by not passing legislation to create jobs.

“During more than 200 days in the majority, House Republicans have put our economy at risk by threatening a first-ever default on our debt and refusing to propose legislation to create jobs. Instead, they’ve passed bills that would destroy up to 2 million jobs — nearly 10,000 jobs per day. And every time Democrats have brought a jobs initiative to the floor — 10 times so far — Republicans voted “no.”

With the creation of the bipartisan “super-committee” focused on reducing the deficit, Pelosi said that any plan the committee releases “must put job creation and economic growth front and center.”

“There’s no better way to reduce the deficit than by creating jobs,” she added. “We must focus squarely on getting our economy back on track, strengthening our middle class, and addressing the American people’s kitchen-table concerns.”

The “Make It In America” initiative proposed by Democrats is the way to provide jobs and boost the economy, she argued. The plan focuses on boosting investment in broadband techonology, transportation infrastructure, clean energy and other emerging innovative technologies.

“This is not a partisan agenda or cause; it is an American priority,” Pelosi wrote.

Pelosi pointed to a joint statement put out by the presidents of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO, who said that infrastructure spending would enable the U.S. to better compete in the global economy.

“On behalf of our workers, our entrepreneurs, and our small businesses, we can, and must, pass this legislation again,” Pelosi wrote. 

This Week On Capitol Hill

The Senate will vote on a bill Tuesday aimed at providing incentives for businesses to not ship jobs overseas.

The Creating American Jobs and End Offshoring Act would grant two-year payroll tax holidays for companies that take on new employees who perform services in the U.S. that were once done abroad. The legislation is in line with the Democrats’ ‘Make it in America’ agenda.

Business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers have come out strongly against the bill, arguing that it will make U.S. companies less competitive in the global marketplace. Democrats, however, say the legislation will help create jobs.

Meanwhile, the House will vote either Wednesday or Thursday on legislation aimed at providing health monitoring and financial compensation to first responders and others that were injured in the 2001 World Trade Center attacks. The bill failed the first time around in July, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she hopes to “have a strong, bipartisan vote to pass this critical legislation.”

On the issue of taxes, it appears extremely unlikely that either the House or Senate will take any action before adjourning for the final weeks of campaigning. While Pelosi has yet to completely rule out holding a vote sometime next week, most Democrats have signaled that they would rather address the issue after the midterms.

Jim Manley, the spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said Thursday that the issue would be on hold for now. “We will come back in November and stay in session as long as it takes to get this done.”