Weekly Address: This Labor Day, Lets Talk About the Budget
Source: White House
In this week's address, the President recognized Labor Day by highlighting the economic progress our country has made, and underlining what needs to be done to continue that growth. Our businesses have created 13.1 million new jobs over the past five and a half years, the unemployment rate is the lowest its been in seven years, and seventeen states across the country have raised the minimum wage. The President stressed that to continue this progress, Congress needs to avoid a government shutdown that would hurt middle-class Americans and pass a responsible budget before the end of September. The President emphasized that Congress should not play games with our economy, and instead pass a budget that invests in our middle-class and helps those who work hard and play by the rules to get ahead.
Read more: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/05/weekly-address-labor-day-lets-talk-about-budget
Weekly Address: This Labor Day, Lets Talk About the Budget
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/05/weekly-address-labor-day-lets-talk-about-budget
I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about the real meaning of Labor Day a day we set aside every year to honor the hardworking men and women who fought for so many of the rights that we take for granted today.
The eight-hour workday, 40-hour workweek, weekends. Overtime and the minimum wage. Safer workplaces. Health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, and retirement plans. All of those gains were fought for and won by the labor movement folks who were working not just for a bigger paycheck for themselves, but for more security and prosperity for the folks working next to them as well. Thats how we built the great American middle class.
Thats the spirit weve been working to restore these past six and a half years. On Friday, we found out that the economy created another 173,000 jobs in August. Over the past five and a half years, our businesses have created 13.1 million new jobs in total the longest streak of job creation on record. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.1%, the lowest its been in seven years. The American auto industry is on track to sell more cars and trucks this year than it has in more than a decade. Sixteen million Americans have gained the security of health insurance. Seventeen states and about 30 cities and counties have raised the minimum wage. And weve proposed extending overtime protections to as many as five million Americans. All of that is progress.
This month, Congress has an opportunity to continue that progress. As always, the deadline for Congress to pass a budget is the end of September. Every year. This is not new. And if they dont, theyll shut down the government for the second time in two years. At a time when the global economy faces headwinds and Americas economy is a relative bright spot in the world, a shutdown of our government would be wildly irresponsible. It would be an unforced error that saps the momentum weve worked so hard to build. Plain and simple, a shutdown would hurt working Americans.
It doesnt have to happen. If Congress wants to support working Americans and strengthen our middle class, they can pass a budget that invests in, not makes cuts to, the middle class. If they pass a budget with shortsighted sequester cuts that harm our military and our economy, Ill veto it. If they make smart investments in our military readiness, our infrastructure, our schools, public health, and research, Ill sign that budget and they know that.
So lets get it done. Our economy doesnt need another round of threats and brinksmanship. Nobody gets to play games with our economy or the middle class I grew up in, and that you grew up in. So tell Congress to pass a budget that reflects the values we honor on Labor Day. Rewarding hard work. Giving everybody a fair shot. And working together to give all of our kids a better life. Thanks everybody. And enjoy your weekend.
BumRushDaShow
(129,111 posts)And great (as well as expected) that the POTUS recognizes this important holiday coming up. And with this latest show of stupidity by the GOP, the very-much unionized federal employees are poised to suffer once more by the idiocy if a damn budget and set of appropriations bills are not passed (or an Omnibus appropriations for what is still left out there) by September 30! If anything, Congress needs to at least have a continuing resolution ready to go, otherwise it will be shutdown redux.
As a sidenote, Civil Service had always been the path to "middle class" by many in the AA community (including in my family) and the GOP, notably starting with Reagan, have tried to do everything in their power to destroy Civil Service - whether local, state, or federal.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)k&r