Tag: government spending

Republican Retreat Heavy on Boasting, Short on Strategy

The following article by Joe Williams was posted on the Roll Call website February 2, 2018:

Divisions within ranks threaten progress on immigration, government spending

Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and South Dakota Sen. John Thune conduct a news conference at the media center during the House and Senate Republican retreat at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., on Thursday. Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Republicans leave the Greenbrier resort on Friday buoyed by their reflections of the accomplishments of the past year. But they also depart with little consensus on how to address the long to-do list awaiting them in Washington, D.C.

Much of the public portion of the GOP retreat was spent touting the recent tax overhaul, cuts to federal regulations, a record number of judicial appointments and an optimistic economic forecast. But the silence on contentious lingering issues such as health care, government spending and immigration was deafening.

What was meant to serve as a time for Republicans to hone their message and come away with a unified position on their 2018 agenda gave way to contradicting answers and vague statements of optimism. Continue reading “Republican Retreat Heavy on Boasting, Short on Strategy”

Ensuring Government Spending Creates Decent Jobs for Workers

The following article by Karla Walter was posted on the Center for American Progress Action Fund website January 29, 2018:

Overview

Pro-worker policymakers should harness the power of federal contracts, grants, loans, and tax expenditures to create good jobs.

Introduction and summary

Iron workers weld metal beams in Oxnard, CA. Credit: Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The federal government spends more than $1 trillion every year though contracts, grants, and other funding vehicles to deliver essential goods and services. It funds everything from the design and manufacture of sophisticated weapons systems to the construction of roads, bridges, and dams; from in-home care for aging Americans and those with disabilities to financial assistance programs that allow veterans and working families to access higher education. This spending creates tens of millions of jobs throughout the economy.1

American policymakers have long harnessed the power of this spending by requiring recipients to create decent jobs. Yet today, these protections cover less than half of all spending, and too often, even the jobs covered by existing protections pay poverty wages.2 Moreover, some anti-worker lawmakers are threatening to dismantle even these standards.3

Continue reading “Ensuring Government Spending Creates Decent Jobs for Workers”