Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) delivered remarks on the Senate floor on the Bring Jobs Home Act, a bill introduced by Senators John Walsh (D-MT) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) that would provide incentives for American companies to invest in bringing jobs home and would end a tax break that helps big corporations send jobs overseas.
In her speech, Murray called for Congress to build on bipartisan work done in the two-year budget deal and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act with further bipartisan efforts to create jobs and strengthen the economy.
Key Excerpts from Senator Murray’s Remarks:
“As prices have risen for everything from college tuition to health care, the shifting realities of the global economy have made it harder to find the kinds of jobs workers used to raise their families on. And as we all remember, for far too many families, the financial crisis and the recession that began in December 2007 was the last straw. It pulled the rug out from under workers and small businesses across the country. We’ve come a long way since then—but it is clear there is much more we need to do to create jobs and broad-based economic growth so that hardworking families get a fair shot.”
“…At a time when too many families are still struggling to make ends meet, there is absolutely no reason taxpayer dollars should go towards helping big corporations send jobs overseas. That’s why I was proud today to vote in support of the Bring Jobs Home Act…I think most Americans would agree that they don’t want their taxpayer dollars spent to help corporations outsource jobs. This should be a no-brainer.”
“…while we all know Republicans and Democrats have some very different views on the best ways to encourage economic growth, we have taken some bipartisan steps that show we should be able to work together on this and other job-creating legislation. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which Senator Isakson and I were able to work together to finish, is a great example. This bipartisan legislation shows what’s possible when members from different parties, different states, and different chambers come together to get things done for the American economy.”
“…instead of simply avoiding self-inflicted wounds to jobs and the economy, we should take important steps like the Bring Jobs Home Act that would encourage companies to invest and hire right here at home. Of course there’s much more we should do as well. Mr. President, I don’t mean to suggest that any of this will be easy—compromise never is. But legislation like the Bipartisan Budget Act, and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, show that when both sides are ready to come to the table and make tough choices, we can make real progress.”
Full Text of Senator Murray’s Remarks:
“Thank you, Mr. President.
“I come to the floor today to talk about the Bring Jobs Home Act, a bill that would stop big corporations from getting a tax break for sending jobs overseas, while rewarding businesses that invest in bringing jobs back home.
“I want to thank my colleagues Senator Walsh and Senator Stabenow for leading the way on this important legislation, and I’m glad we will have an opportunity to debate it.
“I hope my Republican colleagues will take a serious look at the Bring Jobs Home Act—and also work with us in the coming weeks and months on other efforts to create jobs and long-term economic growth.
“Mr. President, our economy has changed a lot over the last few decades.
“As prices have risen for everything from college tuition to health care, the shifting realities of the global economy have made it harder to find the kinds of jobs workers used to raise their families on.
“And as we all remember, for far too many families, the financial crisis and the recession that began in December 2007 was the last straw. It pulled the rug out from under workers and small businesses across the country.
“We’ve come a long way since then—but it is clear there is much more we need to do to create jobs and broad-based economic growth so that hardworking families get a fair shot.
“Mr. President, at a time when too many families are still struggling to make ends meet, there is absolutely no reason taxpayer dollars should go towards helping big corporations send jobs overseas.
“That’s why I was proud today to vote in support of the Bring Jobs Home Act.
“Mr. President, I think most Americans would agree that they don’t want their taxpayer dollars spent to help corporations outsource jobs.
“This should be a no-brainer.
“Unfortunately, Mr. President, over the last few years we have spent far too much time on avoiding crises, rather than on legislation like the Bring Jobs Home Act that would help workers and businesses.
“Government shutdowns, default threats, and last-minute deals took up way too much of the oxygen in Washington, D.C., and made workers and families question whether their government could get anything done.
“So when Chairman Ryan and I were able to reach a two-year bipartisan budget agreement, I was hopeful we would be able to move beyond the cycle of governing by crisis.
“I hoped we could build on the bipartisan foundation established in the two-year budget deal and work across the aisle to create jobs and grow our economy.
“The Bring Jobs Home Act is exactly the kind of legislation I wanted to see us debate and work together on.
“Mr. President, while we all know Republicans and Democrats have some very different views on the best ways to encourage economic growth, we have taken some bipartisan steps that show we should be able to work together on this and other job-creating legislation.
“The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which Senator Isakson and I were able to work together to finish, is a great example.
“This bipartisan legislation shows what’s possible when members from different parties, different states, and different chambers come together to get things done for the American economy.
“I’ve heard from countless families and businesses in Washington state who have told me how much they rely on effective workforce programs.
“So I was absolutely thrilled to stand next to President Obama yesterday, as he finished more than a decade of hard work and negotiation by signing this legislation into law.
“Mr. President, I am glad we were able to go beyond governing by crisis and reach a bipartisan agreement to thoroughly and responsibly improve our workforce development system.
“We need to do the same thing—go beyond simply avoiding crises—when it comes to commonsense steps like the Bring Jobs Home Act.
“And Mr. President, I do want to note that this is also true for the Highway Trust Fund.
“I hope that we will be able to not only avoid a construction shutdown short term, but also work together to strengthen our transportation infrastructure in a comprehensive way.
“Construction workers and businesses absolutely deserve the certainty of knowing we will avoid a shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund and keep critical transportation projects going.
“But they deserve more than that, Mr. President.
“They—along with every other American family and business that uses our roads and bridges—deserve a long-term solution, one that not only shores up the Highway Trust Fund, but also provides a plan for smart investments throughout our transportation system.
“My colleagues Senator Wyden and Senator Boxer have been leading the way on avoiding this unnecessary crisis and addressing our transportation infrastructure challenges not just for the next year, but for years to come. And I really want to thank them both for their efforts.
“Mr. President, I know the conventional wisdom is that Congress will not be able to get anything done between now and November. But I don’t see any reason at all why that should be the case.
“Families and communities rightly want us to be solving problems—and just avoiding crises isn’t enough.
“So I’m hopeful that in the coming weeks and months, we can not only avoid a construction shutdown, but also lay the groundwork for smart investments in our country’s roads, bridges, and waterways.
“I’m glad my Republican colleagues are making it clear they don’t want another fight over keeping the government open, and I think we should build on that by working together to replace more of the harmful sequestration cuts we face in fiscal year 2016.
“And instead of simply avoiding self-inflicted wounds to jobs and the economy, we should take important steps like the Bring Jobs Home Act that would encourage companies to invest and hire right here at home.
“Of course there’s much more we should do as well. Mr. President, I don’t mean to suggest that any of this will be easy—compromise never is.
“But legislation like the Bipartisan Budget Act, and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, show that when both sides are ready to come to the table and make tough choices, we can make real progress.
“We have a lot of work to do over the next weeks and into the fall.
“And I hope we will take the bipartisan path that leads to real solutions, and goes beyond simply avoiding crises.
“That is what our constituents rightly expect and deserve—and that is what I hope we can work together to deliver.
“Thank you and I yield the floor.”
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