On Jobs and the Economy

By Mike Doyle

Over the last few years, in response to millions of Americans losing their jobs due to the housing bubble and the near-meltdown of the financial industry, I have been working with other Democrats in Congress to rebuild our economy and get us out of the mess that the Bush Administration got us into.

I have been working in Congress to enact legislation that will promote economic growth, put Americans back to work again, and provide help to people who have lost jobs through no fault of their own.

At a time when many factories sit idle and there are 5 people for every job opening, I believe the best way to get the economy moving again is to increase our nation's total demand for goods and services. That's why I voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which:

• invested billions of dollars in important investments like roads, bridges, and research + not only are these investments necessary for economic growth in the years to come, but they're also creating more demand for workers, goods, and services right now, which puts people back to work;
• helped state and local governments maintain important services like education, public safely, and health care;
• extended unemployment benefits and COBRA health insurance coverage for workers who lost their jobs in this recession through no fault of their own;
• cut taxes for 95 percent of working families to help them get through these tough times and increase their purchases of goods and services to create more demand for new jobs.

In addition, I voted for legislation that would help families that were victimized by sub-prime mortgage lenders stay in their homes -and which would help state and local governments get foreclosed homes back on the market quickly.

Finally, I have been working to enact banking industry reforms that will ensure that a few Wall Street bankers can never again destroy our economy and throw millions of Americans out of their jobs and their homes.

Moreover, throughout my service in Congress, I have worked hard to make the region a center for cutting edge research and advanced manufacturing. I have been successful in securing federal research funding and contracts for our outstanding local universities and world-class high tech firms, as well as working to support local federal facilities like the Supercomputing Center in Monroeville and the National Energy Technology Lab in Pittsburgh. I also helped establish a local center ("Dynamic Supplier Network Innovations") to help local manufacturing firms acquire the advanced technology they need to remain competitive in the global economy.