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Press Center

May 04 2018

Heinrich Statement on April Jobs Report

Statement released following Department of Labor annoucement

Many American families are still not seeing wage increases and are struggling to make ends meet. After voting to blow up the debt by nearly $1.9 trillion to pass tax cuts for the wealthy, now some of my Republican colleagues are publicly admitting that American workers will largely see no benefit from their tax law. There have been more than $390 billion in share buybacks announced since the passage of the tax bill, while workers have experienced little wage growth.
It’s a scenario that new parents, particularly mothers, face across the country. Many times, parents must leave their newborns – a crucial bonding time between infant and mother and father – before they’re ready because they’ve exhausted all of their sick and vacation time. Several national studies, including a recent one by U.S. Congressional Joint Economic Committee, found that access to paid family leave significantly increases the likelihood that workers will return to work rather than being forced to quit.
A report from lawmakers on the Joint Economic Committee states that Social Security is being threatened, and the federal government should consider modernizing and enhancing the program, according to this article on CNBC. "Cuts to Social Security are not a credible solution to pay for the $1.9 trillion that Congressional Republicans have recently added to the deficit in passing their tax legislation," said Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., in a statement. "We must ensure that our seniors are able to retire with dignity."
More than 51 million American retirees or their survivors collected Social Security benefits last year, according to the Social Security Administration. Those payments function as the foundation for their economic security during retirement, providing 90% or more of the income of almost one-third of those beneficiaries and the majority of the cash income for about 60% of them, according to a new report from the Democratic staff of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC).

A 25 percent cut to Social Security would eliminate 2.3 million jobs and reduce economic output by $349 billion, according to a report released today by the Joint Economic Committee Democrats. The report says the elderly poverty rate would be four times higher without Social Security, plunging 15 million more Americans into poverty. Speaker Paul Ryan proposed cutting entitlement spending last December, but ran into resistance from Senate Republicans and House GOP moderates. Read the report here.
The Social Security program is under attack and needs to be modernized and strengthened, according to a new report from Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee, which recommends policy to Congress. "Cuts to Social Security are not a credible solution to pay for the $1.9 trillion that Congressional Republicans have recently added to the deficit in passing their tax legislation," Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, the committee's ranking Democrat, said in a statement to CNBC. "We must ensure that our seniors are able to retire with dignity."
Joint Economic Committee Democrats released a report today that highlights the importance of Social Security to the economic security of millions of Americans, and urges Congress to reinforce its commitment to this vital program by modernizing and strengthening it. According to the report, any proposals to restrict Social Security benefits would place a heavy retirement burden on families who are already financially constrained.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, delivered the following statement at today’s hearing entitled, “How the Innovation Economy Leads to Growth.” In his remarks, Senator Heinrich outlined why the federal government must fund and conduct research and development, and invest in STEM in order to lead the way in building a 21st century economy.