WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) has been elected Vice Chair of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) by the committee’s members.
“I am honored to be chosen by my colleagues to serve as Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee,” Maloney said. “There are major economic challenges facing our country – from growing inequality to wages that for some have barely moved in decades to infrastructure that has been neglected. I look forward to shining the JEC’s spotlight on these and other issues so Congress can craft solutions that help middle class families and lay the foundation for future economic growth.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi recommended Maloney for the post earlier this year. Today, the recommendation was confirmed by a majority vote of members of the committee. Previously, Maloney served as Chair of the JEC in the 111th Congress—the first woman to do so—and as Ranking Member in the 114th Congress.
During the 114th Congress, Maloney spearheaded a report on gender pay inequality and its consequences for women, families and the economy. The report examined the factors that contribute to the gender pay gap, outlined how the pay gap contributes to income inequality and retirement insecurity and highlighted family-friendly workplace policies that would shrink the pay gap.
Under Chair Maloney in 2009-2010, the JEC closely monitored the employment situation and tracked its rebound from the Great Recession. The committee held close to 50 hearings and issued dozens of reports with an emphasis on creating jobs and reducing unemployment.
Rep. Maloney has a strong legislative record on economic and financial issues. Her Credit CARD Act, signed by President Obama in 2009, has been estimated to have saved consumers approximately $16 billion between 2011 and 2014. She also is the author of the Measuring Real Income Growth Act of 2019 (H.R. 707), which instructs the Bureau of Economic Analysis to provide distributional analyses of the Gross Domestic Product.
The JEC is a joint House-Senate committee that holds hearings and issues reports to help inform Congress’ actions on economic issues. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) will serve as the Chairman of the committee in the 116th Congress. Senator Lee and Representative Maloney will be joined by nine Republican and nine Democratic members.
Democratic members are Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA), Rep. David Trone (D-MD), Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL).
Republican members are Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX) and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA).
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