JEC Republicans Respond to Economic Report of the President

Urge Policies Reconnecting Americans to Work and Each Other

 

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, released the Republican response to the 2021 Economic Report of the President published by the Council of Economic Advisers.

The Republican response calls on Congress and the Biden Administration to use the early 2020 economy as a blueprint for recovery and prioritize policies that strengthen the institutions of work and family. Ranking Member Lee said, “It is important to understand what policy choices strengthen the institutions of work and family after such an unprecedented, difficult year.”

In the response, JEC Republicans outline specific policies to reconnect Americans to work and each other, urging policymakers to remove barriers to employment and increase the affordability of caring for a family. They express confidence in the resilience of the American people to reopen and rebuild the institutions that dot our social landscape.

“The first goal for the recovery is to reconnect Americans to work,”  Lee stated. “Work is not merely a source of income. It also creates social connections and builds a sense of purpose and self-worth. It is critical that we return to a robust labor market similar to that of early 2020, with more than eighty percent of working-age Americans employed. A strong labor market creates opportunities for those who have historically struggled to find work in weaker economies, strengthens workers’ bargaining power, and increases their wages.”

Lee continued, “The second goal for the recovery is to support families. Families were harmed disproportionately by restrictions placed on schooling and childcare during the pandemic. One of the best ways to support them is through more choice, pluralism, and flexibility in these important services. We can also make life more affordable for families in many ways—for example, reforms to the child tax credit that would offset their payroll tax burden.”

Read the full Republican response HERE.

The Joint Economic Committee is Congress’s bicameral economic research center and home of the Social Capital Project, led by Ranking Member Mike Lee.

 

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