Keeping the Super Committee Honest on Jobs

September 16, 2011

As the congressional "Super Commmittee" prepares to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion by Thanksgiving, AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee and AFL-CIO Pres. Richard Trumka think we need to keep them honest by requiring their proposals to be scored by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office to determine their impact on jobs and unemployment.

The Washington Post's Greg Sargent reports the plan, first proposed by Senator Jeff Merkley, has been gaining support — and the endorsements from the AFL-CIO and AFSCME leaders should help bring the issue of jobs to the forefront of Super Committee discussions on proposed budget cuts.

Here's what Pres. McEntee had to say on the subject:

“As the Super Committee embraces their charge to reduce the deficit by more than a trillion dollars, we urge them to embrace Senator Merkley’s proposal to report the jobs impact of their decisions. The Super Committee should focus on doing what’s right and get our country back to work. No more political gamesmanship that leaves struggling families out in the cold yet again. Investing in job creation is the surest path to an economic recovery that works for everyone, not just CEOs and huge corporations. Congress must put aside political differences and begin the real work of the nation.”

Pres. Trumka added:

“Senator Merkley’s plan is the kind of common sense initiative that is too rare in Congress. We are in the middle of a jobs crisis and the last thing we should be doing is passing legislation that kills jobs. Senator Merkley’s amendment would help the Super Committee avoid proposals that kill jobs. We strongly urge all elected representatives of both parties to support this effort.”

Read more from Sargent on washingtonpost.com.