Rebuilding the Middle Class

February 1, 2012, 9:00am – 10:30am

About This Event

Read the full text of Sen. Harkin's speech here (pdf).

In the State of the Union address, President Barack Obama challenged Congress to pursue policies that recognize that a strong middle class is the key driver of economic growth. He stressed that the United States will not have an economy that works until it has one that works for all Americans.

Join us for a conversation with Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee, as he reflects on what he's learned from the series of HELP Committee hearings and events on the decline of the middle class, and outlines a policy agenda that puts the middle class first. In the coming months, Senator Harkin plans to introduce sweeping legislation that will rebuild America's middle class through investments in areas like education and workforce training, our nation's infrastructure, and manufacturing jobs, as well as securing pensions and ensuring college is affordable.

Senator Harkin's remarks will be followed by a panel of distinguished economists and policy analysts exploring how the middle class is a key engine of economic growth.

This is the second in a year-long series of events and publications on the importance of the middle class to our economy.

Featured speaker:
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)

Introduction:
Neera Tanden, President, Center for American Progress

Featured Panelists:
Heather Boushey, Senior Economist, Center for American Progress
Isabel Sawhill, Senior Fellow of Economic Studies, Brookings Institution
John Schmitt, Senior Economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research

Moderated by:
Michael Ettlinger, Vice President for Economic Policy, Center for American Progress

Location

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005