Government Policies and Actions that Are Impediments to Job Creation

Testimony Before the House Committee on Ways and Means

By Heather Boushey | March 30, 2011

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SOURCE:Center for American Progress

CAP Senior Economist Heather Boushey testifies before the House Committee on Ways and Means. Read the testimony (CAP Action).

Thank you, Chairman Camp and Ranking Member Levin for inviting me here today to testify on government policies and actions that are impediments to job creation. My name is Heather Boushey and I’m a Senior Economist with the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

The challenges workers face today are tougher than they’ve been in generations. Until we fill the gap in aggregate demand, we will continue to have unacceptably high unemployment, which in turn will continue to drag down economic growth. Unemployment—the ultimate unused capacity—is a terrible thing. Allowing it to fester when you have tools at your disposal to alleviate it sends a message that government policymakers don’t really care about the very real hardships families are facing or don’t recognize the enormous waste of human potential.

The policies that will create jobs are those that will increase aggregate demand by making investments that not only boost employment in the short term but also lay the foundations for long-term economic growth. Every policy should be examined through the lens of whether or not it supports job creation and rebuilding our nation’s middle class.

CAP Senior Economist Heather Boushey testifies before the House Committee on Ways and Means. Read the testimony (CAP Action).