Regional Leadership Council Meets with Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su to Discuss Implementation of the Investing in America Agenda
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, members of the Regional Leadership Council (RLC) and its chair, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), met with Julie Su, Acting Secretary of the United States Department of Labor, for a conversation on how Democrats' Investing in America agenda is creating new opportunities for workers across the country. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and other landmark laws that Democrats passed last Congress have fueled rising wages and record job growth, with a historic 15.4 million jobs added to the American economy under the Biden-Harris Administration. These laws also included key provisions to help American workers get ahead, encouraging many of the infrastructure, manufacturing, and clean energy projects underway nationwide to work with unions to pay prevailing wages and expand apprenticeships in these crucial industries. Democrats also strengthened protections that help shield workers from exploitation and ensure that they receive fair pay for a hard day's work. Acting Secretary Su and members of the Regional Leadership Council discussed how the Biden-Harris Administration and House Democrats can take key steps to ensure that the Investing in America agenda continues to deliver for American workers, creating good jobs, and pathways to meaningful careers.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries created the Regional Leadership Council in January 2023 and appointed Congressman Hoyer to serve as its Chair. In addition to Congressman Hoyer, the council consists of twelve Members who each represent one of the United States' twelve regions. The council is working to ensure that Americans in every corner of the country and in every zip code can access the opportunities created by the historic policies that Democrats secured in the 117th Congress, including the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the Honoring Our PACT Act, and many others.
"For the American economy to succeed in the twenty-first century, our workers need to be able to compete," Chair Hoyer said. "Making our workforce more competitive is a cornerstone of Democrats' Investing in America agenda, just as it was for my Make It In America plan. Secretary Su and her team at the Department of Labor are vital partners in that effort. The laws we enacted last Congress invested not only in infrastructure, manufacturing, and green energy, but also in our workers, establishing protections and requirements that expand their access to better wages and new opportunities. I was pleased to talk with Acting Secretary Su about how these historic policies will help American workers and their families get ahead for decades to come."
"I appreciated the opportunity to join the Regional Leadership Council to discuss ways to ensure that workers in communities across the country have access to the good jobs created by the Biden-Harris Administration’s agenda," said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. "We agreed that we must continue to build pathways so people are connected to the good jobs they want and need, and business are connected to the workers they want and need. Thank you to the RLC for their important work."