Washington, DC – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy, announced his subcommittee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, May 7 at 2:30 pm EST in Room 538 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., titled “Drivers of Job Creation.” The hearing will explore current trends in job creation, measures that could accelerate growth in the U.S. labor market, and which policies can contribute most to creating middle class jobs.
“Good-paying middle class jobs are the heart and soul of a strong American economy,” Merkley said. “I know, because I grew up in a blue collar Oregon family that was able to be part of the middle class American Dream. Too many Americans are stuck in low-wage jobs, barely affording their bills and basic needs. We need to focus on creating better-paying jobs that will ignite our nation’s economic recovery and create growth from the middle out.”
Witnesses will include Derek Smith, CEO of Clean Energy Works Oregon; Dr. Robert Dietz, Deputy Chief Economist at the National Association of Home Builders; Jennifer Erickson, Director for Competitive and Economic Growth at the Center for American Progress; Emil Frankel, Visiting Scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Institute; and R. Thomas Buffenbarger, President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
Live video of the hearing will be available at www.banking.senate.gov.
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