Alliance asks president to invest in infrastructure
The announcement Friday that only 88,000 U.S. jobs were added last month has a coalition of unions and environmental groups calling on the president to boost federal spending.
“Today’s jobs report is proof that looming budget cuts and economic uncertainty are weighing down job creation, innovation and our ability to compete globally,” said David Foster, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, whose members include the Sheet Metal Workers union. “There is a right way, a wrong way and a best way for government to support job creation in America. The right way is for the government to invest in economic activity during a cyclical downturn. The wrong way is to follow Europe — cutting budgets, slowing economic activity and driving up unemployment. The best way is to make strategic investments in America’s clean energy future and rebuilding our infrastructure for the 21st century.”
U.S. unemployment in March declined a tenth to 7.6 percent, according to Labor Department figures. But analysts said the drop was due to 500,000 people who stopped looking for work.
Foster said he hoped President Barack Obama’s upcoming budget proposal would focus on building rather than cuts.
“With the release of President Obama’s budget next week, we have the opportunity for America to reset our focus on job-creating policies, instead of across-the-board budget cuts,” he said. “Spurring long-term economic growth today is as important as it has ever been, and we can’t lose sight of that fact.”
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
