House Republicans will roll out their eight-point economic-policy agenda today, designed to make American businesses more competitive in the global market.
The plan, intended to rebut Democratic criticisms that U.S. jobs are being lost to overseas outsourcing, seeks to stimulate job growth by, among other things, streamlining federal business dealings with the private sector, curbing the cost of health insurance and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign energy.
“A part of this plan offers a retort to the Kerry [economic] plan, but we also ask why are jobs being lost, going overseas, and what we are doing to help companies keep an educated work force,” said Greg Christ, spokesman for the House Republican Conference.
The package — dubbed Careers for a 21st-Century America — will be broken down to individual elements and become a primary focus of floor debates and some committee hearings through August.
“It’s all very important, and things we need to get done, but we thought it would be more likely to pass if we broke it apart, as opposed to one big, huge jobs bill,” said Rep. Deborah Pryce, Ohio Republican and conference chairman.
Democrats with knowledge of the legislative agenda said it is merely an extension of their strategy, including bills that have already passed Congress or are being debated in either chamber — like energy, Medicare and tort reform.
“We plan on having an aggressive response to their package as it plays out,” said Jennifer Crider, spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat.
House Republicans said they will introduce legislation to create more research and development grants, to offer tax incentives for business innovation, to help people acquire job skills as they change careers, and to break down foreign nations’ barriers to U.S. exports.
Other pieces of legislation that have been stymied in the Senate, such as energy and tort reform, will be revised and presented again, Mr. Christ said.
Outsourcing will be a major political focus for the rest of the 2004 congressional session with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts making job losses his chief criticism of President Bush.
Mr. Christ said that although Democrats have seized on the populist issue of outsourcing, there are factors other than trade contributing to job losses.
He said in the new global economy, where 7 million jobs turn over every month and the average worker changes careers three to four times, Congress must figure out how to stay out of the private sector’s way while keeping the American worker competitive.
“You will see two to three if not four pieces of legislation a week on these principles and we are going to push initiatives we feel strongly about,” Mr. Christ said.
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