Labor & Employment Law

House Passes Jobs Bill for States, Obama Set to Sign

By Mike Hall

After months of Republican obstruction in the Senate, vital aid to states facing massive budget shortfalls and layoffs of hundreds of thousands of teachers, public employees, police officers and firefighters is on its way to the White House for President Obama?s signature. The bill just passed the House by 247-161 a few minutes ago. A pathetic number of Republican representatives–two, count ‘em, two–voted to support working families. Says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka:

Simply put, this vote keeps us on the path to economic recovery….Republicans who continue to fight for tax cuts for the super rich did everything in their power to defeat funding for teachers and firefighters, adding to the laundry list of anti-jobs votes they’ve taken.

Read Trumka’s full statement here.

BTW, it?s fully paid for in part by closing costly corporate tax loopholes that allow corporations to ship American jobs overseas. Works for us. Too bad so many Republicans think it?s a bad idea.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on August 10, 2010 (boomark / email).