Economy And Jobs
The Budget:
Congress has a responsibility to help bolster our economic recovery, and the federal budget should support investments in transportation infrastructure, research and development, and education that create jobs here at home. That’s why I have supported the Democratic budget proposals that create millions of new jobs by investing in infrastructure, providing businesses with tax credits for creating jobs, supporting our schools and institutions of higher-education, and establishing a Veterans Jobs Corps. I oppose President Trump’s budgets that slash Medicare, hurt job creation, tank funding for education and infrastructure investments, and undermine clean water and clean air protections.
Jobs and Workforce Protections:
Many working families – on the North Coast and throughout the nation — still feel they cannot get ahead. Wages are stagnant while the costs of prescription drugs, college and housing continue to grow. It's no wonder many people feel frustrated and left behind.
We know many of the things that can help middle class families meet these challenges: keeping health care affordable, making sure more workers are covered by overtime protections, and providing paid family leave and child care; however, those tools alone are not enough to combat the broader economic changes that are hurting working families. We also need to ensure that our trade policies support workers, and we need to do more to provide the tools people need to succeed in the 21st century global economy.
Trade:
Trade agreements must promote strong protections for American consumers, workers, public health, and the environment.
I opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) which would have established a new free trade agreement involving a number of countries around the Pacific Ocean, from Mexico to Japan, and Canada to Peru. I was particularly concerned with the weak environmental standards in the agreement.
If the Trump administration submits any new trade agreements to Congress, I will review them carefully, along with their enforcement plans, to ensure that they promote economic progress, secure strong enforceable labor and environmental standards, and respect U.S. laws and consumer protections.
Tariffs:
President Trump’s reckless trade wars have threatened economic growth, hurting individual families and businesses across the country. Of course we need to confront trade abuses by China and other countries. But we must do that thoughtfully, and working with allies, rather than spontaneously invoking tariffs and declaring trade wars on Twitter. We must also be smarter about the fights we pick. The President’s first act in this trade war was to slap 30% tariffs on all imported solar panel products – even on American-produced components. The clean energy industry is an American success story, and these tariffs will harm our clean energy economy, costing tens of thousands of American jobs. To reverse this reckless decision, I joined several colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Protecting American Solar Jobs Act.
Latest
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August 04, 2021
Huffman Announces Over $35 million in COVID-19 Relief Dollars Approved for Local Venues to Save and Create Jobs
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May 12, 2021
Huffman Highlights Upcoming State and Local Recovery Funds from the American Rescue Plan for CA’s Second Congressional District
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March 31, 2021
Huffman Statement on Biden American Jobs Plan
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March 29, 2021
Huffman Calls on USPS to Halt Vehicle Procurement Contract
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March 16, 2021
COVID-19: Eureka, Arcata plan uses for federal relief funds
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March 13, 2021
Rep. Huffman explains how American Rescue Plan forgives taxes on unemployment benefits
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March 10, 2021
Huffman Votes to Pass American Rescue Plan, Sending Legislation to President Biden