Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) said at a press conference Thursday on Capitol Hill that the bill she and other lawmakers are introducing will set up a pilot program with an end goal of guaranteeing a job to every American who wants one — a “key component” of the Green New Deal.
“I feel like this is a crisis,” Omar said in announcing the introduction of the “Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act,” which is also being introduced in the Senate by presidential candidate and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).
Omar said millions of Americans want to work but can’t find a job or many are forced to work “multiple jobs” to “make ends meet.”
She spoke about the 37 percent of her Minnesota constituents living in poverty and slammed the Walton family, which owns Walmart, for their success and wealth.
“This is not a problem of scarcity; this is a problem of greed,” Omar said.
“A crisis of this proportion requires bold solutions,” Omar said. “Not only would this bill create a pilot program to guarantee jobs in 15 communities across this country, but they would be good jobs.”
“All of these jobs would pay a living wage and provide benefits, like health insurance, paid sick leave and paid family leave,” Omar said. “This bill would also prioritize green energy jobs.”
“And I view this bill as a key component of the Green New Deal,” Omar said.
Omar said the Martin Luther King Jr. believed in the federal government guaranteeing jobs and “it’s time we make that vision a reality.”
“Helping our struggling communities has been put off for far too long,” Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), who is co-sponsoring the House bill, said at the press conference.
A letter to colleagues seeking support for the bill said in part:
We believe that every American who wants to work should be able to do so. Everyone should be able to have a job that pays a living wage and provides basic benefits like health insurance, paid sick leave, and paid family leave. These jobs will not only put more Americans back to work but will have an immensely positive impact on the communities in which they work and live. Putting people to work in fields that are under-staffed but sorely needed, such as caregiving, infrastructure, clean energy, and community revitalization, will benefit everyone. This bill is the first step toward achieving the goal of full employment at livable wages for all Americans.
Young people wearing Green New Deal t-shirts stood behind lawmakers and others at the press conference.
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