Langevin Statement on Obama's Plan to Rebuild the Middle Class

Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s speech today about strengthening the middle class:

“With public satisfaction with Congress at an all-time low, Speaker Boehner explicitly stated this week that lawmakers should not be judged on how many laws we create, but rather how many we repeal. It is no wonder this body has been deemed one of the most unproductive by the American people. We have an opportunity to change that by coming together to help move our country forward, and I applaud the President’s leadership in proposing a way to do just that.

“Jobs and the economy remain the foremost concerns of my constituents and President Obama’s Better Bargain Plan would target those issues. Under the President’s leadership, 7.2 million new jobs have been created in less than four years, but much work remains to be done. We must support manufacturing in America and incentivize companies to keep jobs in this country. To improve the way we do business, we must also invest in infrastructure and in new technologies that make the private and public sector more efficient. And as co-chair of the Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus, I strongly believe that we must support education and training to create a skilled workforce so that local and national companies have the human capital they need to be successful.

“Most importantly, we need to move beyond the obstruction and intransigence that have characterized the Republican House and find a way to work together in the best interests of the families that sent us here to represent them. The challenges facing us are too critical to be derailed by politics. I applaud the President’s efforts, and I look forward to supporting his vision for the future of a stronger middle class.”