Labor Day is an opportunity to acknowledge and show appreciation for the contributions of the American workforce. Unfortunately, American workers don’t have much to celebrate this Labor Day. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.2 million workers have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more. Some 5.2 million workers across the United States are “not in the labor force who currently want a job.” Real wages have decreased 4 percent since President Biden took office, overall prices are up over 16 percent, and interest rates are soaring. This is the reality families everywhere are faced with as the Biden administration touts “Bidenomics.” No wonder a recent CNN poll found the majority of Americans are feeling pessimistic about the economy.
Despite the challenges we face, there are policies we can enact to empower American workers and job creators.Whether it’s leaning in on a strong, strategic trade agenda or implementing broad-based, pro-growth tax policy, we can and should take steps to make Americans feel optimistic about our economy.
The Biden administration has been content to take a back seat on trade. Just look at how long it has taken for them to enter formal dispute resolution proceedings with Mexico over Mexico’s unscientific ban on U.S. biotech corn.This is one of the most clear-cut violations of the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), yet it’s been nearly three years since Mexico announced their intent to ban biotech corn. USMCA contains strong mechanisms to hold our trading partners accountable, and domestic corn producers should not have had to wait this long for the administration to stand with them and demand accountability.
