[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 85 (Monday, May 17, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         UPHOLD DIGNITY OF WORK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, right now, our Nation is 
facing a growing workforce crisis.
  For anyone who is paying attention, the most recent jobs report was 
incredibly disappointing, but it wasn't a surprise. Nearly everywhere I 
go across my district in Pennsylvania, I see ``help wanted'' signs.
  Every day, I hear from small businesses that are struggling to hire 
and struggling to keep staff. Despite the progress that we are making 
in our fight against the COVID-19 virus, Democrats are continuing their 
Big Government, socialist plans. This alarming workforce trend is 
rooted in the Democrat's scheme to keep paying people to stay at home, 
and it must end now.
  Thanks to American innovation and the success of Operation Warp 
Speed, our Nation is winning the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Safe vaccines are the key to restoring our personal liberties, 
eradicating this virus, getting our kids back to school full time, and, 
yes, getting the American people back to work.
  Just like every previous challenge in our history, I know that our 
Nation has the potential to recover from this pandemic and to recover 
stronger than ever before. This truly is the American way.
  To succeed, we cannot allow President Biden and the Democrats to 
sabotage our forward momentum. From day one in office, the President 
has promised Big Government interference that comes with higher taxes 
and more regulation for American businesses.
  Now, in the name of so-called infrastructure reforms, the Biden 
administration is flaunting job-killing plans that would crush 
America's and Pennsylvania's robust manufacturing and energy 
industries.
  Mr. Speaker, job-killing schemes and higher taxes are not the answer 
to the problem that lies in front of us. The dignity of work is a core 
tenet of our national fabric. This belief has motivated the generations 
of courageous Americans who built and forged our Nation.
  Now it is once again time to get America safely back to work. 
Alongside President Trump, I worked hard to advance a pro-growth agenda 
to support the workforce and create American jobs for American workers. 
We need to return to these solutions today to secure our success for 
tomorrow.
  American workers are the key to our recovery. They are truly 
essential. For centuries, hard work has been the key to uplifting 
families and achieving the American Dream. We cannot allow this 
longstanding tradition to be lost.
  For the sake of our workforce and for our communities, we must uphold 
the dignity of work. We must support the workforce, and we must get our 
Nation back on the road to recovery.

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