[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 10, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H115-H116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WORKFORCE VERSUS LABOR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, words matter, and ideas have consequences. 
That is why House Republicans are once again changing the name of the 
committee I now chair to the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
  Every time Democrats take control of the House, they swap out the 
word ``workforce'' for ``labor.'' This back and forth is at the core of 
Republicans' and Democrats' differing views on the concept of work.
  The Bible tells us that when God created Adam and Eve, He gave them 
the garden to cultivate and animals to name. This was work. Being made 
in the image of God means that we, like Him, have the capacity to 
build, create, and bring order from chaos.
  Using our God-given gifts, mankind has done just that. This ability 
to work and create is something to celebrate, not lament.
  Influenced by Marxism, the left prefers to call work labor. This is a 
mistake. I reject the idea that work freely done is toil. I reject the 
idea that work freely done is a curse. I embrace the idea that having 
the opportunity to provide for one's family is a blessing.
  Even those who do not adhere to a Biblical worldview can see 
empirically that men and women are at their best when they get to work.
  Work is fundamental to a lasting sense of fulfillment. As a small 
business owner myself, I know there is nothing better than the feeling 
you get when you look at something you have built with your own hands 
and ingenuity.
  I also prefer the word ``workforce'' over ``labor'' because all work 
is of equal value. When the left refers to labor, they aren't talking 
about the work of lawyers and doctors but the work of mechanics and 
welders. Why? For several decades now, our culture has made a 
distinction between blue-collar and white-collar work that denigrates 
the former. This is wrong. Calling the men and women who keep our homes 
heated and our cars running ``laborers'' degrades their contribution to 
society.
  We must recognize that there is more than one path to the American 
Dream. Working in a high-rise office building is not of greater value 
than the window washer cleaning that building. Each plays a pivotal 
role in keeping our economy running.
  ``Labor'' also implies that workers do not have a choice in who they 
work for or what conditions they work in. In the United States, we live 
in a free society, and workers have freedom to choose for whom they 
work. If an employer is unfair or unjust, workers have the freedom to 
find a different employer and to seek recompense.
  Yet the left uses the word ``labor'' to pit workers against 
employers, all in the hopes of bringing about more government control 
and a radical redistribution of wealth.
  The United States is the most prosperous country in history because 
of our free market, but embracing socialist policies and views would 
destroy that.
  Democrats also insist on using the word ``labor'' because they are 
beholden to Big Labor. Democrats have made it clear that they wish to 
force all Americans into unions, regardless of their preference.
  When Democrats oversee this committee, their efforts focus on 
bolstering union bosses at the expense of employee free choice. This 
myopic view serves only a small spectrum of the workforce, as the 
majority of workers choose not to be in a union.
  On the other hand, Republicans are committed to supporting the entire 
workforce. We do not support a one-size-fits-all work model and 
understand that work is as diverse as the people doing it.
  So when I talk about the workforce, I am talking about all the men 
and women who take pride in their work. When I talk about the 
workforce, I am talking about all the men and women who work hard to 
provide for their families. When I talk about the workforce, I am 
talking about all the men and women who have gained the skills 
necessary to be productive and self-sufficient citizens.
  Under my leadership, the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
will

[[Page H116]]

serve the entire workforce, no matter what color their collar is, how 
dirty their hands get when they work, or whether they work 
independently.
  The end of Big Labor, in our hearing room, is over.

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