[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13630]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, too many middle class families are still 
struggling to make ends meet. Income inequality continues to grow, and 
unemployment remains unacceptably high, particularly in my home of 
State of Rhode Island. Our constituents deserve solutions that will 
promote job creation and increase economic opportunities for everyone.
  One of the most important things that we can do for our country is to 
ensure that our workers have 21st century skills for a 21st century 
economy. In particular, I have been proud to work across the aisle to 
expand career and technical education, securing a $52 million increase 
for funding for Perkins Act career training programs this year alone.
  However, skills training is only one piece of the puzzle. We must 
incentivize companies to bring jobs back home, increase the minimum 
wage so that full-time workers aren't living in poverty, and invest in 
infrastructure to ensure safety, boost commerce, and create jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, economic opportunity should not be subject to partisan 
politics. It is time to act on these commonsense policies and provide 
all Americans with the means to make it in America.

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