Voters On Both Sides Say ‘Go Big’ on the American Jobs Plan
By Zac Petkanas
The American Rescue Plan’s historically popular public investments prevented an economic catastrophe, but we’re not out of the woods yet. With more than 8 million jobs still missing from the labor force since the pandemic began, women’s labor force participation at its lowest rate since 1988, and rising threats from climate change, we need more public investments that prioritize America’s workers, industries, schools, caregivers, and environment.
Enter: President Biden’s American Jobs Plan.
Last week, President Biden introduced the American Jobs Plan: a once-in-a-generation $2.25 trillion investment that would revitalize our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and bring all Americans — regardless of their race, zip code, or income — into a more efficient, more equitable 21st century economy.
This infrastructure package puts big money into crucial projects like rebuilding and repairing our nation’s roads, bridges, and schools; investing in American manufacturing; expanding access to broadband internet; modernizing the nation’s electrical grid; funding the cleanup of mines and abandoned gas wells; and above all, creating millions upon millions of high-paying jobs.
What does that mean for our everyday lives? Internet access for rural communities, cities and towns connected through public transportation, reliable access to clean water, safer roads and bridges, a thriving care economy, safeguards against the rising threat of climate change, and so much more.
As we work to build back better from a devastating year, economic experts predict that the American Jobs Plan will create 2.3 million jobs, inject $5.7 trillion into the economy, and provide a greater economic stimulus than almost any form of a tax cut. Beyond accelerating our economic recovery and ensuring that we sustain the growth spurred by the American Rescue Plan, this package pays for itself and sets the stage for America’s long-term success.
At a time when failure to address the nation’s infrastructure needs could cost $10 trillion in GDP, over $23 trillion in total output, and 3 million jobs, we cannot afford to think small.
The exciting news for lawmakers is that investing in infrastructure is not only good policy — it’s also good politics. According to a new poll by Invest in America and Data For Progress, 73% of voters, including 67% of Independents and 57% of Republicans, already support the American Jobs Plan. More than 60% of voters support every potential provision of the proposed legislation, including investments in physical infrastructure, the care economy, American manufacturing, clean energy, and housing.
Our leaders should embrace this opportunity to bring the economy and country into the 21st century. Now is not the time to think small, it’s the time to go big.
Zac Petkanas (@Zac_Petkanas) is senior advisor to Invest in America Action and President of Petkanas Strategies LLC, a Democratic strategic consulting firm.