‘Even as vaccinations go up and cases go down, the Biden administration is incentivizing people to sit on the sidelines instead of encouraging them to rejoin the workforce.’
‘Across America, businesses are no longer competing against other businesses. Now they have to compete against the government. And the government is stacking the deck against them.’
‘We need to encourage folks to rejoin the workforce; to get back to work. Job creators are creating the opportunity – we just need folks to reach out and take it.’
‘We all need to remember: opportunity through work is the foundation of our great country.’
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) today delivered remarks on the Floor of the United States Senate detailing the national worker shortage caused by enhanced federal unemployment benefits, and their harmful impact on small businesses in Alabama. Sen. Tuberville highlighted the Back to Work Bonus Act as common-sense solution to encourage Americans rejoin the workforce.
Excerpts from his remarks can be found below, and the full speech can be viewed here.
“Before the pandemic hit, we had the best economy in decades. The unemployment rate in January 2020 was 3.6%.“
“Wages were up, and blue-collar wages were rising [faster] than white collar wages for the first time on record.”
“There is no debating that the coronavirus pandemic hit our economy very, very hard. [Many] companies and businesses – including family-owned small businesses – have spent the past year hanging on by a thread as the pandemic held us in a tight grip around our country.”
“As more and more people are feeling safe to go to the places they used to go and do things, businesses are eager to respond.”
“But today, even as vaccinations go up and cases go down, the Biden administration is incentivizing people to sit on the sidelines instead of encouraging them to join the workforce.”
“It’s the opposite of what the federal government should be doing. And it’s the opposite of what job creators want to do for the millions of Americans out of work.”
“There are roughly 8.1 million job openings in the country, but the Democrats would rather discourage folks from seizing [the] opportunity to go out and earn a living.”
“That’s exactly what the current unemployment payments do. As part of their partisan stimulus bill, Democrats extended the $300 a week federal unemployment benefit, a monthly payment in addition to the state benefit that folks already get.”
“In Alabama, people could choose to receive, with no strings attached, up to $678 per week. That comes out to $16.95/hour – even more than our Democrat colleagues job-killing $15 minimum wage proposal.”
“Across America, businesses are no longer competing against other businesses. Now they have to compete against the government. Government versus the private sector. And the government is stacking the deck against all our small businesses and manufacturers.”
“Al Cason is the president of Bud’s Best Cookies in Hoover, Alabama. His father, Bud, owns the company and has been in the industry for 65 years. Normally, they’ve get 4 production lines and two shifts. But because so many, so many of their would-be workers are staying at home, they can only run 2 lines, and they’re cutting their production in half. ’We can’t get people to come to work,’ Al wrote to me. The government is taking away workers from our business.”
“Wesley Averett from Enterprise Health and Rehabilitation Center in Enterprise, Alabama, wrote that his long-term care facility is ‘unable to find the help [they] need’ due to the ‘severe negative impacts stimulus and unemployment payments are having on the Alabama workforce.’”
“And then there’s Sandra Walker from Lake Haven Assisted Living in Luverne, Alabama, who said, ‘Our salaries are competitive, but we can’t compete with stay-at-home … no strings attached handouts. … Business is back open but we can’t survive without our workers returning to work.’”
“And here’s what Anita Hilliard in Courtland, Alabama told me. The company she works for employs people in convenience stores throughout northwest Alabama. She wrote, ‘We have had to shut down some of our shifts just because we can’t get enough people to work, and sometimes we have to shut down completely.’ But here’s what really stuck with me in her letter: ‘I am working and paying taxes to pay others more than I make myself – that’s sad. This must end, or we will lose the America we have grown to know and love.’ I couldn’t agree with Anita any more.”
“We’ll never jumpstart our economy if we keep going with this bad policy incentivizing people to stay at home and sit and not work, rather than taking the employment opportunities when they’re offered to them.”
“Our businesses need workers to meet customer demands – that is truly a great thing after such a hard year. Our job creators have started to hope and see opportunity again.”
“But we need to encourage folks to rejoin the workforce; to get back to work. Job creators are creating the opportunity – we just need folks to reach out and take it.”
“Getting these folks back to work isn’t just about the ‘now’ – it’s about helping them to see the future again. It’s been more than a year for many who have been out of work. Taking the leap to get back sometimes it’s scary. But we’ve got to help the people take that leap. If we wait, these businesses – and the jobs they are offering right now – may not be there in September.”
“That’s why I joined my colleagues, Senator Crapo and Senator Risch, to cosponsor the ‘Back to Work Bonus Act.’ This bill would give ‘back to work’ bonuses to workers who are able to safely return to work. This would be a one-time payment of $1,200 for those returning to full-time jobs. $600 for those returning to part-time jobs. Employers would verify the earnings and hours of those receiving the ‘back to work’ bonus. That sounds much more like an actual stimulus to me.”
“The Biden-backed unemployment benefits are crushing their hopes of getting back to a pre-pandemic high.”
“Earlier this week, I was glad to see Alabama be one of the first states to announce plans to stop accepting enhanced federal unemployment benefits.”
“We all need to remember: opportunity through work is the foundation of our great country.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
###
