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Joint Economic Committee Democrats

Issue Briefs

Aug 07 2023

Relieving Student Debt & Growing Our Middle Class

Ensuring Americans’ access to quality higher education is a critical piece of the U.S. economy’s success. A higher education is one important pathway to the middle class and making it available to more Americans leads to a strong, diverse, and globally competitive workforce. Yet, student loan debt can act as a barrier to entry into the middle class, denying many borrowers the ability to build wealth, save for retirement, and support a family.
Recognizing these challenges, the Biden-Harris administration has overhauled the income-driven repayment (IDR) system to give millions of middle-class borrowers the relief they need to pay back their loans in a sustainable way. The administration’s actions will give full credit for the payments borrowers have already made, while also introducing the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan to reduce IDR payments going forward.

Jul 24 2023

Unions Support Workers and Grow the Middle Class

Unions play a vital role in strengthening the middle class and creating a fair workplace for Americans. Recent growth in union activity paired with the policies passed by Congressional Democrats and enacted by the Biden administration can help expand economic opportunity for working families and bring more people into the middle class.

Jul 21 2023

State by State Fact Sheets: June Employment Data

Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases national and state-level data on U.S. employment, which provide useful information about the state of the labor market and progress toward building a better America. To highlight key trends in the monthly data, the Joint Economic Committee compiles state-by-state fact sheets for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The most recent state-level data, which cover the month of June, were released on July 21, 2023. The latest national data were released on July 7, 2023.

Jul 19 2023

How the NDAA Can Reduce Climate Change Risks to The Military While Investing in Clean Energy

Military bases and other defense assets face substantial risks from climate change in the United States and across the world. This year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill from the Senate addresses many of these climate risks and invests in clean energy while the House version championed by hyper-partisan House Republicans largely misses the opportunity to address this existential threat to our national security.