Jobs

&

the Economy

The foundation of our country’s economy is strongest when middle class families are thriving and have a strong sense of security in their present and future personal economic disposition. The current administration’s unnecessary and disproportionate tax cut that benefits mainly corporations and the ultra-wealthy, misguided and harmful tariffs, and the threat to weaken those safety net programs (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) in order to pay for the resultant $1.1+ trillion deficit from these actions has put our economy and the hard-working men, women and families in jeopardy.

This instability and violability of the overall economic policies of the current administration does not provide much, if any positive reassurances to the American worker nor to the various sectors of our economy. That’s why Todd supports economic and tax reform policies that benefit and favor the lower and middle income earners – the hard-working men and women that drive our economy and reason why corporations and Wall Street have been financially successful. It’s way past time that the financial success borne from the blood, sweat and tears of the middle class – our union workers, farmers and ranchers, teachers, coal miners, nurses, steelworkers, truck drivers, postal workers, public safety personnel – police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, corrections officers, retail and hospitality professionals, construction workers - begin to believe and experience firsthand through increased wages and essential benefits that our economy is working for them as a result of their dedication and unselfish hard work. Our elected representatives must provide economic relief and stability to America’s working families through equitable and fair economic and tax policies.

Todd supports these JOBS & ECONOMIC policy initiatives that have national security implications:

  • Fighting for working-class families - better pay, benefits and safe working conditions for all working people.

  • Protecting and strengthening Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

  • Protecting existing jobs and creating new jobs for the 21st century.

  • Investing in the American worker through quality education, job training and career opportunities in face of a changing economy driven by increased innovation, technology and automation.

  • Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour; workers deserve a livable and sustainable wage to adequately support and provide for their families.

  • Providing incentives for employers to adopt paid sick and family leave, childcare benefits and protections for uncovered workers.

  • Supporting and protecting organized labor; all workers have the right to organize and bargain collectively for better wages, benefits and safe working conditions; strengthening unions and making it easier for workers to organize, not more difficult; opposing “right-to-work” laws, which inherently are designed to weaken unions and ultimately hinder the collective bargaining abilities of the hard-working men, women and families of America.

  • Increasing funding and incentives for entrepreneurship in small and medium businesses, the backbone of economic growth and employment in our country.

  • Investing in a bold and comprehensive infrastructure plan to rebuild America through bipartisan legislation – WE CAN DO THIS!

  • Investing in the manufacturing sector with a focus on the renewable energy industry – solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, biomass - creating new, clean energy sustainable jobs for the 21st century and beyond; supporting the necessary technology upgrades to improve production and ensure quality products.

  • Supporting bipartisan discussions for passage of the USMCA Trade Agreement.

  • Providing job and career opportunities for America’s younger generation entering the workforce by allowing students to refinance their college loans at lower interest rates, providing tuition-free vocational-technical training, apprenticeships and community college degrees, and expanding Pell Grant eligibility and award amounts (while still necessary to obtain a student loan the Pell Grant award allowed Todd to attend college).

  • Supporting and protecting the farmers and ranchers across PA-13; ensuring that appropriate funding for agricultural research and new technologies for our farmers continues; advocating for the issues and concerns confronting our farmers related to global climate change, economic hardships due to tariffs that harm agricultural commodities, and a shrinking farm and agricultural community; our farmers want access to a fair, open and free trade market so they can get back to not just feeding America, but feeding the world!

  • Protecting the pensions of workers who have worked hard their entire lives so they have the financial security of this income during their senior years.

  • Ensuring that strong financial regulations exist to prevent an unnecessary financial collapse due to improprieties within the financial sector; these financial regulations will promote economic stability and growth.

  • Enhancing consumer protections to ensure equity and creating a high-level of confidence that our economy is strong.