Congress is Creating New Jobs, Economic Growth and Cost Savings in California’s 28th District

On Thanksgiving, California families will come together for good food, good company and meaningful reflection on all that we are thankful for as 2022 comes to a close.

It’s been another challenging year. While the economy has rebounded from the pandemic, we’re still reckoning with its lingering impacts, like stubborn inflation. High prices have families everywhere keeping a vigilant eye on their pocketbooks and in Congress we are working hard to lower costs.

In March 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, which included direct relief for millions of workers, families, small businesses and local and state governments reeling from COVID-19. This much-needed economic resuscitation made it possible for businesses to hire more workers and even pursue new expansion.

In the 28th District alone, 32,500 jobs were created and 1.65 million have been created throughout California. Our statewide unemployment rate has plummeted to 3.9% – down from 8.8% at the beginning of 2021.

The American Rescue Plan was particularly a lifeline for small businesses and budding entrepreneurs who had put their dreams on hold. In addition to the many businesses that reopened their doors, 12,700 new business applications were filed in our district in 2021, and more than half a million were filed across the state.

This represents more than just a return to business as usual. Both district- and statewide, it’s a more than 35% increase over pre-pandemic years.

Congress has since passed even more legislation to spur not just job growth, but growth in key sectors like construction, manufacturing, technology and clean energy that will promise stable, secure livings for generations of Californians.

The CHIPS and Science Act, for instance, is making historic investments in American research and manufacturing to make more technologies of the future here at home and boost America’s economic competitiveness. Already 700 manufacturing jobs have been created in our district and 53,200 have been created statewide.

And the Inflation Reduction Act is supporting new jobs in clean energy, a sector that will see unprecedented investment as we put real muscle into fighting the climate crisis. Today, 48,000 workers in our district are already employed in clean energy – a number that will continue to soar as the bill’s investments roll out over decades.

And California families are getting financial relief in other parts of their lives, too.

Starting in the new year, the Inflation Reduction Act’s healthcare provisions will save 104,000 seniors in our district and 5.25 million statewide significantly on lifesaving medications with the new $2,000 annual cap on prescription drugs and $35 monthly cap on insulin. And the bill saved 53,000 of my constituents from seeing their health care premiums rise or from being priced out altogether.

This doesn’t even include the new savings Californians will realize on their energy bills due to the Inflation Reduction Act, or the new jobs from big infrastructure projects in our district thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

None of this is enough and we must do more. But it’s a start.

Attacking inflation will remain my top priority as Congress prepares to gavel in a new session. But this data on the thousands of families staying afloat with new jobs, rising wages and meaningful savings is an important indicator that we are moving in the right direction.

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for so many things – for the good health of my family and the good company of my friends. I’m grateful too for the continued opportunity to serve my constituents and to keep advocating on their behalf.

Have a safe and very happy holiday and hope to see you soon.