House Republicans want to be the new champions of the middle class, which the majority leader said Saturday has shrunk by 9 percent under President Obama.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., issued a Saturday statement promising the GOP would “focus like a laser” on jobs and the economy, which he said have not improved for middle-class families and individuals.
A Gallup poll, he noted, found that 51 percent of Americans identified themselves as middle-class, down from more than 60 percent between 2000 and 2008.
“The House’s agenda this Congress will focus on how to best empower the middle class and expand economic opportunity and mobility for all,” McCarthy said.
Republicans have been working to counter a frequently used Democratic argument that GOP policies work in favor of the rich and at the expense of middle- and lower-income people.
McCarthy outlined several GOP bills he said will create jobs and improve the economy for middle-income earners, including legislation to green-light the Keystone XL pipeline project which has been blocked by President Obama.
Republicans, McCarthy said, have also passed legislation that would end a requirement that large employers provide health insurance for anyone working more than 30 hours per week, changing the threshold to 40 hours.
Other GOP bills that will help the middle class, according to McCarthy, include one that would expand 529 college savings plans to cover computer equipment and the costs, as well as legislation that would help businesses grow by reducing government red tape.
Democrats argue that Republicans want to cut spending on services that benefit lower-income earners and poor people in favor of preserving tax cuts that benefit the wealthy. They oppose Keystone and say it will damage the environment and say the 30-hour workweek provision helps provide health insurance coverage to those who cannot afford it.
