Transcripts For CSPAN2 Labor Secretary Testifies On Presiden

the year 2023 budget request. this is a hybrid hearing so we need to address a few housekeeping matters. for the members joining virtuallyma there's a slight dey before you can display it on the main screen speaking as a microphone displaying the speaker on the main screen. do not stop your remarks if you don't immediately see the screen switch. screen does not change after several seconds. make sure you are not muted. minimize background noise and ensure you remain on mute unless you have sought recognition for the turn individual designated by the chair may use a microphone when they are not under recognition to eliminate inadvertent background noise. members who are virtual are responsible for meeting and on reading themselves. finally those roles require me to remind you that we have set up any knowledge or a switch members can give anything they wished submitted in writing on any of her hearings for the mail addresses than provided in advance to your staff. i would like to acknowledge ranking member tom cole and all of the members of the subcommittee who have joined their hearing both in person and virtually and i want to say thank you to all the members and their witness for your flexibility as we start this hearing earlier than expected. we welcome the prime minister of greece later this morning for thef light to welcome you secretary walsh first in-person and as secretary of department of labor you joined virtually last year and happy it's in person today. i want to first thank you for how hurt -- hard you have fought for this brought your entire career for american workers and the working family. the last years have been difficult for some money especially for working families. far too many people lost their jobs while businesses and restaurants closed and schools were shut down and the pandemic exacerbated what we have known for a long time paying is not kept up with the cost of living. so many americans are at a struggling pandemic took a massive stoldt -- toal. people are living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to pay taxes that are too high. corporations with monopoly prices are pushing up prices and now we are facing a war abroad and we have created an energy and cost of living crisis as well. and the atomic opera and -- economic opportunity remains hard and employment rates remain highere than that of the overal population. workers about a college degree have a barrier to employment ae far too many women have been pushed out of the workforce forcing them into unemployment over the last two years as sectors that employee. anomaly women suffer and that makes returning to the workforce that much harder for mothers.d we we need to do better for the communities that need us the most are that's why we were all -- secretary of labor frances perkins the first woman appointed to the presidential cabinet said in my quote i came to washington to work for god fdr and the millions of forgotten common working man than i would at women working for the forgotten and should be the reason every single one of us is in washington and we know mr. secretarywe that's why you e here. we have a responsibility to protect our workers and i thank you for joining us today. we appreciate all you have done. we have a responsibility to protect and help our workers of thank you for joining us today to discuss the department of labor's budget. we appreciate all you have done and will continue to protect workers and support their families.. the important work of rebuilding our economy began mustering i'm proud congress passed the first fiscal year 2022 government funding on to this in march including a 653 million-dollar increase for dll programs. 550 million more for employment training programs to help workers enter the workforce with better wages improved their family's economic stability. increased funding for an end to ship to help americans develop high school traders and help ex-offenders return to the work for supporting those with significant barriers find good-paying jobs helping employersmm hire and retain skilled workers. $50 million for community college training grant programs meeting the demand for skilled workers by providing training at community colleges. i'm proud that this committee was instrumental in creating this program in 2020 and the apprenticeship grants program in 2016 both of which are growing our economy from the bottom-up and letting people into the middle class. tia priority of mine has been to strengthen worker protection agencies and we work closely with eol with the occupational safety and health administration and employee benefits security administration and provide a total of $1.8 billion. these critical agencies protect against wage theft and worker classification at a time when potential workplace hazards threaten millions of us. we support working working conditions abroad and increase the international labor affairs for high-impact international assistance to combat some of the worlds most abusive labor practicesaf including child labr and forced labor in with funds from the u.s.-mexico-canada agreement we are making huge strides to enforce the labor commissions helping workers and employers in mexico make their work places safer. t protecting workers as ours include protecting those who find themselves unemployed. we are addressing long-standing problemsms and unemployment compensation and disproportionate harm workers of color service industry workers blue koller workers by modernizing technology expanding re-employment services for job seekers. we included districts in the project funding for workers and their home districts and tried to meet the need for job training workforce development apprenticeship programs and keeping our economy competitive began fiscal year 2023 we need to build on these investments. the budget request proposesee 14.9 billion for dll programs 13% increase over 2022. there's a plan to look at workers and their families and how they can access the opportunities they need and deserve. to support workforcet. developmt it would increase investments in state grants workforce training apprenticeship grants and other job training programs c double funding for strengthening community college training grant where they needed the most most. budget request continues their efforts to rebuild the unemployment compensation system to help unemployed workers make ends meet while they look to quickly re-enter the workforce. supporting our workers means maintaining a strong commitment to worker protection. pleased to see the request of an increase of 30 to $55 million for worker protection agencies to rebuild this critical important mission that has gone underfunded for decades. we must support our workers to people who keep our nation running and i'm proud we were able to support the people who keep this body congressional staffers paving the way for staffers to unionize for this example should reverberate across the nation. more needs to be done not only in this building. everywhere. workers deserve a fair shot and a good paying job. i want to lend my voice in support of the millions american workers joining together and uniting to fight for higher wages and better working conditions. we have seen successes at amazon starbucks and other corporations that there's no better way to strengthen the middle class than to ensure workers have a seat at the table which is why i strongly support bargaining rights and their ability to join a union as they fight for themselves and theirir families. the work that you and the rest the part due to provide safety and opportunity for our workers makes our country better pushes our economy forward. we make progress over the past year. they are so much more to do. people need to have government look out for them and those who are working and the vulnerable who work hard. this budget request in our support for workers will ensure we live up to these ideals and i look forward to working with you over the next year and with that let me recognize the ranking member cole for his opening remarks. >> remarks. >> thank you very much madam chair. mr. secretary is wonderful to have you here. i want to make three quick observations. this is a big day for our committee. we are going to name this hearing room after warmer chair of the whole committee a longtime chair the subcommittee and that will be a happy moment. second we got new chairs up on this podium. we can all move and we can get in and out. i don't know who the staff is furrier brilliant leadership but please give that person a raise. and finally on a t housekeeping matter i will have to leave at about 9:45 because rules are meeting to redo our structure so i apologize to you mr. secretary and certainly you madam chair my colleagues for having to leave early. it's not normal pattern for me. i'm particularly pleased mr. secretary do have the hearing person that this t years hearing and welcome you to our subcommittee. i want to start by thanking the secretary for traveling to my district recently which he was kind enough to do atmo my requet to visit tinker air force base which is america's largest defense aircraft depot actually the world's largest and meet their most safe operational order long after theiror normal lifespan.in as i have raised before in the subcommittee or aircraft depots and all of the dod and economy at large have serious shortages of qualified high-skilled workerssi and you helped me thik through that problem and helping up -- m helping us with ways to address that. we have a particular need for advances software developers communed -- computer engineers in that t particular set of skills. the secretary to the time to meet with the union leadership in and several workers on site to investigate the issue. will ask a question on that topic later if time permits. i look forward to working with you mr. secretary and your team in the coming months to pursue corporate solutions along with the air force. turning to the president's budget request for the coming syear i must reiterate some concern. last year president biden sign the american rescue plan into law without a single republicanr vote. this legislation pumps $2 trillion in tour u company mh of it unneeded and poorly targeted. ii firmly believe the laws been thee direct cause of the 40 year high inflation we are currently experiencing. gas prices average well over $44 a gallon and prices at the grocery store or up in double digits. we cannot spend their way out of inflation and this year's budget seems to think we can do juste that. spending levels requested in its budget doubled down on the same levels rejected by congress from the last budget. to enact such an increase in thisfi impairment would irresponsibly add to the national debt and further push our economy into a possible recession. that's some believe we are on the course of seeing a recession within the next year. it's a fact i find incredibly unfortunate. i believe the effects of the present economic policies could have been avoided with the purchase spending not addressed early in that position. the fiscal year 2022 appropriations represent a compromise. did not include the more than 17% increase for non-defense agencies requested by the administration. said we came together and funded joint priorities in a bipartisan manner at reasonable levels and i certainly hope we can do that again for fiscal year 2023. the second concern centers around employers. unemployment is at an all-time low. 3.6% and that's a good thing. my state of oklahoma we are significantly below the national average of 2.6%. businesses are struggling to find workers and a worker shortages exacerbating the pressures further pushing our economy in a downward spiral. they did not see workforce -- recent proposal to modernize the standard for revealing wage turns back to definition not being used for nearly 40 years. the budget request have a more than 20% increase in more than 35% increase for the office of federal contractors a 15% increase in the occupational safety and health administration and nearly 200 additional staff for labor in the department. specifically in your budget and jesse said the need for greater enforcement of those practices dating inio sharing this -- with record lows we do not need excessive executive order -- over reach stifling inflation. a renovation solutionsul like those found in the economy have enabled millions to find work when they want it and help them find workers when other options were not available. we should be supporting these new forms p of employment not smothering them with overaggressive rules regulations and enforcement. i do want to commend your support for the a pet apprenticeship program producing this program version recent years. i think apprenticeships represent an opportunity and a pathway to high-paying jobs many of which do not require a college degree. i am disappointed by the lackckf support to alternatives to register. i hear from businesses regularly about the limited structure and cumbersome for partnerships. it's not doing enough to support today's worker. it's underutilized by many industries notably the growing sector ofce information technoly cybersecurity and supply chain logistics. i think the administration should give more support intermediaries in this area to bring opportunities to these aggressively growing businesses and to american workers. these are some of the policy differences that i'm sure we will discuss today and i'm hopeful we can work through this shortened budget year and we will be able to once again find middle ground. i have said before and i will say it again the chair and i have worked together for the past seven years to find a spending level that will support the final appropriation we've been able to do that seven times in a row. i certainly hope we can dona so again and i would certainly not like to see our seven year't street broke in and i don't think it will be. i think we can find common ground and give you a budget within a reasonable time so you can go about your job. i don't want to drag us this into year. we both want to get her work done on time so thank you again mr. secretary for appearing before uss today and thank you. ticket for taking the time to come to my district. that was a very generous act on your part in a look for true testimony in our continued work on our shared priorities. with that madam chair i yield back. >> i think the general man in mr. secretary werfel written testimony will be entered into theme record and with that you e recognized for five minutes for your opening statement. >> it's great to be in person. g last year -- can you hear me? last year was my first hearing so it's great to be here today. i'm pleased to outline the priorities for the department of labor's fiscal 2023 fiscal year. my mission is secretary of labor is to empower a workers morning noon and night and the front-line front-line workers to care to stay the days of the pandemic and in the works to face barriers to employment opportunities for veterans who serve our nation to rural f workers who serve through targeted workforce training programs and the stance of all workers in every community to build a stronger more resilient and more inclusive economy. i'm proud of the department of labor and what we have accomplished as pastors successfully implemented the key provisions in the present american rescue plan. that plan was important to opening upns our economy supporting health care workers supporting pensions and unemployment insurance in our country protecting workers from covid-19 strengthening retirement security and access to mentaln health services that we need to do more of in this country. expanded crew training programs to give more americans were opportunities and connect industries to workers. we implemented the presence $15 an hour minimum wage for federal contractors and people that were earning $7 an hour to raise a family on his impossible. we worked on legislation on medical billing protections for tipped workers the chair delauro and chair murray advanced in 2018. we support organizing rights and infrastructure and implementation. we are committed to equity for the most vulnerable workers in our community. we have ath unique opportunity o helpar workers. the presence plans it has a start job driven recovery and congresses made investments in workers. the good jobs initiative we are partnering across the government to make sure these investments. good jobs and access to all people. i'm committed to supporting efforts to invest in the work restraining childcare education and health care and that working families need and depend on in this country and every single neighborhood in our country bute investments and renews her pledge to serve workers and retirees in america. the force development budget requests proven programs that work to help people get their jobs. $120 for community college employers. we talk about the importance of investments in every community. we talked about the challenge the air force has are competing with the private sector in getting -- giving good-paying jobs. these are powerful schools connecting diverse workers to scale n. they need supply chain needs in our concrete administration is working urgently to ensure that the formula is safe and available for families across the country. while this work is led by the fda are workers to increase the number of qualified truck drivers on the road to address the issues that many others have not over the long-term and we will do that. it's critical to provide people of color women in rural america opportunities for those good-paying jobs. it increases funding for veterans and training service agency. increases funding for women's her to expand access for women's careers where they are underrepresented. the budget provides $2.2 billion in the worker protection agency for this work is more essential now than ever as we rebuild staffing levels and that includes osha's efforts to double down the -- by the end of the presence first term and the capacity for force meant in equipment reviews them or store staffing unemployment benefit security of and disability benefits. it would increase funding for wage and hour division to safeguard the wages of federal were and advances america's promise advantage in our country to the budget increases funding office of labor solicitor rebuilding the entire department capacity to enforce the laws. we are requesting resources from the bureau of the international labor and affairs. to uphold their labor commitments so american workers can compete on a level playing field. this budget fully funds end up dates for state funding formula for unemployment insurance to this would be the first comprehensive update in decades. allow states to serve claimants more efficiently and their request includes $150 million to strengthen the integrity of the system. every single one of our states is that a problem over the last two years with fraud insurance for the budget request supports the good jobs initiative in this enables us to advance the present prior to good jobs with the a free and fair choice to join a union. i've traveled across this nation to work with workers and employers to better understand the needs of people and communities in this country. despite what they have been through work or show up each and every day to move our communities forward. in return we must do all we can to be sure we empower them with opportunity. i want to thank you all for the opportunity to testify to you in person dannatt look forward to discussing our budget request with the committee and any questions that i can't answer we will work with you to made sure we get the answers for you today hopefully. >> thank you very very much mr. secretary. we have been discussing the issue of anthem formula for the legislation but the that tie in with the truck drivers i hadn't thought about that and if we can move the product where we have a greater supply and that's what the fda said to me yesterday we have some places that have supplied that we can move quickly and get the product back on the shelves so parents are not at risk so thank you. mr. secretary last week along with my colleagues we introduced the wage recovery act. it's legislation to put hard-earned wages back in workers products and cracked down on employers to withhold wages from their employees. everyday employers cheat their employees out of legally owed wages. they violate employees overtime and tipped work rates. wage theft disproportionate harm's low-wage workers amplifying property and making the enforcement work at the that hour division more critical. mr. secretary how can that the hartman practically stop bad actors from withholding hard-earned wages from workers and privatize meaningful -- to make sure corporations are stealing wages from our most valuable workers. >> thank you madam chair. wage theft and the wage recovery act would strengthen the fundamental protections that would allow workers full compensation if theylo have eard and cracked crack down on corporations as object workers to abuse and we have to do everything we can inin our power to take steps so people are losing their hard-earned wages and that's the bottom line. certainly my pastoral working on the construction site when someone does their job to expect to get wages. it's been a lot of time going around this country and i've been in a lot of church basements talking to workers that quite honestly have been taken advantage of because they feel they have no power to support w themselves fighting fr the back wages they are owed. this -- they should be paid for every single bit that they work in this bill will help us ensure legalnu practices that are disproportionately -- we protect all workers of this country as we move forward. that's something that's really important. we also support 35% of our workers and our tipped workers asas well. those are the folks that serve the food and serve the copy -- coffee and cleaner tables and it's to think in 2022 we have people whose country that are taken advantage p of in mostly w income workers and that should not be the case. i look forward to working with you in congress. this committee in congress to pass that law and i hope it's a bipartisan effort because the way -- it's happening on both sides of the aisle. >> let me ask a question about u.s. in ca. since the passage of the u.s. in ca included $210 million from this committee so there has been great -- great progress made in this area as noted. in your testimony talked about supporting the first independent union elections of general motors f and mexico and the facility -- in april the department announced $28 million in investments to combat force labor and human trafficking and support workers capacity for negotiating collective bargaining agreement that would raise wages and improve conditions in mexico. how will you support the critical monitoring enforcement in capacity building role in u.s. in ca as we continue to make progress in mexico and what areas of the world from a focus on to a a support workers and aa result american business? >> thank you very much. deputy secretary shue travel to mexico and met with the labor minister in mexico to talk about what's happening on the ground. we can't be standing by as a country and watching this happen. >> i was hoping you could touch on that issue. we really ought to be leading an effort and eliminating child forced labor that exist and we should do all that we can to curtail it so thank you and with that let me recognize the ranking member. >> mr. secretary in my opening remarks that mentioned the bipartisan agreement on apprenticeships and how important they are and this committee has increase funding for those under the administrations of both parties. we have only had a modest increase inn the number of folks that are actively registered premises. we all know this is a good pathway to great job and the skill sets that are economy really needs. >> first and foremost we have to let people know these opportunities exist in what we are doing with the department of labor we can expand registered apprenticeship programs and the trade model is just the gold standard. we were able to with the tracking challenge in the supply chain challenges we had we were able to in a matter of 48 hours turn around application. we have over 100 companies in 0 the trucking industry and 400 that have signed up. not to keep ringing up at tinker air force base i started thinking about working with committee colleges. there's a need over the next year at tinker for 3000 engineers. they have 1500 engineers from local colleges in oklahoma and other opportunities that are there and they are competing with the private sector. they can't compete with the private sector if you think about a program like that creating and apprenticeship programs that allows hiring people to come into these apprenticeships get on-the-job training working with and you could scale those workers a. that's how i envision these programs working in high-tech, ohio, and the industry we want. the private sector will have to work with us in the public sector to some degree. the last thing i will say we signed in mou with the country of austria a month ago to talk about austria and switzerland have a robusta partnership program and its embedded in their program. we aren't there yet in this country. a i think a lot of people as you mentioned a resistant to it and they have to understand it's not a program. it's actually process for a dance moves for educating people to go work. >> mentioning tinker is much easier so go right ahead. some of your remarks on unemployment insurance and i recognize we are coming out of extraordinarily difficult period where it's strain welled beyond their capacity and when you go through a pandemic and make will have slowdowns and shutdowns and you have to get people alternatives. i'm glad you are looking at that. we have had quite a few reports about fraud and when you put this much money into the system that's going to happen and maybe this is an handle it. i'm interested going forward if you could detail more about the specific things and whether the protections of fraud going forward that you would highlight. >> what congress made the appropriation last year i wasn't sure how many states and territories would be involved. we have 49 states that are engaged in this process. we put together teams that have identified challenges in every state in identifying workingng with them and making investments through grant program to make sure we fix the challenges. the unemployment system will need an investment to bring their systems up to 21st century standards. many were systems built in the 80s and 90s in the infrastructure is just not there. we are doing with the unemployment insurance office is working to make sure we need to make sure everyry single penny goes to herbs modernizing and fixing the challenge we experience a pandemic. pre-pandemic the numbers are verynd low in the amount of mony that went to the system i'm expecting those numbers to combat down. i'm not expecting it to go away for don't fully address it. some states are making our investments with the money that congress gave us and we are working it. it's the same team that was able to distribute money for the cares packaged in american rescue plan. >> thank you very much. my time has run out and so mentioned earlier i had to leave and i regret that the thank you for the job you do. must -- much appreciated. i yield back. >> congresswoman roy bell allard. roy bell allard. >> [inaudible] >> child abuse of children. i just want to point out in our own country we are guilty of child abuse in the i'm talking about children that work in agriculture who are the only children not protected under our child labor laws and as a result children that work in agriculture die at much higher rates than children in any other industry not to mention the impact it has on their education and also on injuries and they do want to thank your office for helping me put together -- providing me with information. i am introducing a bill or a has introduced of bills 7345 the children's employment and farm safety of 2022 which is intended to address this issue and to protect children in agriculture and it has all kinds of exemptions for family farms and every concern that has been raised prodigious wanted to bring that up to the subcommittee because there's a little secret that we have about these children. mr. secretary i'm the cochair of the nursing caucus and i'm very concerned that nurses and other health care workers have experienced high rates of infection and death from covid-19 and increasing rates of workplace violence during the covid-19 pandemic. this is due to the fact that there's a failure of health care employers to have inin place any kind of workplace violence prevention plan. more importantly it's largely due to osha's failure to act. osha has for many years said that they werea' in the processf writing a proposed rule on the workplace violence p in health care settings.he given osha's lack of action this house has tried to correct that in past a couple of bills to make that happen. it seems on excusable to me that osha has yet to finalize laws to protect these health care workers. please explain why osha has been unable to put together rules to protect these health care workers and can we expect something this year? >> thank you congresswoman, thank you for raising this important issue and i look forward to working with you on legislation in your office. i can't describe osha's failing. in a last year and a half osha has been fallout working hard on standards dealing with covid. workplace violence is one of those issues we have to work on. the last four years of osha's lost significant amounts of money and they've been significantlya understaffed and their concerns there. i will make this a priority. we have hadd conversations and i had a group of nurses in my office last week for nurses week. one of the issues they brought up was workplace violence and o particularly not just during covid the pre-covid and workplace violence for professionals as wellus so i gie you my commitment i will works n this. >> thank you and i yield back. >> thank you very much. it's good to see mr. secretary. we talked extensively about these as. the time indicated there may have been whether adequate protections of abuse are in the. werere you satisfied and are the ways we can improve it to make sure we get the workers so the employers don't abuse the system? >> they are always ways we can strengthen protections for workers. we are in the process of looking at this. i'm satisfied in how we are able to get it out. it's important to a lot of people in this congress. the system of hbt -- for me personally it was better than having to do this. i want to make sure as we do an allotment whether 20 or 35,000 or whatever the number is i want to make sure people who work in tough industries have the protection they t need. we are looking longer-term to make sure workers have good protections. >> thank you very very much in a few binaries areas where we can tighten it up. the employers i work with are willing to follow i the rules ad those who are not willing to follow the rules should have workers. thanks for your help and hopefully we can get back to deal the system of returning workers. the other issue i didn't want to bring up you may have to get back to me about is the issue of how we are in offshore wind because there's going to be a push for prince interesting there's a visasa system involves called a b-1 visa which are continental shelfti these as whh we give two ships that are going to do construction and they bring into labor. normally it's not american labor doing this. i thought we would construct these and we are not. their nordic country ships and to hire workers from non-nordic countries because nordic countries would be competitive with our salaries and eastern europeans and things like that. if we are losing american jobs because of the way the visa system marks. if you can look into how the b-1 visa system works and let us know if there ways we can get those jobs done by americans, those are good jobs and they think by allowing these nordic countries to apply and get their visas. higher other countries workers at a low cost. do you have any knowledge about that? >> the issue there is the work that's on the shore. when you get to the rigging in the harbor the if the workers are able to do the work we will be able to scale up our workers. there's an w ongoing conversatin with the visa and i will look into that. we will make sure we have good training programs. it's just a matter of technology and for the most part we have talked about for a long time. we shouldd be able to have a workforce that strain. if there's a loophole exploiting it or something in the something in the last thing is one the industries hardest hit by covid was the restaurant industry. have concern over minimum wage that would include tip wage workers. you understand the issue. the fact of the matter is tip wage workers has to earn minimum wage when you add tips in so any efforts to expand the minimum wage that doesn't take into account the tip wage would hurt our restaurants. a lot of small businesses as this in my district we will bring you to a mom-and-pop place the t barely survived covid andf they want their employees to earn a fair wage if you bring that tip to wage up to the minimum if prices them out of the market. a >> we have been talk more about it. one of the things we are seeing in the restaurant and hospitality businesses and 11.2 increase in i wages and most of the restaurants i have spoken to have been complained about it. i will get back to you on that. thank you very much i yieldo back. congresswoman clarke and thank you to congressman pocan. >> thank you madam chair. mr. secretary it's always good to see you and thank you for your incredible work since you have been in your position i especially want to thank you for your focus on women in the workplace. we know that the height ofw the pandemic 2.5 million women left the workforce and 1 million fewer women in the workforce today then in february of 2020. we know who these womenho are. they are low income. they are our essential workers. they care for our children and our parents and our seniors and disabled family members. they are primarily black, brown indigenous and they are modest. they are moms. and there's a price in this country to be paid for being a mom. we find ourselves at the intersection of another crisis thatt we are having for women in this country and that as we are about to see roe v. wade overturned and in many cities government mandated regnant seas. asas we are looking at who is te most impacted by this post pandemic economy and frankly who is most impacted going into the pandemic these women and their economic forces these are the exacthe same women, low income moms who are most likely to seek abortion care so in this new world that we are entering a new crisis for women some of the work that you have done is around childcare which is absolutely necessary. a recent gao report that i requested found only 11% have -- all workers have access to employer-provided childcare and we know the united states is way behind other developed countries in supporting this. can you tell me about the impact that you will see him being able to t have women have jobs where they can provide for their families if we do not do something about childcare. >> thank you madam chair and certainly it's m an issue. if we don't do something is a country about childcare we are going to do severe damage to our economy and if we don't i get women into the workforce and we are seeing high levels of unemployment it will impact our economy. number two copyable impact our family structure in america and their children. in legislation the president has filed that's in front of congress now, this is not a partisan issue. it's a bipartisan issue. the cost of childcare and not just childcare. high-quality childcare and the folks at work and that area are women and women of color that are underpaid and making what minimum wage. if you look at the numbers across-the-board with the pandemic has taught us we have deficits in different parts of our economy. we saw people quitting jobs at high rates in the glaring spotlight isng on women in our economy.t it's not just childcare. 50% -- 54% of women in this country are the lead of the family. i'm certainly working with secretary armando working on how to strengthen our childcare system. it's time for this country to make a major investment in job. >> speaking of childcare and moms data that came out at the department of labor the most recent we can find his 2018 so one out of four moms had to return to work within 10 days of giving birth. we are the only wealthy country that doesn't have national paid leave which is a disgrace but can you tell me are you considering updating that information and surveys to give us new insight? >> let? me give my quick cheat sheet here for the latest data we have is 2020. let me say this. i will work with you to get numbers for 2022 and enough for 2020 and not for 2018 and 2016 but that was yesterday. i will get updated it updated so we can see up close and personal with the relations are. >> thank you very much in think you madam chair. >> congressman fleischmann. >> thank you madam chairwoman. congratulations to your boston celtics first and foremost. the secretary and i -- also appreciate the fact that you've taken the time to come back to talk to this and the strong differences in ideology and policies. i think we both want the best for the american worker so thank you for your willingness to sit down and talk about these issues. appreciate that too. mr. secretary first i want to commend the department for opening the position to oversee the energy employees occupational donors compensation program. this is an issue albeit a little parochial if of particular importance to my constituents in the oak ridge area. contractors, subcontractors and their members were exposed to radiation and other highly toxic substances that have left them with chronic illnesses. my first question is what is the administration's timeline for reviewingg applications and the ombudsman position and what plan of action will we see from the new t omnibus. >> thank you for the question congressman to first and foremost we are in the process of hiring and looking at a timeline. in six months we should have that ready to go and i look forward to working with you in this area to make sure people are given the proper attention they deserve. >> mr. secretary weaver said a lot of calls from constituents would have been exposed to these particular substances over the years and many these people were trainees at the time. i'm not prepared to answer that question. let me get back to you. >> understood b and that background covers a specific class of worker but is trainees these workers were exposed in that capacity. >> i don'tee see the obstacles there. i just want to have a conversation with the office. >> finally sir the advisory board on toxics up fences and worker health officially requested a support contract your three years ago. it's my understanding the contract assume the procurement process and does not been sent out for bids. mr. secretary is this a a normal timeline for the procurement process and windy expect the process to be complete? >> it doesn't sound right certainly the timeline. i have to go back and check and do more research on this to answer this question today so i will back to you in your office after this hearing. >> thank you sir. i know we have other issues coming up so mr. secretary think you madam chair i will yield back. sonic thank you. congressman lee. >> thank you very much madam chair and mr. ranking member and thank you secretary for being here and thank you in your testimony for being straight up and blunt and authentic in much of the what you wrote about her testimony in -- test my special about black women. the unemployment rate is at 5% and the highest for women by ethnicity. it was 6.6 a month ago so it's heading in the right direction. it's very concerning. i noticed black women have been disproportionally impacted during covid but what in the t world are you able to do to address this and what are you doing to address this and secondly with regard to commitment to racial equity thank you again for being very clear in your testimony about what the issues are around racial equity and you mentioned oftentimes black women -- black women are experiencing a more difficult recoveryo but also treated differently. in terms of executive order how does that 13985 call for equity throughout the federal government, how do you address equity as it relates to africa in a where a man -- african-american african-american women intod the unemployment rate and how we recruit higher-end. how do you embed it. there systems you have to dismantle before you can do anything to move forward to develop equity so i'm curious as to how you are doing that and what you see in terms of black women and that they are treated properly first of all. >> thank you congresswoman. let mee start by saying you talk about it and you don't run away from it. the black unemployment rate for women in this country's 5%. pre-pandemic it was a challenge with black women for employment. we have had usually the black unemployment rate is double and that's been historic forever. think about the bipartisan opportunity law. we have an obligation to make sure the job initiatives making sure we have an equitable recovery and making sure those investments whether it's on the construction site to people of color particularly black people have an opportunity to get good-paying jobs. and we think about raising wages and people work on prevailing wage projects. theyeyo are being paid lower ra. that's an opportunity to -- we have got $15 minimum wage that leave many people in communities of color that were underpaid by federal contracts. we need to lift that wages up. the executive order the presidenthe signed 13985 the president has asked all of us to look at equities in everything we do in thisve department. my women sphero is focused on creating opportunities as well. these are words i'm saying to you.g this is action we are taking at the department of labor and we certainly have a long way to go. we also need to mention data. if you don't look at the data doesn't tell the truth. >> i'm saying measured the data. but the data is speaking and it's a different story. >> in my district for example historically california eliminated the only programs that can apply racial equity to our federally funded or a-gram. when you look around might district and people working on these big infrastructure problems in the past so how do you make sure the black and brown people are on the infrastructure projects and you have the contractors? >> you work with the building trades to make sure to create an apprentice program. i have created a couple of different programs for people of color and women. they are proven programs that work. you don't need a stassi just need to have conversations and you've talked about the affirmative action programs. we should bey doing this as a business in b this country. i feel confident in the conversation i've had around this infrastructure law. whenen we talked a little bit about the apprentice program we need to make sure when we. them whether it's trucking or other industries we need tocr me sure it diversifies going into the beginning. clark spoke about the childcare workforce shortages. and i think, so this isn't a shop in working on with the a nr of folks on the panel for a while. childcare continues to be hot issue for folks in southwest washington. 25% of our regions childcare capacity completely disappeared during the pandemic and is already an issue before the pandemic. i just wanted just a commitment from you i think you will give it frequently the department is going to commit to helping us build this pipeline for childcare workers, quality childcare workers as a type an address these shortages to create opportunities for mom's and others in this country. >> you have a commitment on that. not only that i'd love to talk to anyone ideas because it's a very challenging career because what happens is a lot childcare facilities is somebody will start a child care and is, work, getting paid low wages and then ultimately a lot of them go into teaching and to get into speedy they get pulled right out. >> we lose that infrastructure. and then so i would love come any ideas you have on that. there's a couple of bills, bipartisan bills, some are bicameral because it a few different things you to do. some of it is training, some of it making sure there's physical brick and mortar places. some of it making sure the thumbs can afford it. we have a few different bills that would be happy to get your way again bipartisan, bicameral speeders are childcare industry got destroyed during covid. they were able to fund them and after six months they went back to the old structure. so they went out of business. >> i have some ideas for you. on another topic i suspect we won't see eye-to-eye on this. i think it's important you understand you mentioned pla's are welcome news for all workers. that is not whatut i'm hearing from nonunion workers in construction. this administration had an executive order in pla's mandating them. one stream of bidders and that could have impact impacted not just for taxpayers with people who are working and you'll have a chance at a good job. washington state the unionization rate is relatively high. iwashington state is not exacty a red state. i am in no way antiunion. i have family members who work in the trade and that is not my issue. i'm a co-worker. what i'm concerned about is the pla's are going to disenfranchise that 80% of nonunion smaller mom-and-pop contractors. they just want a fair shot at competing for projects. my opinion is the mandate will increase the cost of the federal construction projects. what are your thoughts? >> the presence executive order 87% of contractors that you can applyau because we are talking about large construction projects that are bidding. non-union non-signatory contractors and bidding on that. itct saves taxpayers money becae it guarantees the job done on time on budget doesn't have work stoppages in the end of project labor unions i've been involved with this in the building trades throughout my career oftentimes those projects come in under budget and on time. it's the reality of the situation, there's no question about it. >> i just wentve way over time. and there's a question that i will submit for the record. thank you so much. >> thankha you. >> thank you madam chair and mr. secretary. i want to thank you and your staff. you are doing a great job with your knowledge and passion for workers. it's very muchy appreciated. i'd like to get to three subjects. you've served alongside the vice chair of the house task force organizing andk empowerment and we released a report at 70 recommendations for action to take to empower workers in their workplaces. many those recommendations call for coordinating efforts by the department of labor and b other agencies. what resources do you and other agencies like ml or be require to fully implement those recommendations? >> i have a meeting later today to talk about l the task force d their first follow-up since the report came out. i don't have the exact number. let me have my meeting today to understand what we need and i'd love to get back to you. >> we are inhe the of next years budget so please. also you and i from a labor background have seen a lot of traditional labor organizing in the past and now we are seeing it get at starbucks target trader joe's and amazon and a lot of industries who haven't seentr it before. the quality assurance workers of labor software country c made district who has classic union busting tactics. when the recommendations was for the department of labor to update its rules for activity reporting. can you explain how an update to theul rule world protect and empower workers and what resources do you need to make that update? >> thank you. i can't get into too much because we are in the rulemaking process right now. they are a lot of workers that are disgruntled and we see an increase in union organizing and last.7 month 4.7 million people quit their jobs because they weren't happy with the job they had. a lot of what we talk about today is off-topic off topic the job-training work first development apprenticeships i think we need to do that for economy. we have to create pathways for betterer paying jobs and that's why we are seeing a lot of this organizing conversation going on. people are saying union workers seem to have a better situation with better benefits and more money and i want to be a part of that. t i think we have to work closely with commerce as well on how to create better pathways to create jobs. >> yes you look at that rule additional organizing has gotten pushback in we have seen at whether it be amazon or starbucks. we appreciate anything you can do in that area. manyny of these have smaller bargaining units like starbucks forks example. it requires a shift in how we track this at the federal level through the bureau of labor statistics tracks strikes and work packages affecting thousands of workers. we need to change the way that they look at these trends. what and what can we do to to get it to get to that point? >> i hadn't thought of it that way. since you brought it up i'd have to talk to dos. they will need additional resources to track that information. it's a good point and i hadn't thought of that. >> i appreciate that and madam chair i yield backt right time. >> congressman's moolenoor. >> i just wanted to raise some issues that i'm hearing throughout my district to the number one issue i hear is about inflation and the concerns of people's paychecks not going as far as they used to. i am wondering what items you have -- ideas you have for lowering inflation. i have concerns about the project labor in agreements and it defies logic to me by discriminating against certain people working on projects is somehow that would be a cost savings and the competition would encourage more. that's a different topic. i wondered if youu could tell me what your plans are to help lower inflation. >> that's obviously a great question. the inflation of the countries dealing with right now we saw little bit of thatat last week. one of the biggest things we can do and i can do a secretary of labor is to work on the supply-chain issues. the supply-chain is part of the problem getting goods and service to our shelves in our stores into people's homes. i have worked hard over the last few months with secretary buttigieg to think about the making sure we are doing everything we can to get the ships offshore and the products into the stores and monitoring closely the negotiation right now in the l.a. ports to make sure wee are seeing disruptions between the carriers and the iw a making sure we don't see shortages that would add to inflation further down the road. i feel comfortable where we are in that situation today. i sat down with the company we had a number stationed about the ports and there were 27 ships offshore that needed to be unloaded. i whisper their previously the month before when we had 67 ships so we are seeing the alleviation. my concern is right now in china manufacturing facilities are closed down so we have 100 ships offshore in china. we need to make sure we have a system in place. >> i appreciate the update on the ports ine the ships. that's a big concern and i think the trucker shortages also seem to be concerned as i talk to people. there's just a real made for more truck drivers. i wonder the osha policy and the vaccine mandate that the administration pursued the court chose not to implement that. plare you continuing to pursue that. between truckers trying to go into canada and across national lines there was a big concern about that. i do feel some of these administration policies are contributing to an environment where people are having a problem getting a vaccine in doing their job and it's discouraging people. >> are you rethinking that or are you still pursuing it? >> first and foremost the policy they came out of the department of labor was not a mandate. that's the policy i had and that's what we did and trucking was not partwe of that. truckers drive in their tracks by themselves. it was in the mandate in it doesn't discourage one person from driving a truck. we haven't made investments in trucking in a long time and we have people and i met with the independent trekking agency talking about those drivers that are t independent drivers that e undercut along the way and that's where the discrepancy comes in. in the trucking industry. biggest thing b we need to do wh the department of labor's to work d to ensure we have an apprenticeship of 48 hours. we have over 100 companies that have signed up. haveve apprenticeships. i think there are thousandsou of truckuc drivers in big companies small companies union companies and nonunion companies so working with everybody is interested. trucking is a good two year -- a good career and gives people the opportunity to earnn a good living. for some reason i'm whatever time. i felt confident as we move forward we can meett those challenges and we have 70,000 over the last five years cdl veterans that have come out of service that we have an opportunity to get into trucking and we are working on that. >> thank you mr. secretary. thank you madam chair. >> thank you mr. secretary. hello. thanks for being here and for your work. i want to pick up on something that we talked about and i know you are sincere and i will just do a little ranting which is this.is we ban abortions across this country which looks like we are about to in 26 states it is not going to be inequitable economy. if women aren't allowed to make their a owned decisions it will affect their lives and their futures and you don't have to comment on that. way so people people could not unemployment because one of the senators rick scott do not believe in an appot and getting an answer - >> i am asking about florida and specifically i can answer questions on. >> i know, i don't know if there is a way to get our local or state government to help people when it's necessary. >> the question i asked him we did have this imported we been able to assess and working on assessing the systems in florida is one of the states that has worked with the department of labor and received a grant us well to help them implement some changes in l florida so to the relationship between and florida's office and working and i can't promise as you know, we don't have the ability to increase benefits and timing getting the benefits out and how they instituted a program that will beut candy was work to fixf the shortfalls and make recommendations to florida and you know in some casesns are jut with perkins and it was a room at one point to make the social security administration a a federal program for the benefit across the board with a side effect income to make it a state program and wee administered and they do it and so i think about back-and-forth on million legislature in massachusetts and being able to for higher benefits being the secretary of labor i think i wish his was a federal program so we can actually do some real improvements. >> thank you. i know you have lots of ideas of creating good paying jobs we know pretty believe it is very low and now. when is the relationship between immigration and getting us you know, it is the labor shortage, we went great more c good jobs d that means there'll be beou more labor shortage. >> will thank you very much at it i'm glad you open the door for me, i don't look my seven trouble with this for the reality of the situation we needed aggression reforming united states of america and i talked to every business and republicans and impressed, they go talk to the businesses in the community probably announced that them what they wanted every single company is wednesday we needed aggression reform becoming status welcome to see that to workers in this country and we are a country that constantly depends on immigrant workers and we always have my parents were to have those workers it came to this country where a country that if we want to continue to move forward as a country, we need to figure out some immigration laws and get reforms and 828 leases, those visas, that's not immigration any real emergent reform in this country for a pathway and as of the challenges and now i know that i'm speaking to congress and we can do things it and i know nothing will happenhi about it will become legally honest with you, everything is unfortunate but talk to your employers and talk to them and interdistrict importance for the country. >> you and more question we cans do that. >> i'm not sure. >> okay listen, we been talking aboutt inflation in my opinion and many, the prisons being unfairly blamed and i'm excited covid-19's is the biggest factor but one of the analysis that do with supply and demand and versus supply or demand for services or demand for services and would you comment on that. >> yes o coming up president is taking it for inflation pennies the president is so obviously he has brought social under soldier so he can take it so there's lots of challenges wide were in bys economy also challenged 4.5 million evil, the job is not because of covid-19 lots of reasons in some cases the hospitals are over because of covid-19 were sing more in hostels because of covid-19 covid-19 is caused a lot of concern but we cannot blame "severe damage" we have to address the issue and the president has a plan to address the issue by the commerce me about what am i doing in my role as secretary of labor to deal with a inflation for the supply chain issues and the sick be on these issues and all of of the government were to blame anybody for the inflation issue we have to. address it. >> and thank you mr. thank you chair. [laughter]r] i'm thinking you as well. >> thank you, madame chair and mr. secretary talking of the labor shortage, i just grasp why in light of the unprecedented labor shortage and the preparedness is the department not supporting in effect not attempting to eliminate the apprenticeship programs and i know you are asked this by my good friend from oklahoma but even without federal funding programss were expanding valuable pretty ship opportunities for workers in place like he had an appeal rapidly changing and developing and it feels that are disproportionally filled by women and minorities and can you comment about. >> the administration, some i'm certainly committed to expanding the pretty ship industryd driven programs and that's how i work of the best way of doing it had proven flexible models that we can go across history on and we don't need a disconnect my opinion a disconnected program that does nothing but create confusion they've not been proven they were created whenever they were a few years ago had we have a program in the producer program that actually works in the country they don't have to be a union accredited program, they can be well what i'm talking about expanding this pretty shippable song about expanding union of fetishism talking about extending friendships and industries actually have proven or. >> let meet just say that i hope they do not duplicate the existing producer programs because often those are not working in the federal government spends millions each euro jobpe training programs tht provide workers with education and experience help them find and l retain jobs gold standard evacuate evaluation workforce investment act, which is supposed to provide training for in demandrv services that little and 32 percent of participants on occupations area were training and the majority, 57 percent did not believe that their training help them find employment and i know but moreover individuals are receiving the full workforce training were less likely to obtain health insurance and pension and they were more likely to be in for sam's advertisements and received minimal services about john drop for study found in federal taxpayer investment of 25000 per job court pretty smith resulting them less likely to her high school diploma and earning only $22 more a a week photo surprisg that we the federal programs including partnership programs are out of touch with the needs of employers in high demand occupation because the bureaucrats in washington can never know the businesses needs better than the employees themselves in this what industry a friendship would be much more responsive and different than the federal government run a friendship programs likely benefit economy for the supply chain shortage is that you are talking about when we do address the supply chain supporting these industry thator apprenticeships programs will b. first way to start. >> thank you enemy just first and foremost, job core, hi agree with you have concerns about job court. i've had conversations with many members of congress about job court, and i was talking to the mayor's is cities that job for exist asked them to partner with us because but honestly, the mayors and local authorities estimate part of the solution because i know what job court is independent kind of entities from country to think there's an opportunity we have 37000 young people go through drug review that we potential have job creation programs in her backyard so onea strengthening p and talk to the caucus and you will see that i think we got through budget request drop as well pretty ship stuff, i wouldn't necessarily say they don't know i would describe it is failing because our workforce programs have not been as successful as any to be an we've done and what i try to do with the department of labor is change the way that we are making investments is over we can do because we have the flexibility a lot of cases come i do not have the flexibility to change the workforces ofli the program of the because the way comes to me through congress and investment act, the parameters of congress, it is no strings attached investments i would like too have more. >> these programs to address their injuries of these states right. >> in some cases depending on the rent and we have to change that because the challenges that the employers and i spent a lot of time talking to be employers that if you asked them chamber of commerce the national chamber of commerce, is democrat secretary of labor, i've spent more time talking to the businesses in some of my predecessors to do imported as we think about creating workforce develop it andpm programs to your comment, you need to be created from the employer's side and tells with the need to move forward this half we've always done as a working to change that way they want to think apprenticeships in this country, putting our program thise would be billed by the business community and help us understand the needsds they have so we can make the right investments so they have the ranking member situation at the air force base, and that is set this to the commanding officer down there, there's nog point in me creating a program with the department of labor live, you understand which you needed i can make a program about it might not meet your needs and my office does that we reach out to the businesses. >> we need to cut out the string to give the state more control in the industry more federal and help them. >> i think with the monitor them external states do it well either. >> and lsu about transparency in the next round of questions and i yield back. >> thank you much madame chairwoman and mr. sec. for being here. first of all i've agreed with your assessment of things and to ensure that there's inclusion and a better jobs and that we were to put our resources t those who are under representative in the training and get a good job and what not clear upon his printed to accomplish some of these things. the unemployment rate is very very low andnd getting to me wht it is again real fast we .6 percent. >> and for black women is seen at 5 percent. >> in the end when the rate for black men. >> i think it is, probably hand the six but i don't have a number of early probably and successfully back so is there an employment or employee shortage because we do not have enough to work or because we have a significant amount of people particularly he had the black community that cannot work in training your job fair or whatever. >> likehe the answer for both reasons, but there is a significant amount of folks in the black community and community's of color and women that's right now, sidelined or in jobs that they are not hurting a living t wage and job-training programs and other programs we can quickly give you will find up to get better paying jobs and into better industries are held will be accomplished at what is that your department will do either of the loan with other give more women and minorities into these training programs for good marketable jobs. and to reach them in planning and also engaging them. >> we are doing that through investment center workforce of elements grants and we have a reauthorization grandstand congress is voting on today. >> i know that the investments are going there what are the mechanisms to get a better program and better involvement specifically. >> better outreach and better support and whatt is it that you are proposing to do that will manifest these ideals that you have in these new investments that we are willing to do would support. >> first and foremost to come i would like little more discretion with the investments in the graphs. and their funding the discretion wand do be able to do with the investments had a you're working with we have to work with we need to work with state is cities workforce develop the country and with aggressive them and they get their programs and. i think that is when lena segued quite honestly is continuing to be with employers where they are asked that weer understand the challenges they have penetrated director programs with some of the employer's in our country and in the unions unions havens unique opportunity here is what will open the doors to allow people the opportunity and so i thank you so a mice we have to i wouldn't say reinvent the process but we have to do some significant it surgically precise investments in communities. >> let me ask you to crack questions, number one you have enough staff that will be able to monitor what is happening to ensure these programs are moving in a direction and in a manner that you wanted to you need for sort of monitoring step. >> i need more staff, we are understaffed of the department of labor and in a lot of different places in the american rescue plan but we are understaffed and all of our offices and we could use more people. >> on him very concerned about the reentry programs and theur opportunity for returning citizens whether or not there really for four returning the older folks who need to be retrained our redirected and what specifically are you all looking at doing to work without population pretty which is coming back into our community seen at first and foremost on the presidents budget has several grant proposals that fos on disadvantaged communities and part of that also focus on reentry is a major opportunity in a country listen, there are people in prison system right now, that are not counted as potential future workers in america and abuse at the right training programs up in the right job opportunities in many people where they're at, we can create on pathway and i very rarely have seen 70 that's incarcerated comes out and gets into a good job training program and earns a good living they don't reoffend they don't go back to jail and they don't have an opportunity and i have seen it up close and personal past i think that we have this unique opportunity now in ani country e also have a couple of job core centers in american job centers inside prisons in america that were working to help train the workers up real pretty coming off a training or not giving them some type of certificate real training connected to a job and i think it will be the answer to the future and how to be connected with those through job-training to a real jobs whom i think and i think it is very much the training of this available in the preparation i p think it's important to have the kinds of stuff you need let me be a partner wherever and thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you so much for today's hearing thank you secretary for being here we have an affordability system in our community and much of it comes down to our young people who are struggling to find jobs that pay enough i spent a lot of time talking to our employers as you did and you do and i hear a lot from them abouts how hard it is to hire locally and how much of a shortage of labor shortage there struggling with every day with the same time is spent a lot of time talking to the students right of high school and community college andni they tell me how much challenge they are having as well. in summary 5 percent of the youth in our area have expressed concerns about whether or not they have the skills necessary to secure a job in this disconnect and i think represents an enormous policy failure we need to do a better job of helping of our next generation develop the skills they need to take those jobs that are rightom in the like mie and there are some programs that are somewhat helpful with no perfect if not not nearly enough and frankly many of people who are left behind and overlooked by these programs and districts like mine and also to a real crisis for employers has well i do know that the presidents the request to include a proposal for new program for the national youth and playing a program and tom, hear more about this progrh and now you actually addressing the current gap in workforce development when us to addresses disconnect seems pretty ha relevant. >> thank you and first and foremost, i think that we have a big opportunity here with young people in america to really create opportunities into innovative careers and in youre district think they're proud of that infirmity years him inar ts country we've only been focus really pushing kids into a four-year college system we have an amazing community college system in our country that allows people to work and get a grant process and to work with employers on whator is needed i think that we need to stop being smart about her investments in young people are smart about what they want their futures become a some his their uncertain whether future is that they don't want to w work at a fast food restaurant and make you know ten bucksks an hour 50 bucks an hour fromr the want to do better than that a lot of these investments whether it is in the proposal you mentioned your even the job core, went to create better pathways for young people as you mentioned, meet them where they're at and really figure out how to forward and i think that it's an opportunity for house and o we saw was ago, the jobs number, one of the biggest gains was young people that had less than a high school diploma and the highest number employed people, in the last 25 years in our country and so we are seeing people look for opportunities we need to help them and put them on a pathway to some type of career that they are interested in a lot of them are not sure with a one and that's why think friendship is key the generation. >> absolutely and thank you i couldn't agree more and four out of five adults in my district does not have a four-year college degree more than 80 percent as of the only route to the middle class were sleeping a lot of people out and this disconnect does feel to be more impactful in certain areas thanas in others and with a consider prioritizing supporting the youth in rural areas when awarding these competitive rest because i i am worried that with the program that's already fairly small, that mina be goini to the places that actually need a most. >> will certainly have a lot to broken these grant grant proposals that we have a competitive and we cannot do that other areas we have discretionary funds that we cand bullet the programs in rural areas rarities might not get the proper had mentioningg sober but to work with your office absolutely. >> thank you to look forward to workinglo with you were in an aa of high unemployment and were just couple of hours away from an area thatt is very low in employment want to that those workforce development programs go with the needed and thank you again for being here and i yield back.ee >> thank you, so much madame chair, and thank you so much for being here secretary. you have the amazing fortune as i did to be part of the new heroes act and walking around that factory, we saw that there were more robots and there were people. one the past, it was filled with hundreds of employees who wereor working every day and is a technology progress, we know need more technicians and more computer programmers and we did assembly workers and so my question is about upscaling. there are some people especially in they auto industry that if given almost 20 years of the light and life to being effective and knowledgeable assembly worker. can you explain how the department can't use programs like dislocated workers program to help retrain workers and i know we are about closing implant with gm and shutting it down and laying off everyone so that they can retool a fork new technology which included the robots that were going to do the work of people treat and some people lost her job during this pandemic as we know, but how can we continue to invest in our workforce when we are not discounting hundreds of people who by no fault of their own, are now displaced for unemployed. >> thank you veryy>> much congresswoman and let me just sayn. this, and talking and hearing every question that was asked of me today, every question was in some ways geared towards with the future workforce looks like in america have the challenge we have weathers immigration visas or job training development and i think that is a government, we have the unique opportunity at this moment in time to make investments in the market workers and that we've never seen is in the previous congressman's concern about workers, young workers not going to college getting jobs and job training when i think about the dislocated worker investment or what havelo you, and he comes dn to job training i was in the factory, the gm facility, there was young woman in their who is 16 years or 14 years in the job and she was uaw member and she talked about when she started the job, she was to get dirty every day because she was working with wrenches and stuff and now it's all technology and see and she is still in the factory and shegn doesn't get dirty but now she is a technician she was able to be retrained as a technician to work in the factory to continue her career and there is no question that is a country, we need to do a lot better job of creating opportunities in pathways whether it is through apprenticeship programs or job training programs or in job core for folks in prison, women of color or whatever it is, we have a unique opportunity at this moment in time in this committee and there it appropriation that you will go going to give us, we will do everything we can i'm going to do everything i can as long as i'm secretary labor to make sure the vestments are making a difference. not in the politics but make sure that i make a difference weathers urban america, ruralal america, downtown washington dc, albuquerque new mexico or wherever it is in the country and one make sure the department of labor is one they say they really do some great things and we help build the workforce of the future so the people can raise a family and get into the middle class can be proud of who they are and that is my goal in my job and i don't know if that answers your question congresswoman, but that's what we do have a unique opportunity at this moment in time. >> when i was looking was a commitment to understand thet opportunity and opportunity overlooking we embrace the new technology we needed for so many reasons efficiencies and keeping the economy to advance the technologyed had to deal with te climate issue. we can't turn our back on the people are going to be dislocated. in the last concerned that i want to talk to you about, or theab community college investments time but only the color for private companies producing apprenticeship training it is been brought up before, at the head of that training, will be have us a certificate but not a job with and so many employers are saying they need certain things that can we match are federal dollars i would pay to get people to certify that it will equate to them being hired, there's the other is frustrating to know and. >> we have to work strongly with the colleges they just recently announced through the schools to strengthen the community colleges we will award $45 million to 15 different community colleges i spent a lot of time and asked my office to put together a list of the community colleges for the last several months i'veto been to different colleges and kirkland and iowa and new orleans and ohio and other areas and thomas nelson in newport, newburgh virginia i spent a lot of time in these colleges in this country i i think it's important to continue to work with him the grant programs of the best way that we can help them but also working with the legislature to strengthen the community colleges peace love money comes from the say-so we need to support them and that is the best network we have in this country not to really be the job-training workforce develop meant and we have one almost every district in the country and congress have in some of you have more than we have an opportunity to strengthen community colleges and really prepare people for theag future working with the business community on with any done and also in our community colleges what we are getting done. >> heand accountability matching the skills to the job is has very high standards from you and for congress of thank you so much and i yield back. >> thank you and i would like to ask congressman harris, we are looking at 11:00 o'clock time so i will be brief and i will ask you to be brief. >> i will think you very much. it is good to see you again as a faculty member, i should enjoy the other two parts of this committees jurisdictions are enjoy your visit most of all because you really do want and i love your enthusiasm about making america workers percent that is said and foremost a global economy, this is notir an easy job and some of these issues and and obviously work is in puerto rico dozen rehabilitation and that's a huge issue and that is a way that we solve some off our crime crisis, no question about it and anything you could do would be appreciated and obviously legal convention coming where you do anything but we appreciate this is an important source of the work of our workforce and shimon congress were not recognizing that that again were not going to agree o in everything but i speak for the members on my side of the aisle, we enjoyed very much working with you because you have a can-do attitude keeping american workers first and i appreciate that i would have to my i yield back. >> thank you i think you summed it up in your comments about the future of work and of the american workforce. i don't think it could be set more eloquent plea. and frances perkins is a hero in my view and very briefly, the secretary of labor when i was asked the question of how - you want to be frances perkins and so there you go itself giving reincarnated your terms of what you want to do with your point is, that's where we come into play here, the ability to provide if the investment in been made over the years and that is what is critical card and working men and women printed long time this on their own and they don't have the support they need from government in order to help them with job-training and wages or if there wages are being stolen from them or if there place of work is not an environment where they can be safe and so forth in the been through a tough time in the last two years but you said in your closing in your conclusion to the testimony, despite all we have been through workers across the nation are still showing up everyday to help meet this moment ten we have a responsibility to make this moment and to help you to make that moment and we are committed to know what do know that in thanknk you for what you are doing for your support of the americans work. >> thank you very much. [background sounds]. [background sounds]. [inaudible conversations]. [inaudible conversations]. [inaudible conversations]. [inaudible conversations]. [inaudible conversations]. >> earlier today over president donald trump and governor greg abbott ted cruz give remarks at the national rifle association leadership forum in his income election coverage tonight starting at eastern on c-span, also watching on c-span now, free mobile food app anytime online cspan.org. >> cspan is your unfiltered view of government, television companies and more, maybe come, the world changed in media, internet tracking sword and we never slow down, schools and businesses my virtual we powered a new reality because media come, we are built to keep you ahead to have me come support cspan, is a public service, along with these other television providers, giving your front row seat to democracy. >> cspan's washington journal, every day we take your calls alive on the air, hung the news of the night, we discussed policy issues that impact you, coming up saturday morning, we'll talk about the recent mass shooting of the rob elementary school cofounder of the nonprofit educator school safety network it in the jeff bailey cohost of podcast alpha lima, talks about the podcast and veteran issues and watch washington journal live at seven eastern on saturday morning as he spent on c-span now mobile video up, join the discussion the phone calls facebook comments texts and tweets. >> sunday, on q&a, author of you don't belong here winner of the 2022, goldsmith book price, the story of three women who reported of the vietnam war during a time when recovering the work wasn't male dominated profession. >> there is no embedding like we have now, there was no military censorship so it was probably the first and last - american fork and they did have the censorship in the telegraph but it was for women, for gift. because it was only because of the lack of codification, and this openness that women could get through what had been the biggest barrier that you were not allowed in the field of. >> it was her book you don't belong here, starting any of eastern on c-span's q&a and you can listen to the q&a and oliver podcast, or free cspan now app. during world economic forum a group of u.s. lawmakers turned out financially to ukraine, made russia's invasion of the country from davos switzerland, this is about 60 minutes. >> good afternoon

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