Washington, DC —Today, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) voted to save and create almost 320,000 jobs nationwide – including saving the jobs of approximately 2,600 teachers in Colorado and preventing the layoffs of tens of thousands of police officers, firefighters, and nurses. The House passed this emergency aid to help states keep teachers in our classrooms and first responders on duty. The Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act is completely paid for, and it reduces the deficit by $1.4 billion over 10 years—by closing a loophole that encouraged corporations to ship American jobs overseas.The legislation also provides $16.1 billion in health assistance to the states that will prevent Colorado from cutting another $245 million from our state budget. The bill reduces additional budget shortfalls in Colorado and stimulates the economy. It will prevent the layoffs of police officers and firefighters, additional cuts to higher education, and it will create private-sector jobs throughout our economy.
“We have to continue driving our state and country forward. I will not allow teachers, and firefighters to get pink slips while tax-avoiding multinational corporations outsource American jobs. This is a fiscally responsible solution to keep jobs at home,” said Perlmutter. “Local communities in Colorado shouldn’t be forced to choose between keeping teachers in the classrooms or keeping police officers on the streets in our neighborhoods,” said Perlmutter. “This bill is a win-win-win: it keeps teachers and first responders on the job, it is fiscally responsible by actually reducing the deficit, and it does that by closing a tax loophole that promotes shipping jobs overseas.”
