War on the Middle Class

Floor Speech

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, Republican leaders have made the laughable accusation that the President is engaging in class warfare. What President Obama is actually doing is ending class warfare, the relentless war on the middle class. Since 1983, over 80 percent of the growth in income has gone to the richest 5 percent of Americans, while the bottom 60 percent has lost 7.5 percent in income, of real income. That's the majority of Americans that are doing worse.

When I was growing up, a family could live a middle class life on one good job, often a good union job, public or private sector, with health benefits and a pension. That was the normal. Seems like the new normal in America, the one that I see the Republicans promoting is the rich get richer, the middle class is disappearing, and the poor get even poorer.

We need to enact bold laws like the President's American Jobs Act and common sense and fair budget proposals, both of which would help restore the middle class, protect the poor, and keep America strong.

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