Bernie Also Has A Plan To Give Everyone In America A Job

Unemployment rates continue to fall in most places around the country, but several Democrats — particularly likely 2020 presidential candidates — have voiced support for a jobs guarantee in recent weeks. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker announced The Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act Friday, which would authorize and fund the creation of a 3-year pilot program for 15 districts that would provide jobs with a $15 minimum wage and benefits to any resident who needed one.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of California called for a jobs guarantee program earlier in April. “If Republicans could give $1.5 trillion in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest among us, why can’t we invest a similar amount in a guaranteed jobs plan for regular Americans who are unemployed and willing to work to better their local community?” Gillibrand said in a tweet.

The glut of job guarantee plans signals a move away from the Democratic platform of recent years that valued public-private partnerships and incentives for industries. Instead, the party appears to be leaning toward proposals that push federally funded and managed employment options.

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