Bill Statistics

The Middle Class Position

The middle class supports.

How They Voted

70% with middle class
26% against middle class
4% did not vote
Pie Chart

Grades

Grade C
Senate

The Senate receives a grade of C for its support of the middle class on this piece of legislation.

70 Senators voted for the middle-class position; 26 voted against.

See how each member voted on this bill:

Senate

S.AMDT. 2660 TO S. 1637

Amendment to Protect U.S. Workers from Competition with Foreign Workforces for Performance of Federal and State Contracts 2003

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Introduced:
03.03.2004 [Senate]
Senate: Yea-70, Nay-26
Amendment passed and was amended to S 1637: 03.04.04
The Legislation: 

The Dodd Amendment to the Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act discourages U.S. firms contracting with the U.S. government from “outsourcing” a portion of their workload to low-cost centers abroad by imposing stiff fines on those that do. The Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act is intended to increase capital investment, productivity, and employment by U.S. firms.

The Middle-Class Position: 

The Middle Class Supports: An estimated 1 in 100 U.S. jobs lost in the past three years was a result of “outsourcing”—the practice of contracting out work formerly done by American workers to low-cost centers abroad. By 2015, according to the most recent Forrester Research estimate, some 3.3 million American service jobs will be lost due to outsourcing. Critical to the long-term economic stability of the American middle class is access to well-paying, high-skilled jobs. This bill helps to set the U.S. economy on a job growth rebound by limiting the gradual progression of these highly desirable U.S. jobs out of the country.

From the Experts: 

“It’s outrageous that despite one of the worst job creation records in history, and despite the 9.9 million Americans still out of work in our jobless ‘recovery,’ the Bush administration has blessed sending more jobs overseas in its annual economic report to Congress… [it also] insensitive to the pain that millions of unemployed workers and their families are suffering, [and] just plain dangerous for our nation’s future.” – John Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO (February 10,2004)

“In my view, it is an insult to the middle class of this country, that American taxpayer dollars are being used to provide loans, loan guarantees, grants, tax breaks and subsidies to huge and profitable corporations who then say to the American people: ‘Thanks for the welfare chumps. But we’re closing your plant and taking your job to China,’” – Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) (March 05,2004)

Beyond this Bill: 

By 2015, some 3.3 million U.S. service jobs once held by skilled middle-class Americans will be relocated to low cost centers abroad. Legislators sensitive to the crisis of middleclass under- and un-employment, due in part to outsourcing, should also push for the enactment of the Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act (S 1637) and the Defending American Jobs Act of 2004 (S 1125). Congress should also focus on making the most of the jobs that remain in this country by increasing the federal minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $6.65 with an annual index to inflation, helping the eleven million Americans earning the minimum begin their ascent into the middle class.

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