Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)
For Immediate Release      Contacts: Alex Conant/Brooke Sammon
Monday, June 23, 2014

RUBIO COMMENTS ON WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT POLICY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued a statement regarding the new policies President Obama announced at today’s White House Summit on Working Families.
 
On Wednesday, Rubio will outline reform conservative ideas to address the rising cost of living plaguing middle class families during a speech at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center. This will be the latest in a series of efforts by Rubio to restore the American Dream in the 21st century.
 
Rubio issued the following statement:
 
“President Obama deserves credit for using the power of the presidency to highlight the significant obstacles working families face in America. However, the policies he announced today do not go far enough to address the challenges our families face. Telling federal agencies to do what they’re already supposed to do and endorsing partisan legislation that will never pass is not the sort of bold, innovative leadership we need.
 
“Never in our history have more Americans believed their children and grandchildren are destined to inherit a tougher life with fewer opportunities. For millions of Americans, the American Dream feels increasingly out of reach. We cannot remain an exceptional country if we do not reverse this trend.
 
“The key to a better life and achieving the American Dream does not lie with doubling down on outdated 20th century policies. It rests with 21st century reforms. That is why this coming Wednesday, I will outline how modern conservative reforms can help bring the American Dream within reach for millions of single mothers, young Americans and working families.”
 
House Republican Conference
June 23, 2014

4 takeaways from House committee on empowering women and working families

The White House Summit on Working Families today focused on giving “modern American families the best chance to succeed at work and at home.”  But the Administration’s proposed formula for this success is contingent on one thing: more government regulation. This approach will do nothing to solve the problems facing working women and families.

Last Wednesday, the House Joint Economic Committee (JEC) held a hearing on the role the government should play in empowering women in the workplace. The witnesses focused on the importance of  providing greater choice and flexibility, reducing burdensome regulations, and fostering economic growth to better support working American families.

...four takeaways from witness testimony below.

→A job is more than just a paycheck.

It’s about total compensation and a work environment that meets the needs and provides an improved quality of life to the changing 21st-century American workforce.

→ Working families, especially women, continue to suffer from the current recovery’s economic growth and jobs gap.

Women want jobs that match their skill sets and enable them to balance the demands of their jobs with the responsibilities of their families. More and more companies are responding to employees’ demands for flexibility.

→ Increasing burdens that come from bureaucratic red tape, such as new Obamacare and EPA regulations, discourage entrepreneurship and job creation, limiting opportunities for women.

→ The antiquated laws governing the workplace, including the mandated overtime pay and the federal income tax code’s marriage penalty, are preventing families from achieving the flexibility necessary to support themselves and improve their quality of life.

For primary caretakers, this is especially true as they take time out of the workforce or in the form of reduced hours to meet the obligations of their families, children, and parents.

The Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013, passed by the House last year, would give private-sector employers the ability to offer the choice of compensatory time off or overtime pay to their employees paid hourly rates.

This is just one of many House-passed bills that empower women and families — not the government.

Instead of holding a summit on working families, the White House should work with Republicans to enact policies that make it easier for middle-class Americans to find good-paying jobs and make their lives better.