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ADVOCACY & POLICY UPDATE - October 28, 2024

House Committee Demands Oversight of BLS Data


Washington Update


House Education and the Workforce Committee

On Friday, October 25, House Education and the Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (NC) sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su criticizing her for continuing to ignore an oversight request regarding Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. In September, the Committee sent an oversight request regarding the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) BLS August release, which revealed the U.S. economy had created 800,000 fewer jobs in the twelve months through March than the administration had claimed.  The report was posted approximately 30 minutes late with several Wall Street investment firms gaining access to the report details 15 minutes before the public. 

Foxx, along with Committee Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Chair Bob Good (VA) issued an oversight request following the incident, which the DOL failed to respond to. In their most recent letter, Foxx and Good demand DOL provide “any written complaints received by DOL regarding the release of the job numbers on August 21” and renew their September request that all documents shared with “an entity or individual outside of BLS in advance of their public release” be shared with the Committee. 

Click here to access the letter.


Migrant Worker Permits

On Tuesday, October 22, Congressional Democrats sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur Jaddou urging DHS to process Employment Authorizations Documents (EADs) by the end of the year. The letter states there is a backlog of 1.4 million EADs awaiting processing and urges DHS to provide additional resources to clear the backlog. The letter also urges DHS to finalize and make permanent a rule allowing for an automatic extension period for expired work permits of 540 days, and perhaps make that grace period as long as 730 days.

Click here to read the full letter.


Apprenticeships

White House Domestic Policy Adviser Neera Tanden is calling for increased participation of high school and community college students in apprenticeship programs to equip them with the skills needed for jobs created by the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. On Monday, October 21, while speaking at a Semafor conference focused on strengthening U.S. manufacturing, Tanden emphasized the importance of exposing students to tech-based skills early on. During a recent trip to Detroit, Tanden explored local initiatives aimed at building manufacturing and cyber skills among high school students. These efforts align with the broader goal of ensuring the next generation is prepared to fill the high-tech jobs driving the future of American industry.


Clean Energy Workforce Development

On Thursday, October 24, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DEO) Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) announced its first round of selectees through the Energy Auditor Training (EAT) grant program. Funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the program will distribute up to $27.98 million in Investing in America agenda funding for clean energy workforce development.

The program is initially allocating funds to 15 State Energy Offices (SEOs) and the American Samoa Territorial Energy Office (TEO) to “increase the green building workforce across the country and support the implementation of national energy efficiency improvements sparked by BIL and the Inflation Reduction Act,” according to the DOE. Specifically, the funding aims to expand opportunities for energy savings. “EAT will ensure that commercial and residential building energy auditors identify ways to reduce energy usage, promote efficiency, and provide energy-saving solutions to homes and businesses as the nation transitions to a more sustainable future.”

Click here to read the full press release.


Initial Jobless Claims

In the week ending October 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 227,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 241,000 to 242,000. The 4-week moving average was 238,500, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 236,250 to 236,500. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.3 percent for the week ending October 12, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the previous week's unrevised rate.

Click here to access the report.

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©2020 by The U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council.

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