Governors Submit Letter to Congress on Jobs Bill

Letter from Democratic Governors to Congressional Leadership on the American Jobs Act

October 11, 2011

The Honorable Harry Reid

Majority Leader

U.S. Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable John Boehner

Speaker of the House

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Minority Leader

U.S. Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Minority Leader

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Leader Reid, Leader McConnell, Speaker Boehner, and Leader Pelosi:

As governors, we believe that of all the difficult decisions we have to make as a country, our top priority must remain job creation, always.

We therefore urge swift consideration of the American Jobs Act, which draws upon many ideas that governors – Democratic and Republican alike – are putting into action in the states.

It is an economic and historic truth that, to create jobs, a modern economy requires modern investments. As President Obama has stated, to create jobs, we must also be willing to educate, innovate and rebuild. Our global competitors are investing in their infrastructure and in the skills and education of their workforce. To create jobs in our communities, we must be willing to do the same.

There is nothing more important for a family than a job and nothing more important for our country, in these challenging times. The American people work hard at their jobs, and they rightfully expect us, the representatives of their government, to do ours.

Thank you for your leadership. We are ready to work with you on this most important goal of creating jobs and expanding opportunity.

Sincerely,

Governor Martin O'Malley, Maryland

Governor Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii

Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., California

Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York

Governor Mark Dayton, Minnesota

Governor John P. deJongh, Jr., US Virgin Islands

Governor Chris Gregoire, Washington

Governor John Hickenlooper, Colorado

Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Connecticut

Governor Jack Markell, Delaware

Governor John Lynch, New Hampshire

Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts

Governor Bev Perdue, North Carolina

Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois

Governor John Kitzhaber, Oregon

Governor Peter Shumlin, Vermont