Rep. Sara Jacobs Named to New Congress Panel Modeled after One by FDR in 1930s
Rep. Sara Jacobs of San Diego has been named to the new House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth — one based on an FDR panel in the Great Depression, her office said Wednesday.
Thee 53rd District rep is the sole Democratic freshman and one of just eight Democrats to serve on the select committee, which will focus on the widening wealth and income disparity in the United States, said a news release. “I am honored and humbled to be appointed by Speaker Pelosi to the select committee,” Jacobs said in a statement. “As we prioritize an equitable recovery from this pandemic, I am especially grateful to be focusing on the future of work — on the care economy and emerging technology — and on international development and global poverty.”
The committee is modeled after the Temporary National Economic Committee established by President Franklin Roosevelt and Congress in the 1930s.
The panel will study and recommend policies to “make our economy work for everyone, ensuring that no one is left out or left behind as the economy grows,” Jacobs’ office said.
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius noted the committee would be chaired by moderate Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut.
“The basic idea, she told me in a recent interview, is to create a forum that can bring together representatives from all sides: Rust Belt districts harmed by plant shutdowns, urban districts ravaged by racial injustice, rural districts where farmers are suffering from drought, and districts across the country where young people are struggling with debt, low-wage jobs and an uncertain future,” Ignatius wrote.
“The whole point is to make sure that people are listened to,” Pelosi told him. “We have a patriotic obligation to find common ground.”
He said a “Dear Colleague” letter she planned to circulate late Tuesday would say the aim of the committee was “to intervene in the increasing divide” that separates the parties and the country.
Over the next 18 months, Ignatius said, Himes plans to hold hearings and issue a report.
+ to read the full article, click here.Source: By Ken Stone | Times of San Diego