Facing criticism for partisan gridlock and low productivity, Congress saved a face a bit yesterday as the House passed a $58 billion adult education and job training bill.
The bill, which the House passed by a 415-6 vote, authorizes $58 billion in federal workforce development programs over six years. It would require job training programs to document how many people find jobs afterward. States would be required to establish four-year plans for workforce development, and states that do not meet performance targets for two years in a row would receive less funding allocated by governors.
The measure also eliminates a handful of job-training programs that had become inactive over the last few years.
The House's passage of the bill elicited another round of partisan backbiting in Congress, with House Speaker John Boehner sending a letter to the editor of Politico defending the House's record and demanding an apology for a report last week accusing House Republicans and Senate Democrats of "dithering on the economy."
"The bottom line: Anyone who thinks, says, or writes that the House of Representatives isn't focused on jobs and the economy is lying, or simply not paying attention," Boehner wrote.
A Bloomberg report details the current legislative gridlock and low productivity level, noting that Congress "is on pace to pass the fewest number of bills since at least the end of World War II" and that voters, venting their disapproval, recently gave Congress a record-low 7% approval rating in a Gallup poll.
