NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
For the last 250 years, our blue-collar men and women have laid the foundations of our country. They’ve paved roads, built bridges and raised the skyscrapers that shape our landscape. Their tireless efforts continue to drive progress and prosperity.
This Labor Day, we celebrate the American workers who took a vast expanse of new frontier and carved a path for communities and industries to thrive. For two and a half centuries, these laborers have sustained our businesses and maintained the very basis of our success: the family.
As a mom of twin girls and a new grandmother, I understand that the reason behind our 9-to-5 is the people we gather with around the kitchen table. Our wage earners aren’t just punching the clock to stay busy. Their work has a purpose: supporting the next generation.
That’s why we applaud the work ethic and pride that the American worker applies to their job, because they’re not just growing the economy – they are proving the American Dream is alive and well for future generations.
TRUMP’S ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD CEMENT ECONOMIC LEGACY FOR DECADES
At the Department of Labor, we are going to keep our foot on the gas, accelerating into the Golden Age of America. Prosperity is on the horizon, with real median weekly earnings at their highest level since the last time President Donald Trump was in office.
We are doing what it takes to ensure that as new, mortgage-paying jobs are being created, skilled workers are ready and able to fill them. Putting native-born workers first in that effort, we’ve already witnessed an increase in native-born employment by 2,462,000 since January.
To keep driving this progress, President Trump tasked the Labor Department with a mission to Make America Skilled Again. That’s the drum I’m going to keep beating. It will require time and effort, but it’s going to yield dividends for our workers and their families.
As we create new opportunities for the American worker, I’ve been on the ground, talking to folks around the country whose lives inform our policies. I’m finding out what they need at the federal level and how we can best serve them in Washington.
ARE PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TARIFFS ACTUALLY WORKING?
I’m over halfway through my 50-state America at Work tour, and a recurring theme has been workforce readiness – ensuring our labor force is prepared and trained for the challenges of tomorrow. From decades of political neglect, the American worker was placed on the back burner and their best interests were ignored.
Now, the Trump administration is turning that around, placing our workers at the pinnacle of our economic vision. We’re reigniting the Made in America spirit that defined the founding of our country.
At a little over 200 days into President Trump’s incredible second term, we’ve seen the economy rapidly responding to better trade deals and sound labor policy – especially in the private sector. There has been more than $8 trillion in domestic investments, which led to half a million private sector jobs being created since Inauguration Day.
Blue-collar wages have also increased 1.4% over last year – the second-fastest increase for the start of a new term on record. Even better, instead of inflation outpacing wages, as it did under President Joe Biden for 26 straight months, real wages have increased every single month since President Trump returned to office.
TRUMP’S MAJOR TRADE WINS COULD BE ROCKET FUEL TO US ECONOMY
And we’re just getting started.
With this expectation-shattering job and wage growth, I’m teaming up with my colleagues across the administration to keep the red-hot economy going strong. The Departments of Labor, Commerce and Education joined together to create a five-pillar plan called America’s Talent Strategy. This comprehensive strategy will help us expand access to good-paying jobs, build skilled talent pipelines for critical industries, equip the workforce with artificial intelligence skills, and reposition the U.S. as the global economic leader.
To bring further relief to hardworking families, I’m determined to get heavy-handed government out of their pockets. At the Department of Labor, we announced a historic 63 deregulatory actions to do just that. We’re slashing red tape and making it easier for workers to keep more of their hard-earned money.
My team also announced $30 million in grant opportunities through the Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund. This money is going to accelerate workforce innovation and address critical labor needs across the country, giving a financial boost right to the people who need it.
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WILL UNLEASH PARALLEL PROSPERITY
What’s more, our future will not be forged in the halls of woke universities, but by the grit of skilled workers, so I’m coordinating with the Department of Education and working with states to expose even more students to the trades and provide a springboard into the workforce that doesn’t rely on a traditional four-year degree. Trade school enrollment has already reached the highest level ever recorded, and we’re going to make sure it keeps going up.
In keeping with these goals, the president signed his One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, expanding Pell Grants to students pursuing technical education and skills training. Not only is this law of the land going to unlock even more opportunities for future tradesmen and women, but it will also add thousands of dollars to every single worker’s paycheck through historic tax cuts.
Between the unlocked Pell Grant opportunities and the president’s directive to recruit more apprentices, it’s crystal clear – we’re on our way to creating one million new active apprenticeships nationwide. Since January alone, the Department of Labor recorded 1,736 new registered apprenticeship programs launched nationally and over 183,000 new apprentices.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
On this Labor Day, and every day, we recognize the impact of our apprentices, tradesmen, blue collar workers and small business owners. And there’s plenty to look forward to as the Department of Labor launches our official celebration of the 250th birthday of our great nation.
With President Trump leading the way as the most pro-worker president in generations, labor will remain at the forefront of our America First agenda. Thanks to our negotiator-in-chief, the future is looking brighter and brighter for the American worker.
Read the full article here
