US Secretary of Labor testifies before House appropriations subcommittee on fiscal year 2011 budget

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. Secretary Solis presented the department's fiscal year 2011 budget request and highlighted why the funding is vital to the nation's ongoing economic recovery.

"This administration wants to ensure that investments in job creation will continue until the labor market fully recovers from the economic downturn," said Secretary Solis. "Workers and their families are hurting in these tough economic times. We know that job opportunities and economic security are of utmost importance to Americans."

Last summer, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created more than 300,000 summer jobs for at-risk youth. Local areas can expand the program to create up to 350,000 jobs this summer, providing work experience to help young people build their futures and income their families can use in a weak economy. This goal can be accomplished with an additional investment of $1.2 billion investment in summer and youth employment, including $150 million for competitive grants. The department also supports an additional $500 million to expand on-the-job training, refresh the skills of the long-term unemployed and link them to real employment opportunities as the economy rebounds.

The administration supports an additional $300 million to continue two Recovery Act programs. This funding includes $225 million for Pathways Out of Poverty Grants and $75 million for Energy Training Partnerships. The department received many more quality applications than it could fund. These additional resources would allow the department to quickly fund these high-quality programs.

The total request for the department in fiscal year 2011 is $116.5 billion and 17,800 full-time equivalent employees. The Labor Department's budget request will build on $4.8 billion in discretionary funding as well as the mandatory resources included for the department in the Recovery Act.

To review the department's full 2011 budget request, visit http://www.dol.gov/budget/. Secretary Solis' testimony is available at http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/congress/20100310_appropriations.htm.