American Indians Stand to Benefit from President's Jobs Act

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President Obama in his address to CongressAmerican Indian Benefits

Native Brief: WASHINGTON DC - The American Jobs Act outlined last night by President Obama in his address to Congress and the American public stands to benefit American Indians if passed as presented.

Across Indian Country, American Indians have historically suffered from high unemployment. Some reservations still report unemployment rates as high as 80 percent.

In a prepared fact sheet emailed to the Native News Network immediately after the President's speech, the White House document outlines how American Indians will benefit from the American Jobs Act.

In summary, these measures will expand opportunities for the long-term unemployed to reenter the workforce, provide incentives for businesses to hire, and make investments in revitalizing schools, infrastructure, and neighborhoods - will help create new job opportunities across the country.

For example:

  • Tax cuts to benefit over 20,000 American Indian-owned small businesses. The President is proposing tax cuts that will go to every small business nationwide, providing incentives to hire and make new investments.
  • An estimated 1.5 million American Indian workers will benefit from the extension of the payroll tax cut. By extending the payroll tax cut for employees next year, the President's plan will help increase the paychecks of 1.5 million American Indian workers - providing them with more money to spend in their communities and support their families.
  • The extension of unemployment insurance will benefit American Indians and their families, while providing targeted support for the long-term unemployed. In addition to extending unemployment insurance, the President is calling for reforms and tax incentives that will help the long-term unemployed - including the disproportionately high rate of American Indians who have been looking for work for more than six months find a job.
  • "Pathways Back to Work" will support subsidized jobs and summer/year-round jobs for low-income American Indian youth and adults. In an environment with a high unemployment rate for American Indian youths, the President is proposing to build on successful programs like those used in the Recovery Act to create jobs for those hardest hit by the recession.
  • A commitment to rebuilding and revitalizing communities across the country will target investments to the communities hardest-hit by the recession. The President's investments in infrastructure include a school construction initiative that will provide $125 million for schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education and $12.5 million for tribal colleges, and a new initiative to expand infrastructure employment opportunities for minorities, women, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, including American Indians.

posted September 9, 2011 6:00 am edt

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