Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Stresses Importance of the Payroll Tax Cut, American Jobs Act for New Mexico

Press Release

Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined business and community leaders to discuss the Administration's strategy to strengthen the U.S. economy and to highlight what passage of the American Jobs Act will mean for New Mexico.

"The American Jobs Act provides common-sense steps we can take right now to spur spending; hiring and put more money in the pockets of working Americans, without adding a dime to the deficit," said Vilsack. "In New Mexico, this Act will provide a tax cut for over 40,000 businesses, support the jobs of 3,100 teachers and first responders and immediately provide a job for over 2,600 construction workers through infrastructure improvements."

Secretary Vilsack spoke about the importance of extending the payroll tax cut, and expanding it to give the typical working family in New Mexico a tax cut of $1,360 next year. If Congress does not renew the tax cut, 160 million Americans will see their taxes go up on January 1st and the typical middle class family will see a tax hike of about $1,000 next year.

The Obama Administration is calling on Congress to immediately pass the separate proposals in the American Jobs Act. The components that will create jobs and strengthen New Mexico's economy include:

Tax Relief for Every New Mexican Worker and Family

* If the payroll tax cut passed last December is expanded, a typical household in New Mexico, with a median income of around $44,000, will receive a tax cut of around $1,360.

Tax Cuts to Help New Mexico's Small Businesses Hire and Grow

* In New Mexico, 40,000 firms will receive a payroll tax cut under the American Jobs Act.

Putting Workers Back on the Job While Rebuilding and Modernizing New Mexico

* At least $284,000,000 will be invested in New Mexico for highway and transit modernization projects that could support a minimum of approximately 3,700 local jobs.
* States and localities will receive $200,100,000 in funds to avoid and reverse layoffs now, and support up to 3,100 educator and first responder jobs.
* New Mexico will receive $196,800,000 in funding for school infrastructure to support as many as 2,600 jobs.
* New Mexico could receive about $20,000,000 to put construction workers on the job to revitalize and refurbish local communities, in addition to funds that would be available through a competitive application.
* New Mexico could receive $49,200,000 in funding in the next fiscal year for its community colleges.

Pathways Back to Work for New Mexicans Looking for Jobs.

* Reforms to the unemployment insurance (UI) system could help put the 32,000 long-term unemployed workers in New Mexico back to work.
* Extending unemployment insurance could prevent 13,600 people looking for work in New Mexico from losing their benefits in just the first 6 weeks.
* The President's Pathways Back to Work Fund could place 800 adults and 2,800 youths in jobs in New Mexico.

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