FW: EPI NewsFlash: WILL BUSH'S PLAN KEEP HIS PROMISE ON JOBS?

["Max B. Sawicky" <sawicky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 6, 2003
CONTACT: Nancy Coleman, Karen Conner or Stephaan Harris at 202-775-8810

WILL BUSH?S PLAN KEEP HIS PROMISE ON JOBS?
EPI Proposes Yardstick for Measuring Success/Failure
Mishel to Testify in Senate Hearing on Monday

With the economy continuing to lose jobs, unemployment above 6 percent
and periods of joblessness growing longer for more and more working
people, Americans are counting on Washington to get the economy growing
fast enough to get people back to work.  The administration?s ?jobs and
growth? tax cut plan was sold to the public with the promise that it
will add 1.4 million more new jobs by the end of 2004 ? over and above
the 4.1 million new jobs the administration projects the economy would
generate without any tax cuts.

Speaking at a Senate hearing Monday morning, Economic Policy Institute
President Lawrence Mishel will present an analysis of the current jobs
situation and offer a method and plan that EPI will use to track the
Bush administration?s progress toward its goal of 5.5 million jobs by
the end of next year.

?This recession has brought a bigger contraction of private jobs than
any other postwar recession,? Mishel said. ?With private sector jobs
down 2.8 percent, it is crucial to evaluate the administration?s claims
that its tax cuts will create 1.4 million additional jobs. EPI will
track job creation and report the success or failure of the
administration?s tax cut plan, measuring its performance against the
administration?s own promises.?

EPI?s blueprint on how to evaluate the Bush tax cuts is contained in a
new publication, ?Grading the ?Jobs and Growth Plan,? issued today by
EPI and found on our web site at:
http://www.epinet.org/newsroom/releases/03/06/grading_jobs_and_growth_plan_2
003_06.pdf

For further information about Lawrence Mishel?s testimony or EPI?s
monitoring
 of jobs creation, contact EPI?s communications staff  - Nancy Coleman,
Karen Conner, or Stephaan Harris ? at 202-775-8810.

For further information on Monday?s Senate hearing, contact Barry Piatt
at 202-224-1191.