Congressman Sarbanes believes that a strong economy is one in which all individuals have the opportunity to succeed and make a better life for themselves and their families. He supports policies that foster job creation, improve pay and benefits, build stronger communities and secure America’s role as a global economic leader. He continues to fight for a stronger, more prosperous future for all Americans.

Lowering Costs & Creating Good-Paying Jobs

Congressman Sarbanes is committed to creating good-paying jobs to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, boost American manufacturing and strengthen our economy. By making necessary investments in our workforce now, we are making a down payment on a more prosperous, equitable economy for all.

• Lowering Costs for Families: Congressman Sarbanes supports legislation that invests in families, cracks down on price gouging and lowers the cost of living. He supported the Inflation Reduction Act – historic legislation that lowers the costs of health care, prescription drugs and energy while reducing the deficit and strengthening our economy.
   
• Investing in Infrastructure: Congressman Sarbanes believes that we must put millions of Americans back to work rebuilding our nation’s roads, bridges, public transportation, ports and water systems, many of which are in desperate need of repair. He also supports efforts to transition to a clean energy economy, strengthen our resilience to climate change-related events, improve electric vehicle infrastructure and modernize our nation's electric grid.

Strengthening Technological Innovation and Workforce Programs

Congressman Sarbanes has been proud to support legislation that enhances our country’s technological innovation and fortifies our domestic supply chains. He is also committed to improving workforce training programs that provide Americans with the skills they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

• Bolstering Supply Chains: Congressman Sarbanes has voted for legislation to secure our nation’s supply chains, prevent shortages in critical goods and strengthen our global competitiveness. He is also working to boost science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development opportunities to prepare more American workers with the tools necessary to obtain good-paying, skilled jobs.
   
• Apprenticeship Programs: Congressman Sarbanes has long been a champion for registered apprenticeship programs and other Workforce Innovation and Opportunity programs, which help support adult education and literacy and reemployment services, especially for women, minority and other historically underserved populations.

Bolstering Paid Leave, Pay and Benefits

Congressman Sarbanes is a strong advocate for expanded and strengthened paid leave programs, workplace protections and wages. It is his longstanding belief that reasonable labor standards are vital to the morale of our workforce, the health of our economy and the strength of our country.

• Paid Leave: Congressman Sarbanes is working to establish a social insurance program, funded through payroll taxes, that would allow individuals to receive paid leave from work for certain medical or family-related reasons. He has also supported legislation to allow workers in businesses with 15 or more employees to earn up to seven job-protected paid sick days each year.
   
• Workplace Protections: Congressman Sarbanes is a strong advocate for legislation that strengthens protections for workers engaged in collective bargaining, penalizes companies for violating workers' rights and combats coercive labor practices.
   
• Increasing the Minimum Wage: Congressman Sarbanes believes every individual deserves to make a living wage and is supportive of legislation that would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.

Helping Small Businesses Grow and Succeed

Small businesses serve as an engine for the American economy. Congressman Sarbanes supports policies that stimulate growth for small businesses, which in turn spurs innovation and brings jobs to our communities.

• Pandemic Relief Programs: Congressman Sarbanes was proud to help secure critical funding for small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic through passage of the American Rescue Plan. This legislation provided $7.25 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and $15 billion in funding for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, including $5 billion for the Supplemental Targeted EIDL Advance program to help those businesses most adversely affected by the public health crisis. He also supported the creation of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program.

• Expanding Opportunities for Entrepreneurs & Businesses: Congressman Sarbanes has also voted to boost funding for the Small Business Administration and important programs like Growth Accelerators, Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Centers, all of which help entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive. He has also supported provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to help small businesses in the clean energy sector and voted to increase access to technical training, business development and other resources for entrepreneurs from underserved communities or underrepresented populations

Safeguarding Pay and Benefits for Federal Employees

Congressman Sarbanes is a strong supporter of our nation’s federal workforce. He believes it is critical that we continue to support those who have dedicated their careers to public service and has continually defended our federal workforce from Republican attacks on their pay, rights and benefits. Congressman Sarbanes believes that we must continue to champion the good work of public servants and inspire the next generation of Americans to serve.

• Improved Pay & Benefits: Congressman Sarbanes has cosponsored legislation to help attract top talent to our federal workforce and annually joins colleagues in advocating for fair pay for federal employees. To create greater flexibility for individuals and their families, Congressman Sarbanes also supports providing 12 weeks per year of paid family and medical leave to all federal employees.

• Collective Bargaining and Workplace Protections: Congressman Sarbanes consistently supports legislation to protect the right of public employees to join unions and engage in collective bargaining. He has also voted for legislation to strengthen whistleblower protections and prevent retaliation against employees who expose waste, fraud or abuse. 
   
• Telework: Congressman Sarbanes greatly values the many benefits that telework programs provide, especially for our federal workers. These programs have been proven to boost productivity, improve employee retention and deliver high-quality services to the American public, all while reducing our environmental impact and delivering cost savings to American taxpayers. In 2010, he authored the original federal telework law - the Telework Enhancement Act - which required federal agencies to develop and implement telework policies for eligible employees. In 2022, he was proud to help introduce the Telework Metrics and Cost Savings Act, which would modernize, strengthen and expand federal government telework programs including by leveraging lessons learned during the coronavirus pandemic.