Muckraker: Grist on Politics

The Obama administration today announced the creation of a Middle Class Task Force that will work on “raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America.”

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Notably, the group’s first meeting, slated for Feb. 27 in Philadelphia, will be on the subject of “Green Jobs: A Pathway to a Strong Middle Class.”

The task force will be chaired by Vice President Joe Biden. Other members include the secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Commerce, and the directors of the National Economic Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.

“Quite simply, a strong middle class equals a strong America. We can’t have one without the other,” said Biden in a statement today. “This Task Force will be an important vehicle to assess new and existing policies across the board and determine if they are helping or hurting the middle class. It is our charge to get the middle class – the backbone of this country – up and running again.”