Beatty picked for key economic committee by Pelosi

U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty will serve on the Joint Economic Committee, her office announced Friday.

The panel is composed of House and Senate members from both parties. Once headed by former Westerville-area GOP Rep. Pat Tiberi, the group focuses on reviewing economic conditions and recommending improvements in economic policy.

Beatty, a Jefferson Township Democrat, will be one of six Democrats on the 20-member committee. She was picked to serve by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In a statement, Beatty said she is "ready to get to work on making sure our economy works better for everyone."

She said currently, 80 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, wages aren't keeping up with inflation, the racial wealth gap continues to grow and African–American unemployment is nearly double the national average.

"Congress must get serious about addressing growing economic inequality and putting our economy on sound fiscal ground. I look forward to working with my colleagues to find bipartisan solutions to these and the many other pressing economic issues facing our country," she said.

Tiberi was chair of the committee until he retired from Congress in 2017 to take a job at the Ohio Business Roundtable.

The Joint Economic Committee was created after Congress passed the Employment Act of 1946. Chairmanship alternates between the Senate and House every Congress. Sen. Mike Lee, R–Utah, will serve as chair of the committee during this Congress and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D–N.Y., will serve as vice–chair.

This article was originally published by the Columbus Dispatch on February 15, 2019.