Mayor Nutter was in Washington DC today to call on congress to pass a jobs bill that would provide direct aid to cities like Philadelphia.
"I know everyone's concerned about the deficit, but the people who are talking about the deficit are people who have jobs," Nutter said in a phone interview.
Nutter's visit was prompted by a new report which says that local governments will likely cut 500,000 jobs nationwide over the next 18 months due to fiscal declines. The study was done by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties. Nutter serves as second vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Those organizations held a Capitol Hill press conference today, pushing congress to consider the Local Jobs for America Act, which would provide $75 billion in direct funding to cities over two years for various jobs programs. Nutter noted that unlike the $787 billion stimulus act -- which could not be used to help cities plug budget gaps -- this jobs bill would provide much-needed direct budget aid.
You can use the money to prevent layoffs, bring people back that you've had laid off or hire new employees," Nutter said.