Sign an Executive Order now and immediately grant over 2 million Americans working for private contractors on federal property a living wage.

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The biggest low-wage employer in the United States isn’t Walmart or McDonald’s, it’s the United States government. Federal contractors employ 2,000,000 people at poverty-level wages, more than Walmart and McDonald’s combined. While CEOs of government contractors are making millions, workers are paid so little they can’t possibly make ends meet and too often have to rely on second job or public assistance or both.

The President can give everyone of these hard working Americans a raise with the stroke of his pen. It only takes signing an Executive Order for President Obama to require all federal contractors comply with the same Service Employment Act which requires all other federal workers make a living wage.

Call on President Obama to take action today.

The post Obama: Sign a Living Wage Executive Order appeared first on Progressive Congress.

$4.4 trillion in deficit reduction.

It’s time for Congress to pass a budget that puts America Back to Work.

Send a message to your Representative: Become a Citizen Co-Sponsor.

We’re in a jobs crisis that isn’t going away. Millions of hard-working American families are falling behind, and the richest 1 percent is taking home a bigger chunk of our nation’s gains every year. Americans face a choice: we can either close these tax loopholes to invest in jobs or cut Medicare benefits to pay for more tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.

We choose investment.

The Back to Work Budget invests in America’s future. In the first year alone, we create nearly 7 million American jobs and increase GDP by 5.7%. We reduce unemployment to near 5% in three years with a jobs plan that includes repairing our nation’s roads and bridges, and putting the teachers, cops and firefighters who have borne the brunt of our economic downturn back to work. We reduce the deficit by $4.4 trillion by closing tax loopholes and asking the wealthy to pay a fair share. We repeal the arbitrary sequester and the Budget Control Act that are damaging the economy, and strengthen Medicare and Medicaid, which provide high quality, low-cost medical coverage to millions of Americans when they need it most.

This is what the country voted for in November. It’s time we side with America’s middle class and invest in their future.

The Economic Policy Institute Policy Center provided technical assistance in developing, scoring, modeling, and analyzing the Back to Work budget. EPI’s analysis can be seen here: The ‘Back to Work’ budget: Analysis of the Congressional Progressive Caucus budget for fiscal year 2014

Job Creation

•Infrastructure – substantially increases infrastructure investment to the level the American Society of Civil Engineers says is necessary to close our infrastructure needs gap

•Education – funds school modernizations and rehiring laid-off teachers

•Aid to States – closes the recession-caused gap in state budgets for two years, allowing the rehiring of cops, firefighters, and other public employees

•Making Work Pay – boosts consumer demand by reinstating an expanded tax credit for three years

•Emergency Unemployment Compensation – allows beneficiaries to claim up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits in high-unemployment states for two years

•Public Works Job Programs and Aid to Distressed Communities – includes job programs such as a Park Improvement Corps, Student Jobs Corps, and Child Care Corps

Fair Individual Tax  

•Immediately allows Bush tax cuts to expire for families earning over $250K

•Higher tax rates for millionaires and billionaires (from 45% to 49%)

•Taxes income from investments the same as income from wages

Fair Corporate Tax

•Ends corporate tax bias toward moving jobs and profits overseas

•Enacts a financial transactions tax

•Reduces deductions for corporate jets, meals, and entertainment

Defense

•Returns Pentagon spending to 2006 levels, focusing on modern security needs

Health Care

•No benefit cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security

•Reduces health care costs by adopting a public option, negotiating drug prices, and reducing fraud

Environment

•Prices carbon pollution with a rebate to hold low income households harmless

•Eliminates corporate tax subsidies for oil, gas, and coal companies

Full budget documents for download:
Economic Policy Institute – Back to Work Budget Analysis
Back to Work Budget – Executive Summary
Resumen Ejuctivo – Propuesta Back to Work

The post Support the Back to Work Budget appeared first on Progressive Congress.

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – Organizing Conference Call
Wednesday, May ^1st.
12:30pm – 1:30pm

RSVP for details on how to join the call.

The post Protecting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — Organizing Conference Call appeared first on Progressive Congress.

“We call on the State Department to extend the public comment period for the Keystone XL pipeline environmental impact statement from 45 days to the full 120 days allowed by law.

A daily average of nearly 18,000 people submitted their comments on this issue – so far. The American people deserve an additional 75 days to make sure everyone has the chance to have their voices heard.”

A Keystone XL Pipeline oil spill could look just like this

A recent report — the most comprehensive study of the Keystone XL Pipeline’s climate impacts yet — shows that the pipeline would carry 181 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, equal to 51 coal plants worth of carbon. That’s more CO2 released into our air than 37 million cars on the road. CO2 gets released when the earth is blasted with chemical cocktails heated by fracked natural gas, with every round of refining the tar sands will require, the ugly byproduct called petcoke used in coal plants, and of course, the burning of the final product as fuel.

The State Department is accepting public comments and have now agreed to make all the feedback reviewable by the press and public. It’s up to us to stop the public comment period from ending on Monday. Please join the emergency petition calling for the comment deadline to be extended for the full 120 days allowed by law.

We’ll be delivering the petition to the State Department first thing on Monday morning.

The public deserves more time to weigh in on the potential consequences of building this pipeline that will stretch across America like a giant tar-filled snake. Working together, we can stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Progressive Congress Campaign Partners:

The post Keystone XL Pipeline:
America Needs More Time appeared first on Progressive Congress.

An Executive Summary of the Back to Work Budget is available here. Please be advised this is embargoed until Wednesday, March 13th at noon.

How you can help:

• Your organization can endorse the Back to Work Budget  — Please fill out the information on this page.
• Let your membership know that the CPC is taking a bold step away from austerity and help us change the debate
• Promote the budget as you talk to reporters and let them know there IS an alternative to the Ryan austerity.
• This budget WILL get a vote on the floor which means it is a great opportunity to organize! We have set the goal of at least a 100 votes for the budget — help us get there.
  • Ask your organization’s members to call on their Member of Congress to vote for the Back to Work Budget — Sample email will be sent to all endorsing organizations.
  • Ask your organization’s members to participate in a Back to Work Budget Thunderclap — Sample email will be sent to all endorsing organizations.

The post Back to Work Budget Endorsement appeared first on Progressive Congress.

Please join the Congressional Progressive Caucus Budget Task Force for an important organizing call to answer questions and discuss specifics in the Back to Work budget, timelines for action and votes, and ideas on how to work together in supporting it.

Back to Work Budget – Organizing Conference Call
Tuesday, March 12^th
10:00am – 11:00am

RSVP for details on how to join the call.

The post Back to Work Budget –
Organizing Conference Call appeared first on Progressive Congress.

Budget Task Force Organizing Conference Call
Wednesday, February 27^th
4:30pm – 5:30pm

RSVP for details on how to join the call.

The post CPC Budget Task Force: Organizing Conference Call appeared first on Progressive Congress.

Join us and community members from OurDC and Social Security Works:

• Wednesday, Jan. 30th at Noon
• “Fix the Debt” Headquarters
• 1899 L St., NW

The post Fix Corporate Greed – You’ll Fix the Debt appeared first on Progressive Congress.

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It’s time to abolish the debt ceiling. What seemed like a simple way to consolidate federal debt in 1939 has turned into a yearly crisis that led, in 2011, to the first ever downgrade of the United States’ credit rating.

The House majority needs to responsibly agree to pay for the legislation they pass without threatening to wreck the economy if they can’t renegotiate the budget they’ve already approved for the year.

The American people are tired of having our futures held hostage to one manufactured crisis after another. The House majority needs to stop wasting everyone’s time and deal with real issues like job creation.

Bill: HR 290

The post Abolish the Debt Ceiling appeared first on Progressive Congress.

Dear Mr. Schultz:

Our families’ futures aren’t up for negotiation. American workers, retirees, and families have sacrificed enough. Please drop out of the CEO coalition to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Thank you.

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7,348 Signatures ~ Jan 30, 2013 [PDF]

5,816 Signatures ~ Jan 30, 2013 [PDF]

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Starbucks’ coffee is a favorite treat for so many American workers and their families. That’s why it’s even more appalling that Starbucks’ CEO is trying, with a coalition of fellow CEOs, to cut the vital services these families rely on. These CEOs are personally lobbying Congress to cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and everything else they can get their hands on, all to pay themselves yet another massive tax break!

Tell Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz to keep his hands off our Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid.

The post Tell Starbucks’ CEO: Hands off Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security appeared first on Progressive Congress.