Tag Archives: Congress

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Give America a Raise

04/02/2014 Nativegrl77

Six Things You Didn’t Know About The Minimum Wage

This week and next, a coalition of minimum wage activists in favor of raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 are taking their message of “Giving America a Raise” on the road with an 11 state bus tour. They have already made stops in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York. This issue couldn’t be more important for working families across the country and creating an economy that works for everyone.

Right now, a parent working full time earning the minimum wage and raising two children is making poverty wages. She struggles to make ends meet and can barely afford basics such as school supplies for her children. But with a higher minimum wage, workers will have more money to spend on basic needs, money that will go back into the local economy, which in turn gives businesses more customers—helping them to hire more workers. Raising low-end wages will also save taxpayers $4.6 billion a year on nutritional assistance programs.

Raising the minimum wage would be a critical step in ensuring that the economy is working for everyone. It will provide Americans who work hard a better opportunity to get ahead while giving the economy a needed shot in the arm. It is past time for Congress to act. The federal minimum wage has not been raised in more than five years. Right here are six facts explaining why Congress needs to raise the wage to $10.10 an hour:

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Interested in Entering? Good News, You’ve Still Got Time … April 4

04/01/2014 Nativegrl77

The CLIO Sports Awards

Nate Adams V Evel Knievel Jump

770 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

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6 Million Covered #ACA

Image 03/31/2014 Nativegrl77

Mercer defeats Duke

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Tell Governor Inslee: Stop food stamp cuts in Washington

03/31/2014 Nativegrl77

Please Call Gov. Inslee 360-902-4111

Last month, President Obama signed a new “farm bill” that cuts food stamp funding by about $800 million per year. These heartless cuts – which Republicans forced through in Congress – slash $90 in food stamp benefits per month from 850,000 families nationwide.

Fortunately, a bipartisan group of governors in six states have found a way to reverse these devastating cuts by participating in a special “heat and eat” program, which leverages heating assistance payments into higher food stamp benefits.¹ Governor Inslee can stop the cuts to the food stamp program in Washington, but it is going to take grassroots pressure to make that happen.

CREDO activist Heather Magrath started a campaign on CREDOMobilize.com, which allows activists to start their own petitions. The petition, which is to Governor Inslee, asks the following:

Nearly a million Americans are on the verge of losing $90 per month in food stamps benefits. I urge you to sign an executive order increasing heating assistance subsidies to prevent thousands of Washington families from losing access to food stamps.

Sign the petition: Tell Governor Inslee to stop the food stamp cuts in Washington.

$90 per month may not seem like much, but for families in Washington who are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table, the recent cuts to the food stamp program can be devastating.

By slightly increasing state funding for heating assistance to residents slated to lose part of their food stamp benefits, governors in six states have completely stopped the Republican food stamp cut from affecting residents in their states.

With unemployment still unacceptably high and millions of families struggling to get by, we need to do everything in our power to stop the Republicans’ irresponsible attempts to slash our social safety net. Governor Inslee needs to follow the lead of these governors and prevent thousands of Washington residents from losing $90 each month in food stamp benefits.

Will you join Heather and urge Governor Inslee to do what’s right for Washington residents and stop the devastating food stamp cuts?

Thanks for fighting to stop food stamp cuts in Washington.

Murshed Zaheed, Deputy Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets

1. “Republican Governor Will Protect His State’s Residents From Food Stamp Cuts,” Think Progress, March 6, 2014

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A Breaking Confirmation, Four Days to Enroll, and Celebrating Cesar Chavez

03/28/2014 Nativegrl77

We are proud to announce that the Senate just confirmed Maria Contreras-Sweet as our next Administrator of the Small Business Administration. President Obama applauded her confirmation, stating:

“With the bipartisan confirmation of Maria Contreras-Sweet as the next Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the American people will have a fierce champion who understands what it means to start a small business, and who has a proven track record of helping other small businesses succeed. … Two years ago I elevated the role of Small Business Administrator to a cabinet-level position to make sure small businesses have the seat at the table they deserve.”

In other news, there are only four days left to get health insurance coverage for 2014 at HealthCare.gov or at CuidadoDeSalud.gov before enrollment ends on March 31. Celebrities like Eva Longoria and America Ferrera are doing their part to educate Latinos about the importance of health care. So what can you do to spread the word? If you already have health insurance, tell your friends, family, and co-workers that they need to get covered, too. Visit WH.gov/GetCovered for tips on how to spread the word.

If you haven’t signed up yet, the President wants you to get covered today. As the President says, “No one’s invincible. We all get sick, or get into accidents. Life happens. But you should never have to worry you’ll lose everything to medical bills. That’s why health insurance is so important.”

As always, please share this information with your networks to help inform the Latino community on the latest news about the Health Insurance Marketplace and other updates.

Thank you,

Jorge Neri
Associate Director
White House Office of Public Engagement

Celebrating Cesar Chavez Day

Last week, President Obama delivered remarks before a White House screening of the new feature film “Cesar Chavez,” a new biopic of a true American hero who dedicated his life to making our country more just by ensuring farm workers and all working people are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. President Obama reflected on Chavez’s legacy stating, “One of the great lessons of Cesar’s life [is] that you don’t give up the fight. No matter how long it takes, no matter how long the odds, you keep going, fueled by a simple creed — sí se puede.”

On Cesar Chavez Day, this Monday, March 31, we celebrate one of America’s greatest champions for social justice. Along with President Obama issuing a proclamation honoring Cesar Chavez, the White House will honor 10 community leaders who embody the spirit of Cesar E. Chavez’s legacy. Each of the Cesar Chavez Champions of Change has committed themselves to improving the lives of others in their communities and across the country.

Tune in here to watch the event live.

The Cesar E. Chavez Champions of Change include community leaders across the country. The honorees include:

Khin Mai Aung, Educational Equity Program, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Germain Castellanos, Program Director SHINE Educational Leadership Program
Armando H. Chavez, Principal of Columbus Elementary School
Sandra Gutierrez, National Director of Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors
Helen Gym, Board Member, Asian Americans United
Nahla Kayali, Founder & Executive Director of Access California Services
Herbert Lee Jr., Executive Director of the Pacific American Foundation
Xavier A. Munoz, AmeriCorps Member / ESOL Instructor with the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
Diego Uriburu, Executive Director for Identity, Inc.
Luis Urrieta Jr., Coordinator of the Cultura en Acción — Culture in Action After School Program

Additionally, federal partners such as the Corporation for National and Community Service and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics are working with state service commissions, schools, and their respective grantees to continue to engage students and other community members in service and educational programming inspired by Chavez’s life and work. As well, groups across the country are organizing support for a National Day of Service in honor of Cesar Chavez.

Administration Highlights

Statement by the President on Immigration Reform
Last year, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate came together to pass a commonsense bill to fix our broken immigration system — a bill that would grow our economy, shrink our deficits, and reward businesses and workers that play by the rules. But so far, Republicans in the House have refused to allow meaningful immigration reform legislation to come up for a vote. Click here to read more.

The Impact of Raising the Minimum Wage on Women and the Importance of Ensuring a Robust Tipped Minimum Wage
President Obama supports raising the minimum wage to help build real, lasting economic security for the middle class and has made it a key part of his plan to create more opportunities for every hardworking American to get ahead in 2014. On Wednesday, March 26, the White House continued to demonstrate support to raise the minimum wage by releasing a new report on the impact of raising the minimum wage on women.
Click here to read the full report.

Blog Highlights

The President Answers Questions About Health Care from the Quora Community
President Obama answered questions on Quora, a leading question-and-answer website, about Affordable Care Act enrollment and how the law affects young people across America. The deadline to enroll for health care coverage for this year is March 31.

Improving Economic Opportunity for Women and Working Families
On Thursday, March 20, President Obama talked about improving economic opportunity for America’s women and working families. He made clear that we need “a women’s economic agenda that grows our economy for everybody,” and that starts with ensuring that America’s women get equal pay for equal work.

President Obama Awards the Medal of Honor to 24 Army Veterans
On Tuesday, March 18, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to 24 Army veterans in recognition of their valor during major combat operations in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Each veteran honored had already received the Distinguished Service Cross — the nation’s second-highest military award — but 19 of them were previously overlooked for the Medal of Honor due to their racial or ethnic backgrounds. The ceremony followed a 12-year Pentagon review, ordered by Congress, of past discrimination in the military.

Action for Our Workers: President Obama Signs Memorandum to Update Overtime Pay
On Thursday, March 13, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum directing Secretary of Labor Tom Perez to update and modernize America’s overtime pay system, so that millions of our nation’s salaried workers will have the protections of overtime pay.

Get Involved

White House Internship Program

The White House Internship Program’s mission is to make the “People’s House” accessible to future leaders from around the nation, and cultivate and prepare those devoted to public service for future leadership opportunities. If you know of any such future leaders, please encourage them to apply.

Who: The White House Internship Program
What: Fall 2014 White House Internship
When: DEADLINE is Sunday, April 13
Apply: http://www.whitehouse.gov/internships