Tag Archives: United States

Remind Congress to do their jobs


When the President laid out his jobs plan earlier this month, he couldn’t have been more clear: The American people can’t afford to wait for the next election to see results out of Washington. They sent their members of Congress here to get things done now.

Democrats aren’t sitting back and hoping for the best — we’re taking our case straight to the American people.

We’ve launched a major ad campaign in support of the American Jobs Act. It calls on all Americans to hold their lawmakers’ feet to the fire until this bill gets passed, because that’s the only way it’s going to get done. We want to spread that message as widely as possible.

Will you chip in $5 today to help us continue the fight for the President’s agenda — and keep ads like this one on the air?      WWW.Democrats.ORG

Right now, Republican leaders aren’t working for the American people. And that’s unacceptable — especially at a time when families need their leaders in Washington to come together and get things done.

It shouldn’t take an effort like this to remind our leaders to do their jobs.

But the truth is some in the GOP care more about making sure the President doesn’t get his way than doing whatever it takes to create jobs and return economic security to the middle class.

Now is not the time for scoring political points — for either side. We need action, and the President is counting on all of us to demand it.

It’s an uphill battle, but we know how powerful it can be when members of Congress start hearing the case straight from their constituents at home. I’m asking you to help keep ads like this on the air in these critical first weeks of the fight to pass this bill.

Please donate $5 today:

WWW.Democrats.ORG

Thanks,

Patrick

Patrick Gaspard
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee

Cost Estimates for the 112th Congress


H.R. 2883, Child and Family
Services Improvement and Innovation Act

September 19,
2011 pdf
Cost estimate for the bill as
ordered reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means on September 14,
2011

H.R. 2005, Combating Autism
Reauthorization Act of 2011

September 19, 2011
pdf
Cost
estimate for the bill as introduced in the House of Representatives on May 26,
2011

H.R. 2433, Veterans Opportunity
to Work Act of 2011

September 19, 2011 pdf
Cost estimate
for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on
September 8, 2011

Class Warfare


This morning, the President proposed the “Buffett Rule,” which would require those earning more than $1 million a year to pay the same share of their income in taxes as middle-class families do.

This proposal makes sure millionaires and billionaires share the responsibility for reducing the deficit. It would correct, for example, the fact that Warren Buffett‘s secretary currently pays taxes at a higher rate than he does.

The other side is already saying it’s “class warfare” — that’s their rhetorical smokescreen for providing millionaires and billionaires special treatment.

As the President said this morning, “This is not class warfare — it’s math.”

The wealthiest Americans don’t need further tax cuts and in many cases aren’t even asking for them. Requiring that they pay their fair share is the only practical way forward. The Republican alternative is to drastically slash education, gut Medicare, let roads and bridges crumble, and privatize Social Security. That’s not the America we believe in — but many in the Republican leadership actually prefer those policies, which explains their refusal to act.

That’s why they’ll say “tax increase” over and over again, trying to muddy the waters and trick ordinary Americans into thinking the Buffett Rule will hurt them. And if we don’t speak out right now, they just might get away with it.

WWW.BarackObama.com

Of course, the Buffett Rule won’t really touch most Americans — only 0.3% of households will even be affected.

And without it, the only way to reduce our debt is to savage the programs that seniors and middle-class families rely on.

That’s exactly what the President refuses to do — in fact, he’s said he’ll veto any bill that changes benefits for folks who rely on Medicare but doesn’t raise serious revenue by asking the wealthiest Americans or biggest corporations to pay their fair share.

This isn’t just a commonsense approach to cutting the deficit — it’s the only way to make sure we can provide security to people who work hard and play by the rules.

So right now, I’m asking you to say you’ll stand with the President on something that won’t be easy. Get the President’s back today:

WWW.BarackObama.ORG

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Committee Hearings …In the House of Representatives


3:00 pm Hearing: Panel on Business Challenges within the Defense IndustryCommittee on Armed Services: Full Committee
3:00 pm Hearing: Human Rights in North Korea: Challenges and OpportunitiesCommittee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights 
3:30 pm Hearing: The Proposed Merger between Express Scripts and MedcoCommittee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet
4:30 pm Markup: H.R. 2250, EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011,H.R. 2681,H.R. 2937Committee on Energy and Commerce: Full Committee
5:00 pm Hearing: H.R. 2401 – Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011Committee on Rules: Full Committee

Will you Join US?


Will you join me and President Obama in insisting that Congress get busy fixing our jobs crisis—and pay for it by asking millionaires and billionaires like Warren Buffett to pay their fair share?

Tell your lawmakers to start fixing America’s jobs crisis—and let them know you’ll hold them accountable if they won’t.

WWW.AFLCIO.ORG

Jobs are the crisis in America. Our economy will not recover until people get work.

America wants to work. But how hard are you willing to work to create jobs? If you’re willing to go all-out, let your lawmakers know right now.

President Obama understands the severity of America’s jobs crisis. This morning, he called on Congress to get moving on solutions—and to pay for his American Jobs Act by restoring tax fairness. He hit the nail on the head when he said, “Warren Buffett’s secretary shouldn’t pay a higher tax rate than Warren Buffett.”

Thanks to President Obama, our national conversation is moving in the right direction. With the release of the American Jobs Act—and today’s speech—he has come forward with important steps to start addressing our jobs crisis. Now, it’s our job to demand action.

Let Congress know you’re ready to go to the mat in pushing our leaders to create jobs.

Over the coming days and weeks, as part of our America Wants to Work campaign, we’ll be asking for your help to advance a job creation agenda that will:

Rebuild America for the 21st century by investing in the schools, roads, bridges, transit, ports, rail, communications and energy jobs and systems we need to succeed.
Revive U.S. manufacturing and reform our trade policies, so we can export American-made goods and services—and stop exporting good jobs.
Help our cities and states—and the federal government—avoid layoffs that drag down our economy and threaten essential services to communities.
Directly create millions of jobs in local communities, especially hard-hit communities of color. These jobs must pay competitive wages and target distressed communities and must not replace existing jobs.
Solve the massive shortfall of consumer demand by extending unemployment benefits and keeping homeowners in their homes.
Reform Wall Street so it helps Main Street create jobs.

Tell your lawmakers: America wants to work. It’s time to end the distractions and political brinksmanship that have left working families out in the cold and take bold action to create jobs.   WWW.AFLCIO.ORG

We will not reduce our demands or accept failure. And we will not accept any schemes to cut Medicaid or Social Security or Medicare benefits in exchange for getting Americans back to work.

To make our case for jobs, we will flood Congress with calls and e-mails. We will take our demands to the streets—and to the front doors of congressional offices. And we will make it clear to corporations, to elected officials and to the press just how many this crisis hurts in our communities, just how much pain is caused by inaction and just how tireless our pursuit of good jobs will be.

Get started today: Let Congress know you’ll be fighting for jobs, and it’s time for members of Congress to join you.   WWW.AFLCIO.ORG

Our campaign to get America back to work will not stop—it will only grow stronger. We will start by ratcheting up the pressure now. And we will make sure leaders who fail to put jobs first are held accountable in 2012. Because what happens in the coming days and months—and during the next year—will determine the future of America’s working middle class.

Will we work hard enough, starting now and through the next election, to preserve America’s middle class? Or will we fail? It’s up to us.

If you’re ready to work for working people, start by letting Congress know.   WWW.AFLCIO.ORG

This morning, President Obama outlined the choices our country faces:

“Either we ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share in taxes or we ask seniors to pay more for Medicare. We can’t afford to do both. Either we gut education and medical research or we’ve got to reform the tax code so that most profitable corporations have to give up tax loopholes that other companies don’t get. We can’t afford to do both. This is not class warfare; it’s math.”

With your help, we can create jobs in a fair way. And we can pay for it—as President Obama proposed—by requiring millionaires, billionaires and profitable corporations to pay their fair share to get America back on track.

Thank you for standing with us.

In Solidarity,

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

P.S. Your action today is only the beginning. Because you know as well as I do that getting Congress to take real action to tackle America’s jobs crisis won’t be easy—it will be supremely difficult to overcome the partisanship and political games.

That’s why I need you to stay with us. We’ll ask you to follow up with more actions—and harder actions—and to rise to the challenge for America’s working middle class.