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Tag Archives: Washington
Austerity is Dead
It’s Time to Focus on Jobs & Growth
For the better part of three years Washington has been gripped by an obsession with the deficit, but a new paper out from the Center for American Progress today argues that it’s time to abandon austerity, ditch deficit hysteria, and instead focus on jobs and economic growth.
What’s changed since Washington caught deficit fever in 2010? A lot, as it turns out.
- The deficit has been significantly reduced and stabilized.
- We have already enacted significant deficit reduction: $2.5 TRILLION worth, three-quarters of which has come from spending cuts.
- Health care spending has grown much more slowly than expected, due in part to Obamacare.
- The intellectual argument in favor of austerity collapsed in a somewhat spectacular fashion.
- The implementation of austerity in Europe has been nothing short of disastrous. Unemployment in the Eurozone is at a record high and the UK’s austerity almost resulted in triple-dip recession and has actually resulted in more, not less debt.
- What hasn’t changed? We continue to have tepid growth and the economy is not creating nearly as many jobs as it could or should be.
In fact, we don’t even need the painful and ill-conceived sequester cuts to achieve the level of deficit reduction that we originally set out to, hence the report calls for replacing it for the next three years.
So instead of painful austerity and needless hysteria about the deficit and debt, we ought to be making investments in order to grow the middle class and the economy along with it. The report identifies $82 BILLION worth of pro-growth investments:
- $50 BILLION to fix our crumbling infrastructure.
- $20 BILLION for early childhood education.
- $12 BILLION for the “Pathways Back to Work Fund,” which would help provide opportunities for the long-term unemployed, young people, and low-income people.
Now is the perfect time to make these kinds of investments as interest rates on government bonds are unusually low right now.
In addition to all of these key facts, it’s also time to recognize some political realities. Since Republicans refuse to negotiate in good faith toward a so-called “grand bargain” there is no point in continuing to pursue one. Instead, we ought reset the debate, replace the sequester for three years with an achievable package of cuts and revenue increases, and turn our attention toward making the investments we need to fuel jobs and growth.You can read the entire report in all of its wonky goodness HERE.
In addition to all of these key facts, it’s also time to recognize some political realities. Since Republicans refuse to negotiate in good faith toward a so-called “grand bargain” there is no point in continuing to pursue one. Instead, we ought reset the debate, replace the sequester for three years with an achievable package of cuts and revenue increases, and turn our attention toward making the investments we need to fuel jobs and growth.You can read the entire report in all of its wonky goodness HERE.
BOTTOM LINE: Austerity is dead — or at least it should be.
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Renewable Energy creates jobs
A Clean Energy Bill Congress Can Agree On
Urge Congress to support tax benefits that will unleash the power of private investment to make renewable energy even more competitive and create clean energy jobs.
Take Action Today!
ACTION ALERT Tell Congress to Level the Playing Field for Renewable Energy Congress stands poised to take an important step toward leveling the playing field on which renewable energy and fossil fuels compete for financing. But policy makers in Washington need to hear from you today to break the gridlock on clean energy. Urge Congress to support a level playing field for clean energy today.
www.ucsusa.org Renewable energy has been denied access to certain tax benefits and low-cost financing made available to the fossil fuel industry for decades. Bipartisan legislation now before the U.S. House and Senate will finally give renewable energy projects access—unlocking billions of dollars of low-cost financing for clean energy. Let’s make sure Congress does not fail to seize this opportunity to ensure renewables compete on more even ground with fossil fuels. Take action today!
Sincerely, 
Megan Rising Energy Campaign Manager Climate & Energy Program Union of Concerned Scientists
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Zach Silk, Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility
We can do this.
We can make Washington safer for all of us — and our families — by requiring all gun purchasers to pass a simple criminal background check.
Sure, a small group of very powerful lobbyists have managed to pull enough strings to stop commonsense reforms in D.C. so far, but when 80% of Washingtonians support criminal background checks, there are not enough big campaign contributions in the world to stop us from doing what’s right.
So we’re going to get this done — and we need your help, right now, to make sure it happens.
That’s it. That’s all you need to do.
It may seem like just a few mouse clicks, or phone taps, but standing up to the big money lobbyists — right now — and showing your fellow Washingtonians that you are one of the eight in ten who demand such a simple, but powerful, reform will make all the difference.
If each one of us speaks up — there’s no way that anyone can stop us.
We’re going to get this done. And it’s all because you took a moment, right now, to say that it is time for reform.
Thank you,
Zach
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Bills & Hearings in the House : May 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Field Hearing: How Southern California Freight Transportation Challenges Impact the Nation
1:30 PM | 1170 West 3rd Street San Bernardino, CA 92410
Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Full Committee
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Field Hearing: Oversight of California High Speed Rail
7:00 AM | Auditorium Room AM120, Madera Community College Center, Madera, CA Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Hearing: The Call for Economic Liberty in the Arab World
9:30 AM | 2172 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Full Committee
Hearing: Joint Hearing – The Current and Future Applications of Biometric Technologies
10:00 AM | 2318 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Subcommittee on Research
Hearing: Maritime Transportation: The Role of U.S. Ships and Mariners
10:00 AM | 2167 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |
Hearing: Legislative Hearing on Draft Legislation, ‘The Veterans Integrated Mental Health Care Act of 2013;’ Draft Legislation, ‘the Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2013;’ H.R. 241; H.R. 288; H.R. 984; and H.R. 1284
10:00 AM | 334 Cannon HOB Washington DC Host: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs | Subcommittee on Health
Markup: H.R. 982, the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency FACT Act of 2013
10:00 AM | 2141 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Full Committee
Hearing: Chairman Brady Announces Hearing on the President’s and Other Bipartisan Proposals to Reform Medicare
10:00 AM Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Subcommittee on Health
Hearing: Cyber Threats and Security Solutions
10:00 AM | 2123 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Energy and Power
Hearing: Visa Security and Overstays: How Secure is America?
10:00 AM | 311 Cannon HOB Host: Committee on Homeland Security | Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
Hearing: The Future of the CFTC: Market Perspectives
10:00 AM | 1300 Longworth HOB Host: Committee on Agriculture | Full Committee
Hearing: “Reviewing the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Proposal for the U.S. Department of Education”
10:00 AM Host: Committee on Education and the Workforce | Full Committee
Hearing: Oversight Hearing on “Perspectives on the Management of Federal and State Land: Testimony by Governor Gary Herbert (R-UT), Chairman of the Western Governors’ Association”
10:30 AM | 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation
Hearing: Oversight Hearing on “Data collection issues in relation to the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act”
10:30 AM | 1334 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs
Markup: Full Committee Mark Up – FY 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill and Report on the Suballocation of Budget Allocations for FY 2014
11:00 AM | 2359 Rayburn Host: Committee on Appropriations | Multiple Subcommittees
Hearing: Understanding the Cost Drivers of Passenger Rail
1:00 PM | 2167 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
Hearing: Why Can’t DHS Better Communicate with the American People?
1:30 PM | 311 Cannon HOB Host: Committee on Homeland Security | Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency
Hearing: Next Steps in Human Exploration to Mars and Beyond
2:00 PM | 2318 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Subcommittee on Space
Hearing: JOINT HEARING: The Growing Crisis in Africa’s Sahel Region
2:00 PM | 2172 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations
Hearing: Cybersecurity: An Examination of the Communications Supply Chain
2:00 PM | 2123 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
Hearing: H.R. 3-Northern Route Approval Act
3:00 PM | H-313 Capitol Host: Committee on Rules | Full Committee
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Hearing: Exascale Computing Challenges and Opportunities
10:00 AM | 2318 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Select…
Markup: Full Committee Mark Up – FY 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill
10:00 AM | 2359 Rayburn Host: Committee on Appropriations | Multiple Subcommittees
Hearing: Saving Taxpayer Dollars: Freezing the Federal Real Estate Footprint
10:00 AM | 2167 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
Hearing: Expediting Claims or Exploiting Statistics?: An Examination of VA’s Special Initiative to Process Rating Claims Pending Over Two Years
10:00 AM | 334 Cannon House Office Building Washington DC
Host: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs | Full Committee
Hearing: The Economic Outlook
10:00 AM | G-50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building
Host: Joint Economic Committee |
Hearing: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 1964, H.R. 1965, H.R. 1394, and H.R. 555
10:00 AM | 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
Hearing: H.R. 1911-Smarter Solutions for Students Act
10:00 AM | H-313 Capitol Host: Committee on Rules | Full Committee
Hearing: U.S. Citizens’ Constitutional Rights During the War on Terror
10:00 AM | 2141 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Full Committee
Hearing: Examining SAMHSA’s Role in Delivering Services to the Severely Mentally Ill
10:00 AM | 2123 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Select…
Hearing: “Examining the Regulatory and Enforcement Actions of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission”
10:00 AM Host: Committee on Education and the Workforce | Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
Hearing: Assessing the Threat to the Homeland from al Qaeda Operations in Iran and Syria
10:00 AM | 311 Cannon HOB Host: Committee on Homeland Security | Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
Markup: H.R. 850, Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013
10:00 AM | 2172 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Full Committee
Hearing: CLOSED: Ongoing Intelligence Activities
1:00 PM | HVC304 Capitol Host: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence | Full Committee
Hearing: he Middle East and North Africa FY 2014 Budget: Priorities and Challenges
2:00 PM | 2172 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa
Hearing: S. 744 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986: Lessons Learned or Mistakes Repeated?
2:00 PM | 2141 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Full Committee
Hearing: The President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget: Administration Priorities for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
2:00 PM | 2167 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Hearing: CLOSED: Ongoing Intelligence Activities
8:30 AM | HVC304 Capitol Host: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence |
Hearing: Restoring U.S. Leadership in Weather Forecasting
9:30 AM | 2318 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Subcommittee on Environment
Hearing: Chairman Johnson Announces Hearing on the President’s and Other Bipartisan Entitlement Reform Proposals
9:30 AM Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Social Security
Hearing: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 255, H.R. 745, and H.R. 1963
10:00 AM | 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Water and Power
Hearing: H.R. 1797, the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
10:00 AM | 2141 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Full Committee
Hearing: Building America: Challenges for Small Construction Contractors
10:00 AM Host: Committee on Small Business | Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce
Hearing: Examining Drug Compounding
10:00 AM | 2322 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Health
Hearing: U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation: An Overview of the Merida Initiative 2008-Present
10:00 AM | 2172 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Field Hearing: Oversight of California High Speed Rail
7:00 AM | Auditorium Room AM120, Madera Community College Center, Madera, CA Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
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