Press Release
As we mark the 50th anniversary of President Johnson declaring an unconditional ‘War on Poverty,’ and in the aftermath of a recession that hit the lowest income Americans very, very hard, we ought to take stock on how best to alleviate poverty in America in the twenty-first century.
Today’s review by the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees affirms what we already knew. First, efforts to control health care cost growth – including the Affordable Care Act – are working.
As the world marks the centennial of the outbreak of the First World War today, I join in remembering the service and sacrifices of so many American military personnel who answered the call to fight on distant shores in defense of democracy and values we hold dear.
Wanted to be sure you saw this op-ed by House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) and Rep. Aaron Schock (IL-18) in Education Week on their bipartisan legislation, the Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2014, which they introduced last week to expand the number of full-service community schools at the K-12 level around the country.
What we need to do in my view, however, is meet the immediate challenge of processing these folks who have come across the borders, many of whom are children. Treat them in a humane way and consistent with law.
I want to thank all of you for being here. Robert [Hiltonsmith, Policy Analyst at Demos], I want to thank you for being here as well. Our nation has always stood for the basic principle that if you work hard and take responsibility you ought to be able to make a decent living, get paid a fair wage for your labor, and have access to opportunities that enable you to secure a place in our middle class. I said that was our principle, but it is not always our reality.
Today, while millions of Americans are waiting for Congress to take action to create jobs, raise the minimum wage, fix our broken immigration system, address the humanitarian crisis at the border, and restore emergency unemployment insurance, the House’s Republican Majority chose to waste taxpayers’ time and money on a frivolous, politically motivated lawsuit against the President.
This morning’s news that the Affordable Care Act has saved consumers a total of $9 billion on their health insurance premiums since 2011 is a further demonstration that the law is doing what it was intended to do: providing families with greater access to affordable, quality care.
Five years ago today, the federal minimum wage increased to $7.25 an hour, and it has not changed since.
I applaud the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on approving yesterday the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a critical treaty that would enshrine in international law America’s efforts to ban discrimination against people with disabilities.