FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Dem, CPC Chairs Condemn President Trump’s War Crimes Threat, Call for Congressional Action

Washington, D.C— Today, New Democrat Coalition Chair Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (TX-35) issued a joint statement following President Trump’s claims that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if the Iranian regime does not capitulate to his demands:

“Our nation now finds itself facing the stark reality of the President of the United States openly threatening to wipe out a ‘whole civilization’ — a clear and unambiguous war crime. This comes after weeks of contradictory proclamations and phantom red lines that have consistently undermined America’s ability to bring this costly war to an end.

“Put simply, the President is unhinged, deranged, and must be stopped.

“President Trump’s language does not reflect the will of the American people. Threatening to murder a ‘whole civilization’ is not who we are, nor who we aspire to be. 

“Congress, Republicans and Democrats together, have a duty and responsibility to hold the President in check. We must immediately reconvene to take the reins from the President and end the war.”

 

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Congressional Progressive Caucus has adopted an official position to oppose H.R. 7567, the Food, Farm and National Security Act without amendments to remove Republican poison-pill provisions and restore investments in nutrition programs and other Democratic priorities.


The position, adopted by a supermajority vote of the Caucus, comes after a 23-hour House Agriculture Committee markup where Republicans advanced the bill, which would codify the One Big Ugly Bill’s harshest cuts to nutrition support—the largest in history, which stripped 4 million Americans of SNAP benefits. 


Additional harmful provisions include language backed by Big Chemical interests that would shield pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits and undermine state-level warning label laws that protect families, farmers, and children. The legislation also overrides authorities from states that have pursued successful policies to ensure greater animal welfare in the pork and poultry industries, such restrictions on extreme confinement and other cruel practices, threatening farmers who have invested capital in meeting consumer demand for more humanely raised meat. Finally, the bill fails to address the effects of Trump’s devastating tariffs and trade wars on small farmers and cuts funding for regenerative agriculture. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Congressional Progressive Caucus has adopted an official position to oppose any supplemental funding for Trump’s war against Iran as long as the conflict remains illegal and unconstitutional.


The position, adopted by a supermajority vote of the Caucus, comes after virtually all House and Senate Democrats voted to direct the President to end illegal hostilities against Iran given that the Administration never attempted to obtain a specific statutory authorization or a declaration of war as required by the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and the Constitution. 


The CPC has long been a leading voice against war with Iran and a champion of diplomatic alternatives to conflict. Earlier this year, the Caucus adopted an official position to support the bipartisan Iran War Powers Resolution introduced by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY). The caucus played a key role in Congressional adoption of President Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015. That agreement successfully contained Iran’s nuclear program while providing sanctions relief that benefited Iranian civilians.

WASHINGTON, D.C.The Congressional Progressive Caucus announced an official position to oppose reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without significant reforms to protect Americans’ civil liberties.


The position, adopted by a vote of the caucus, comes as FBI Director Kash Patel admitted under oath that the FBI is buying location data on Americans, raising fresh concerns about the Trump Administration’s stunning disregard for American privacy and civil liberties – including refusing to rule out using artificial intelligence for mass domestic surveillance, with the Defense department reportedly insisting that AI firms allow the collection and analysis of “commercial bulk data on Americans, such as geolocation and web browsing data.”


The vote also comes amid growing concern about the potential for the government to collect data related to reproductive health, such as data collected by a company about visits to Planned Parenthood visits.


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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is made up of nearly 100 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests. The CPC champions policies including comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal health care, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy. The caucus is the leading voice calling for bold and sweeping solutions to the urgent crises facing this nation, including ending America’s broken for-profit health care system, raising American wages, eliminating political corruption, supporting the labor movement, and taking action to protect the planet for generations to come.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) seeks a Digital and Creative Director. The person in this role will generate and execute creative ways to showcase the CPC’s work and get our message out, especially on the Internet.


As the first ever CPC Digital and Creative Director, the person in this role will:


  • Generate creative ideas for new ways to get the caucus’ message out to larger audiences on the Internet;

  • Maintain CPC’s Twitter and Instagram profile and explore expanding to more social platforms, with an emphasis on vertical video platforms;

  • Create videos, graphics, and text posts showcasing the CPC’s message and members;

  • Analyze data about our creative content and identify opportunities to improve;

  • Learn about CPC policy priorities and messaging and distill complicated topics into content that can break through; 

  • Oversee the organization’s visual and brand standards;

  • Support individual CPC offices with trainings and coaching on digital work;

  • Mentor and help supervise a Digital Fellow;

  • Manage the CPC website;

  • Other tasks to support Caucus work as assigned. 


Key skills will include:

  • Creativity and ability to be a self-starter who generates ideas that drives forward the caucus’ message;

  • The ability to churn out quick rapid response content that responds to the news while also working on medium to long term videos;

  • Ability to oversee video and graphics projects at every stage from ideation to shooting to editing;

  • Ability to build relationships and collaborate across a wide variety of offices and organizations to get results; 

  • Interest in progressive politics.


Candidates should submit a brief cover letter, resume, and two work samples to ProgressiveCaucusJobs@gmail.com with “Creative Director” in the subject line. Please include at least one video work sample. In your cover letter, please specify what design and editing software you know how to use.


Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 


The CPC is an equal-opportunity employer; we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, gender identity, or expression, or sexual orientation.


The salary range for this position is $70,000 – $80,000 dependent on experience.

WASHINGTON — Following a super-majority vote of its members, the Congressional Progressive Caucus announced its official position to support House Concurrent Resolution 38, the Iran War Powers Resolution, introduced by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY). The House is expected to vote on the resolution this week.

H.Con.Res.38 directs the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran. 

 

The CPC has long been a leading voice against war with Iran and a champion of diplomatic alternatives to conflict. The caucus played a key role in Congressional adoption of President Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015. That agreement successfully contained Iran’s nuclear program while providing sanctions relief that benefited Iranian civilians.

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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is made up of nearly 100 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests. The CPC champions policies including comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal health care, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy. The caucus is the leading voice calling for bold and sweeping solutions to the urgent crises facing this nation, including ending America’s broken for-profit health care system, raising American wages, eliminating political corruption, supporting the labor movement, and taking action to protect the planet for generations to come.

‘Flashing Red Siren… Congress Must Act:’ Casar Statement on Department of Defense Pressuring Anthropic to use AI for Mass Surveillance And Killings

In response to reports about the Department of Defense pressuring Anthropic to remove key safety requirements, including those that prevent the use of AI for mass surveillance of Americans or to command pilotless drones, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar wrote:

“This is a flashing red siren for anyone who cares about keeping America safe and free. The Trump administration wants to use A.I. to spy on Americans without a warrant and to give A.I. power to make life and death decisions without humans involved. That would put our Constitutional rights and our lives in the hands of unaccountable AI systems.

"Anthropic should stand strong against the Trump Administration’s attempts to bully it, and other major A.I. companies should refuse to allow their products to be used like this.

"But these questions are too important to be left to private companies alone. Congress must act to protect Americans’ safety and civil liberties. Critical decisions about how A.I. will shape our world are being made right now, and the people’s representatives must be involved. ”

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WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (TX-35) New Democrat Coalition Chair Brad Schneider (IL-10) issued a joint statement calling on the Trump Administration and Congress to take concrete steps to restrain and reform Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operations:

“The Trump Administration’s organized campaign of brutality has already claimed too many innocent lives, including two American citizens, and traumatized thousands more. Lawless violence carried out at the hands of the state is contrary to the principles that define our nation and threatens to undermine our Republic. Congress must act to defend the American people and their fundamental freedoms.

“The occupation of American cities by its own government must end. As the leaders of the largest Democratic ideological caucuses in the House, we demand concrete reforms to prevent masked, armed agents from wreaking havoc in our communities.

“We believe any new funding for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security should:

  1. Ensure ICE and CBP immediately leave Minneapolis and stop terrorizing American cities and communities;

  2. End arrests without judicial warrants and, outside of exigent circumstances, arrests at sensitive locations such as churches, shelters, schools, and courthouses;

  3. Ensure full, independent, and transparent investigations into all DHS-related shootings, including federal cooperation with state and local investigations, and ensure that federal agents are properly trained, appropriately supervised, and held fully accountable for their actions;

  4. End the detention and deportation of U.S. citizens;

  5. End the anonymity of federal agents by requiring them to remove their masks and provide identification;

  6. Ensure robust minimum standards of care at detention facilities – including access to medical care, clean water, and edible food, and protections against abuse – and ensure independent investigations of deaths.

“Meanwhile, the Congress must also:

  1. Uphold our constitutionally mandated oversight authority over the Administration to deliver accountability and transparency, and

  2. Take action to remove DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from her position.

“This is a turning point, and these commonsense reforms are critical to delivering the justice, accountability, and change that the American people demand and deserve.”

WASHINGTON, DC — Following the killing of a Minnesota man by ICE Agents, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar said: "Federal agents killing people in the streets is an assault on the right of all Americans to be safe. Senate Democrats must reject funding for ICE this coming week and demand an end to this madness. Doing anything else would be a tacit endorsement of the terror and chaos in our streets.”

The Progressive Caucus previously adopted a position opposing new funding for immigration enforcement at DHS until significant reforms are enacted. 

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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is made up of nearly 100 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests. The CPC champions policies including comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal health care, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy. The caucus is the leading voice calling for bold and sweeping solutions to the urgent crises facing this nation, including ending America’s broken for-profit health care system, raising American wages, eliminating political corruption, supporting the labor movement, and taking action to protect the planet for generations to come.

WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) released the following statement opposing this week’s House Appropriations bill, which contains $28 billion in annual funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP):


“I will be joining my progressive House colleagues to vote no on this week’s appropriations bill, which provides tens of billions of dollars to Donald Trump’s ICE with no meaningful checks on its lawless and violent behavior. I call on all members of Congress to join us in opposing this legislation. 


“Kristi Noem’s ICE is completely out of control. In my community of Minneapolis, a masked ICE officer fired three times at point blank range on Renee Good, a mother of three, killing her in her own vehicle as she attempted to turn away. Senior Trump Administration officials then smeared the victim as a domestic terrorist, lied about what happened, and deployed the Vice President of the United States to say her killer ‘deserves a debt of gratitude.’


“ICE is shooting people in broad daylight, beating up teenagers, spraying tear gas on peaceful protesters, ripping people out of their cars and homes without warrants, racially profiling people based on their accents, taking kids from schools, and abducting people and shipping them to faraway detention camps with brutal conditions and no due process. 


“We say no to Congressional Republicans pushing legislation that provides $400 million more in ICE detention and $370 million more in ICE enforcement, on top of the unprecedented $75 billion that the agency received in Trump’s Big Ugly Bill as ICE terrorizes our communities—all paid for by cutting Americans’ health care and nutrition support.


“The Progressive Caucus is unified. I applaud our members for voting to adopt an official position to deny all funding to ICE’s enforcement actions until serious oversight, accountability and reforms are imposed, including an end to the violent occupation of American cities like Minneapolis. No more blank checks for a rogue agency that operates above the law, escalates violence, and erodes our most basic freedoms.” 


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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is made up of nearly 100 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests. The CPC champions policies including comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal health care, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy. The caucus is the leading voice calling for bold and sweeping solutions to the urgent crises facing this nation, including ending America’s broken for-profit health care system, raising American wages, eliminating political corruption, supporting the labor movement, and taking action to protect the planet for generations to come.