News

Congressional Progressive Caucus Leaders on Biden Administration’s Border Enforcement Announcement

January 6, 2023

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), chair of the CPC Immigration Task Force, released the following statement in response to the Biden administration’s announcement on increased border enforcement actions:

“The Biden Administration’s announcement of expanded legal pathways to come to the United States — something President Trump ripped away ruthlessly — is long overdue. The moves to expand the parole process to include Nicaraguans, Haitians, and Cubans; increase the number of individuals permitted to come through this parole program; and triple refugee resettlement from the Western Hemisphere over the next two years are commendable. 

“However, the new Department of Homeland Security proposal also includes expanding the use of Title 42, a public health law weaponized by Donald Trump to deny legal rights to asylum seekers, as well as potential regulations that would restrict the legal right to seek asylum. That is unacceptable. We recognize that President Biden has inherited a broken immigration system, and that he has taken steps to restore it by ending the Trump administration’s discriminatory and xenophobic implementation of Title 42. Even as that effort has unfortunately been thwarted in the courts, we cannot go backwards. Immigrants and their families are not a political football, and seeking asylum is a legal right. We must work to find policy solutions to meet the deep humanitarian need at the border and uphold U.S. treaty obligations by continuing to expand legal pathways to the United States and ensuring efficient and timely processing of people seeking protection. We must address the root causes of this crisis, including reconsidering Trump-era sanctions that have fueled much of the economic deterioration that triggered the latest wave of migration. Democrats must refuse to participate in Republicans’ games with people’s lives. 

“Despite congressional Republicans’ refusal to humanely engage with this issue, the American people want to see our government treat people with humanity, keep families together and recognize the value and necessity of immigrants. The details of this new rule will be critical. We strongly urge the Biden administration to reconsider this proposal, and work in consultation with members of Congress and immigration organizations to find solutions that live up to our American values.” 

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Applauds Proposed FTC Rule to Ban Non-Competes

January 5, 2023

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and vice chair of the House Antitrust Subcommittee in the 117th Congress, issued the following statement on a new rule proposed today from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prohibit non-compete clauses in employment agreements and contracts:

“President Biden and his administration continue to cement their legacy as antitrust champions. This new proposed rule from Chair Khan and the FTC represents a major pro-worker move and advances the President’s vision of a fair and equitable society that lessens market concentration, and supports small businesses, innovation, and workers. Nearly half of private businesses force non-compete clauses on workers as just another way to exert employer control and deny workers their basic right to seek another often higher-paying job in their chosen field. When employers don’t have to compete for potential employees against other offers, they can decrease wages and keep them low, knowing their workers cannot quickly secure better pay and working conditions elsewhere. As President Biden said, capitalism without competition isn't capitalism; it’s exploitation. If this rule is finalized, it would increase worker wages by nearly $300 billion across the economy, including in both low-wage and high-wage industries, and support the creation of new start-ups and small businesses. 

“Prohibiting non-competes removes a key lever of power used to keep the labor market rigged against workers. That’s why as a member of the House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, I championed a focus on market concentration, including the importance of limiting non-compete agreements in our recommendation for policies to build a fair economy, and it was ultimately included in the Select Committee’s final report. I’m thrilled to see Chair Khan and the FTC continue to take advantage of the commission’s unique power to put government to work for working people and take on monopoly power and market concentration.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Celebrates Progressive Wins in Government Funding Legislation

December 23, 2022

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives voted to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act of FY2023, including funding several key progressives priorities, the Congressional Progressive Caucus announced today.

Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement:

“The Consolidated Appropriations Act of FY2023 is another powerful example of progressives’ governing skill. Our advocacy was particularly key in increasing National Labor Relations Board funding for the first time in nearly a decade, extending robust Medicaid support for American citizens in the territories, strengthening nutrition programs for low-income children, expanding affordable housing, and other programs that directly support and invest in working people. CPC members were also essential in leading so many of the progressive priorities attached to the spending bill. We are particularly grateful to CPC member and House Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro for her tireless work and to Congressional leadership in the House and Senate for their partnership.

“While we are disappointed that Republicans blocked the reinstatement of an expanded Child Tax Credit to reduce child poverty, we are pleased that a number of massive corporate tax giveaways, provisions to continue Title 42, and fossil fuel permitting proposals were excluded from the bill. Progressives kept our promise that there would be no corporate tax breaks without relief for working families, and will continue to fight for the essential and hugely successful Child Tax Credit to be brought back. We will also need to remain vigilant against the ballooning of military spending in future budgets. Republicans exploited their leverage with the filibuster to break the longstanding tradition of equal military and non-military spending increases, but we cannot allow that to become the new normal.”

“The omnibus package will also pass legislation from CPC members, including Representative Jerry Nadler (NY-10)’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which will ensure no worker can be fired or retaliated against on the job for needing reasonable accommodations for their pregnancy; Representative Joe Neguse (CO-02)’s Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act to continue antitrust reform; Representative Frank Pallone (NJ-06)’s Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, which expands programs and grants to improve mental health and substance abuse; and Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09)’s INFORM Consumers Act, to combat online retail crime and identity theft. It also includes the Electoral Count Reform Act, which will protect the certification of American presidential elections from subversion.

“I feel proud that as the 117th Congress ends, the Progressive Caucus has done everything we could deliver for our communities.”

The FY23 omnibus appropriations bill includes the following progressive priorities:

  • Increases funding for the National Labor Relations Board for the first time in nearly a decade, adding $25 million to the agency’s budget that is essential to keep pace with expanded worker union organizing and collective bargaining across the country, and to protect workers’ rights from union-busting and retaliation;

  • Extends robust Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories to protect these American citizens’ access to care, including ensuring that more than 1 million Puerto Rico residents do not lose their health coverage or experience deep cuts to eligibility and benefits;

  • Extend the summer school meals program for low-income students, including rural home delivery, to ensure that children do not go hungry while school is out of session;

  • Provides new, permanent food assistance for low-income families in the summer with a $40 grocery benefit per child per month;

  • Adds $1 billion to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program so that the support available to families will increase to account for higher energy costs;

  • Appropriates $27 billion for disaster relief for communities impacted by extreme weather events, which are critical to helping the agency meet the increased frequency and severity of natural disasters;

  • Increases funding for child care, Head Start, and Pre-K for low-income families by nearly $3 billion;

  • Expands access to affordable housing and rental assistance for tens of thousands of families at risk of homelessness;

  • Continues coverage for 40 million children on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), ensuring uninterrupted access to health care throughout the year;

  • Significantly increases funding support for antitrust enforcement at the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice;

  • Permanently extends Medicaid postpartum health care coverage for 12 months to participating states;

  • Fully funds the implementation of the Honoring our PACT Act, which will provide medical care to millions of veterans exposed to toxins during their military service;

  • Provides robust funding for FEMA’s Case Management Pilot Program to help people navigate immigration proceedings;

  • Extends the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program through the end of 2024 and adds 4,000 more visas; and,

  • Provides billions of dollars in federal support to thousands of community projects across the United States, advocated for by House Democrats.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Leaders Applaud President Zelensky Speech to Congress

December 21, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Representative Barbara Lee (CA-13), CPC chair emeritus and chair of the Caucus Peace and Security Task Force, issued the following statement in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress:

“Tonight, President Zelensky demonstrated the same bravery and defense of democracy that has rallied the United States and the world to his and the Ukrainian people’s side in the ten months since Russia’s brutal, unjust, illegal invasion. Alongside President Biden, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, and our colleagues, we were pleased to welcome him to Washington, and are proud to continue Democrats’ support of the Ukrainian people’s fight for sovereignty and democracy. We expect strong support from progressives for aid for Ukraine included in the year-end spending agreement. Our commitment to the Ukrainian people, in accordance with our progressive values for peace, diplomacy, and human rights around the world, will not wane.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Appoints Members to Complete Caucus Executive Board for 118th Congress

December 20, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, announced 14 appointments to complete the Caucus executive board for the 118th Congress today. 

These leaders will serve alongside their colleagues elected to CPC leadership earlier this month, and assume their roles in January 2023 as part of the 30-member executive board. The executive board will be 50 percent women and 73 percent people of color and LGBTQ members, with representation from 18 states in the East, West, South, and Midwest, making it the most diverse leadership in the history of the CPC. Together, they will also oversee the largest Progressive Caucus in history which, with the addition of at least 16 freshmen, will grow to include 103 members at the start of the 118th Congress.

The members appointed to the executive board include:

Deputy Whips

  • Representative Veronica Escobar (TX-16)

  • Representative Debbie Dingell (MI-12)

  • Representative-Elect Chris Deluzio (PA-17)

  • Representative Lloyd Doggett (TX-37)

  • Representative Jimmy Gomez (CA-34)

  • Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17)

  • Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20)

  • Representative Chellie Pingree (ME-01)

Executive Board Members-at-Large

  • Representative Joe Neguse (CO-02)

  • Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09)

  • Representative Nydia Velázquez (NY-07)

Special Order Hour Convenors

  • Representative-Elect Summer Lee (PA-12)

  • Representative-Elect Morgan McGarvey (KY-03)

  • Representative-Elect Delia Ramirez (IL-03)

On the CPC Executive Board for the 118th Congress, Chair Jayapal said:

“I am thrilled to announce these appointments today and complete our CPC Executive Board for the 118th Congress. These members represent the diversity of the progressive movements, our caucus, and our country: they are immigrants and first-generation Americans, freshmen and senior members, state legislators and organizers, people of color and women, from working class backgrounds and diverse geographies. Each of them are committed to our progressive values and to leaving no one behind. As we enter the unique challenges of the minority, I know these members are dedicated to finding ways to deliver for working families and holding the line to protect the progressive we’ve won so far. I look forward to convening this new Executive Board next year and to the work ahead.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Celebrates Passage of Respect for Marriage Act

December 8, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Representative Jerrold Nadler, (NY-10), chair of the House Judiciary Committee and author of the Respect for Marriage Act, issued the following statement upon the bill’s House passage today:

“Today, Congress finally righted the injustices of the Defense of Marriage Act and Jim Crow — and tonight, millions of same-sex and interracial couples can go to sleep knowing their partnerships will be protected under federal law.

“Thanks to the action of House Democrats, led by CPC members on the House Judiciary Committee, and Senate negotiators, we are sending a bill to President Biden’s desk to ensure that legal protections for same-sex and interracial couples will continue for every family across America, no matter what state they live in. This was an essential step to guard against the increasingly extremist, right-wing Supreme Court, which explicitly threatened the precedents of Obergefell v. Hodges and United States v. Windsor that legalized same-sex marriage, in Justice Thomas’ Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization concurrence.

“It might seem impossible that we’ve come so far in just a decade since that Windsor decision and the 26 years since DOMA was passed — but those of us who come from progressive movements are not so surprised. Every inch of progress in American history has been won by ordinary Americans seeking justice, and today’s victory is no different. We are here today because of civil rights and LGBTQ movements who never stopped pushing for equal treatment under law. We are here because of activists who died for the right to be recognized in their full humanity by the United States government. We are here because of the organizers who built coalitions and brought communities together such that the Respect for Marriage Act can be bipartisan today.

“Even as we celebrate this historic achievement, we know that the fight for equality and justice for LGBTQ people and communities of color has a long way to go. We will continue to fight for the Equality Act to be come law, and to push, as progressives always have, to address the crises of discrimination of Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and LGBTQ, particularly transgender, Americans.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Announces Elected Leadership for 118th Congress

December 8, 2022

WASHINGTON — The Congressional Progressive Caucus announced its elected leadership for the 118th Congress today, the sixteenth Congress in the history of the CPC. This elected leadership will oversee the largest Progressive Caucus in history which, with the addition of at least 16 freshman, will grow to include 103 members at the start of the 118th Congress.

The members elected by their colleagues today include:

  • Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) as Chair

  • Representative Ilhan Omar (MN-05) as Deputy Chair

  • Representative-Elect Greg Casar (TX-35) as Whip

  • Representative-Elect Jill Tokuda (HI-02) as Vice Chair for Communications

  • Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) as Vice Chair for Inter-Caucus Relations

  • Representative Mark Takano (CA-41) as Vice Chair for Policy

  • Representative Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) as Vice Chair for Labor

  • Representative Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) as Vice Chair for Member Services

  • Representative-Elect Becca Balint (VT-AL) as Vice Chair for New Members

  • Representatives David Cicilline (RI-01), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), and Representative-Elect Maxwell Frost (FL-10) as Vice Chairs-at-Large 

The members will assume their roles upon the opening of the 118th Congress in January 2023. Additional members will also be appointed to the Caucus executive board later this month, including CPC Chairs Emeriti Representatives Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), Barbara Lee (CA-13), and Mark Pocan (WI-02).

Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), newly elected to her second term as Chair, said:

“As a lifelong organizer and activist, I have been honored to lead our dedicated, passionate, people-centered Progressive Caucus, and to continue to do so as Chair. In the last two years, we have accomplished so much together, delivering on progressive and Democratic priorities, and powerfully silencing any skeptics as to whether progressives can govern. We have evolved into a forceful bloc and a principled partner for progressive movements, Senate Democrats, Congressional leadership, and President Biden. Thanks to the work of our members, our Caucus enters the 118th Congress stronger and with greater numbers than ever — as evidenced by this inspiring new elected executive board. I thank my colleagues for entrusting me with this role for the second time, and I look forward to the work ahead.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Announces Formal Opposition to Inclusion of Permitting Deal in NDAA

December 6, 2022

WASHINGTON — Following a survey of its members, the Congressional Progressive Caucus announced as its formal position the CPC’s opposition to the inclusion of the Senate-proposed energy permitting reform under consideration in the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act. 

In accordance with Caucus bylaws, this official position was adopted after a vote of the membership, with more than two-thirds voting in favor of the following formal position: “The Congressional Progressive Caucus opposes the inclusion of Senator Manchin’s permitting reform proposal in the FY23 NDAA.”

While many within the CPC are supportive of accelerating and expanding renewable energy transmission, progressives have raised objections to a specific approach under consideration that entrenches new fossil fuel infrastructure, undermines judicial independence, rolls back environmental protection law, and impedes frontline communities’ input or ability to contest polluting infrastructure in their areas, among other concerns.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Congratulates New Democratic Caucus Leadership for the 118th Congress

December 1, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement on the election of members to fill out the Democratic Caucus leadership for the 118th Congress: Representatives Ted Lieu (CA-33) for Democratic Caucus Vice Chair; Jim Clyburn (SC-06) for Assistant Democratic Leader; Joe Neguse (CO-02) for DPCC Chair, Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Dean Phillips (MN-03), and Lauren Underwood (IL-14) for DPCC Co-Chairs; Sara Jacobs (CA-53) for “Five Terms or Less”; and Representatives-Elect Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) for Freshman Leadership Representative and Robert Garcia (CA-42) for Freshman Class President:

“I want to congratulate my colleagues for stepping up to take on the mantle of leadership in the Democratic Caucus. It is essential that Democrats are not just an opposition party next Congress, but also a proposition party — putting forward a proactive vision for policies that invest in working families, advance equity and justice, and meet the challenges facing our country, from economic inequality and voter suppression to the climate crisis. These positions are key to helping us achieve that. Democrats can and will continue to show the American people their priorities are our priorities, and that the work to deliver for them will not stop.

“We’re particularly proud to see Progressive Caucus members elected to many of these roles. Representatives Lieu, Neguse, Escobar, and Jacobs, as well as Representatives-Elect Crockett and Garcia, will do us proud, and ensure the progressive perspective continues to be represented at the Leadership table. Along with the top three leaders, progressives will now make up the majority of the elected House Democratic Caucus Leadership. It’s a clear sign that progressives will continue to be, as Majority Leader Hoyer has said, the ‘beating heart’ of the Democratic Caucus — proud and committed governing partners, dedicated to the success of our party and working people across this country.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Congratulates New House Leadership for the 118th Congress

November 30, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement on the election of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Katherine Clark (MA-05), and Pete Aguilar (CA-31) for Minority Leader, Whip, and Democratic Caucus Chair for the 118th Congress, respectively:

“I am thrilled to congratulate my colleagues on their unanimous support in elections to serve as the next leaders of our Democratic Caucus. With this new generation of leadership, House Democrats are well-positioned to enter the 118th Congress and confront the challenges ahead. Our Caucus leaders, all of whom will be women or people of color, including the first ever Black member to lead a party in Congress, will now look more like America — an essential step toward ensuring a body that is truly representative of communities across the country. We are especially proud of the background our colleagues will bring to their roles: Representative Aguilar as a champion of Latinos and immigrant justice, a critically important issue to the CPC, and Representatives Jeffries and Clark, whose ascension marks the first time ever that two of the top three positions will be held by current Progressive Caucus members.

“I look forward to continuing to work closely with Representatives Jeffries, Clark, and Aguilar to advance progressive priorities, including lowering costs, raising wages, and advancing equity and justice, and to ensure progressive members and the movements we come from have a seat at Democrats’ decision-making table.”

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