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Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Statement on the 10th Anniversary of DACA

June 15, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, released the following statement marking the 10th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:

“Today, we mark ten years since the creation of the DACA program under President Obama. It was a monumental accomplishment for the immigrant justice movement in this country, won through persistent and relentless organizing of Dreamers and their families, activists and immigrant communities. Hundreds of thousands have been protected from deportation in the decade since DACA’s creation. It allowed Dreamers to step out of the shadows, go to school and work, and build families and lives in the only country they have ever known. 

“As an immigrant, one of only two dozen naturalized citizens serving in Congress, and an organizer who spent more than a decade fighting for immigrant rights, this anniversary carries a special resonance. I am so proud of the movement’s work in making DACA a reality, and their consistent fight in the years since to keep it alive. 

“But even as we celebrate this milestone, we know we cannot stop here. Too many DACA recipients live in fear of one day losing their status, being deported from their home, and separated from their families. Congress has failed for years to provide a permanent solution for immigrants — and that was before the Trump administration tried to end the DACA program, dismantled our refugee system, and injected additional fear and chaos into the lives of immigrants. 

“On this anniversary, we must commit to creating a different future for our immigrant neighbors. We must deliver Dreamers and all the 11 million undocumented immigrants are in the United States a roadmap to citizenship. As the Progressive Caucus called for in our executive action agenda, we must expand Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) so that safety is guaranteed to every immigrant that calls this country home, not just some. We must end Remain in Mexico, Title 42, and rebuild our asylum system to once again guarantee asylum as a human right.

“Today and every day, progressives are proud to declare unequivocally that Dreamers belong here. Dreamers are home. Dreamers are us. We will not stop fighting to build a just system that welcomes every immigrant with open arms and open hearts.”

 

Congressional Progressive Caucus Applauds House Passage of Gun Safety Legislation

June 8, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement on the House of Representatives vote to pass  H.R. 7910, the Protecting our Kids Act, legislation that would raise the purchasing age for assault rifles to 21, mandate safe gun storage, prevent gun trafficking, ban high-capacity magazines, and implement other gun safety measures:

“I am proud to have been involved in the Judiciary Committee’s effort to advance this critical package under Chairman Nadler’s leadership, and that progressives helped pass it on the floor today. This bill will implement widely popular, commonsense policies that fulfill the most basic mandate of our government and society: keep our children, our families, and our communities safe. Today’s passage would not have been possible without the impassioned, tireless activists, volunteers, and survivors who have never given up the work for a safer America. In honor of their fight and the millions across this country who have lost a loved one to gun violence — and in commitment to losing not one more life — we voted yes today.

“As this bill heads to the Senate, the entire country is watching: will Senate Republicans finally join with Democrats to prevent further mass slaughter of our constituents, or will they remain beholden to the gun lobby and moneyed interests that would allow the devastation on our streets to continue? After Buffalo, Tree of Life, and El Paso, after Uvalde and Sandy Hook, after Pulse and Aurora and Columbine, will they finally heed the calls of the majority of Americans from across the political spectrum and act? Or will they simply throw up their hands and allow the carnage to continue? We have been elected to represent the will of the people — and it certainly does not represent their will to continue to allow our families to live in fear and at risk of being gunned down in schools, grocery stores, churches, and across our public spaces. It’s time to meet the urgency and moral clarity of this moment, and send gun safety legislation to the President’s desk.

“This is the beginning of essential congressional action, but it cannot — and will not — be the end. House Democrats will advance Rep. McBath and Rep. Carbajal’s Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act to ensure those who are a serious danger to themselves or others cannot access these deadly weapons. But our response must also include removing weapons of war from our streets, and passing an assault weapons ban — as President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and 210 members of the House have supported. Progressives in Congress are firmly supportive of this legislation, and will continue to push for its passage on the House floor so that we can continue the work of saving lives.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Commends Presidential Invocation of Defense Production Act for Renewable Energy

June 7, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement applauding President Biden’s new executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to increase the production and deployment of renewable energy, including accelerating decarbonization by spurring domestic manufacturing in solar panel parts, building insulation, heat pumps, fuel cells, and power grid infrastructure like transformers:

“We applaud President Biden for taking a critically necessary step by embracing his administrative authorities and invoking the Defense Production Act, ensuring Americans have a reliable supply of electricity in the face of supply chain stocks and rising global fuel prices, while addressing the national security concerns that climate change poses. This action is a key component of our Progressive Caucus Executive Action Agenda to mobilize domestic industry to manufacture affordable renewable energy. Crucially, it will also allow us to export green, cutting edge manufacturing to reduce emissions abroad, while decreasing our reliance on foreign oil and autocratic human rights abusers, like Russia and Saudi Arabia, that produce it.

“We’re particularly gratified to see the President’s plan to pursue the DPA implementation with a justice-oriented mindset, working toward strong labor protections, union membership, and high wages for the new jobs created. In particular, the administration has met a key goal of progressives in Congress and the environmental justice movement to prioritize communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis and have been devastated by pollution.

“The President’s leadership cannot substitute for lack of Congressional action. There is simply no way to meet the President’s climate goals with executive action alone. As the people’s representatives, we have a moral and governing obligation to fight the climate crisis and pass legislation that will facilitate our transition away from fossil fuels and support frontline communities. The House has already passed a broad set of climate investments in a reconciliation bill, and there is broad agreement among Democrats in both chambers on using reconciliation to make these investments. We will continue to push to make that bill law.”

Members of Congress Introduce Bipartisan War Powers Resolution to End Unauthorized U.S. Involvement in Saudi War in Yemen

June 1, 2022

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of nearly 50 members of Congress introduced H.J.Res. 87 today, legislation to invoke constitutional war powers to end unauthorized United States military involvement in Saudi Arabia’s brutal war in Yemen. The resolution was led in the House of Representatives by Representatives Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Nancy Mace (SC-01), and Adam Schiff (CA-28). A companion version will be introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the Senate when the upper chamber reconvenes.

Consistent with virtually identical provisions the House has adopted for three consecutive years — most recently in an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act passed by a bipartisan majority in 2021 — this new resolution would put an end to U.S. military participation in offensive air strikes that are operationally essential to the Saudi-led military campaign. The resolution includes provisions to:

  • End U.S. intelligence sharing that enables offensive Saudi-led coalition strikes;

  • End U.S. logistical support for offensive Saudi-led coalition strikes, including the providing of maintenance and spare parts to coalition members engaged in anti-Houthi bombings in Yemen; and,

  • Prohibit U.S. personnel from being assigned to command, coordinate, participate in the movement of, or accompany Saudi-led coalition forces engaged in hostilities without prior specific statutory authorization by Congress.

“Article I of the Constitution is clear: Congress, not the Executive branch, has the sole authority to declare war and authorize involvement of U.S. forces in overseas conflicts, including inserting U.S. troops as advisors in aid of foreign-led hostilities,” said Rep. DeFazio. “It’s critical that the Biden Administration take the steps necessary to fulfill their promise to end U.S. support for the disastrous Saudi-led war in Yemen. We should not be involved in yet another conflict in the Middle East— especially a brutal war that has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and contributed to the deaths of at least 377,000 civilians.” 

“Congress cannot sit by and allow the United States’ complicity in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world to continue,” said Rep. Jayapal. “There are more than 16 million Yemenis living on the brink of starvation and more than two million children suffering from acute malnutrition — and the American people’s tax dollars are helping finance that suffering. I am proud to join my colleagues in leading the introduction of this resolution today, and securing a vote to finally put a stop to American involvement in this catastrophe. We look forward to seeing this resolution pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by the President, so he can fulfill his commitment to ending U.S. involvement in this crisis.”

"The war in Yemen continues, sadly, to be an overlooked humanitarian crisis; it is imperative Congress rescinds U.S. support for this unauthorized military conflict and works toward peace on the Arabian peninsula,” said Rep. Mace.

“The recent ceasefire has created an opportunity for American diplomacy to help end the tremendous human suffering caused by the war in Yemen,” said Rep. Schiff. “The clearest and best way to press all sides to the negotiating table is for Congress to immediately invoke its constitutional war powers to end U.S. involvement in this conflict.”

Today’s introduction comes more than seven years after unauthorized U.S. participation began. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes and air-and-sea blockade have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and threatened millions more with famine. In recent months, Saudi airstrikes escalated, killing and injuring four times more civilians than in 2021. 

The need for Congressional action has only become more urgent with recent developments. Roughly 30 percent of Yemen’s wheat imports come from Ukraine and with food prices soaring, acute hunger in Yemen is expected to increase five-fold. While a United Nations-brokered truce has temporarily succeeded in pausing Saudi airstrikes, which had escalated dramatically in late 2021 and early 2022, efforts to ease the Saudi aerial and naval blockade on food, fuel, medicine, and travel remain tenuous. With that truce scheduled to expire early this month, the new bipartisan resolution signals broad congressional resolve to ensure that Saudi-led airstrikes cannot resume, while adding incentive for the Saudi-led coalition to arrive at a broader, negotiated peace settlement. The resolution has been endorsed by 100 national organizations across the political spectrum, which urge prompt floor action and passage of the bill.

The new bipartisan resolution also advances President Biden’s promise to “end U.S. support for the disastrous Saudi-led war in Yemen” and “make clear that America will never again check its principles at the door just to buy oil or sell weapons.” His administration’s commitment dates back to 2019, when the former Vice President urged Congress to override President Trump’s veto to pass a War Powers Resolution to end U.S. military involvement in Yemen. That same year, a group of now-senior Biden administration officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, publicly called on Congress to terminate precisely these activities: “logistics, spare parts for warplanes, intelligence sharing, and other support activities that are essential to waging Saudi Arabia’s deadly aerial bombing campaign” to help resolve the conflict “by motivating Saudi Arabia to move quickly to political negotiations in the face of an impending cessation of crucial U.S. operational involvement in airstrikes.” Shortly after taking office, President Biden announced a commitment to ending support for ‘offensive’ operations.

The resolution text can be found here.

The full list of co-sponsors includes: Representatives Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Nancy Mace (SC-01), Adam Schiff (CA-28), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Ken Buck (CO-04), André Carson (IN-07), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Gerald Connolly (VA-11), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Lloyd Doggett (TX-25), Anna Eshoo (CA-18), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Matt Gaetz (FL-01), John Garamendi (CA-03), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), James Himes (CT-04), Sara Jacobs (CA-53), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Mondaire Jones (NY-17), Kaiali’i Kahele (HI-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Richard Larsen (WA-02), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Andy Levin (MI-09), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Thomas Massie (KY-04), James McGovern (MA-02), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Katie Porter (CA-45), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Bobby Rush (IL-01), Michael F.Q. San Nicolas (Guam-AL), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Peter Welch (VT-AL), and Susan Wild (PA-07).

Groups endorsing this resolution include: Action Corps, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), American Muslim Bar Association (AMBA), American Muslim Empowerment Network (AMEN), Antiwar.com, Ban Killer Drones, Bring Our Troops Home, Center for Economic Policy and Research (CEPR), Center for International Policy, Center on Conscience and War, Central Valley Islamic Council Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), Community Peacemaker Teams, Concerned Vets for America, Defending Rights & Dissent, Defense Priorities Initiative, Demand Progress, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Freedom Forward, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ Health Alliance, International Historians for Peace and Democracy ICNA, Council for Social Justice, If Not Now, Indivisible, Islamophobia Studies Center, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Just Foreign Policy, Justice Is Global, MADRE, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, MoveOn, Muslim Justice Leagu,e Muslims for Just Futures, National Council of Churches, Neighbors for Peace, Our Revolution, Pax Christi, USA Peace Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Presbyterian Church (USA), Progressive Democrats of America, Public Citizen, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, ReThinking Foreign Policy, RootsAction.org, Secure Justice, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas - Justice Team, Spin Film, Sunrise Movement, The Episcopal Church, The Libertarian Institute, The United Methodist Church -- General Board of Church and Society, Union of Arab Women, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee United Church of Christ, Justice and Local Church, Ministries United for Peace and Justice, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), Veterans For Peace, Win Without War, World BEYOND War, Yemen Freedom Council, Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation, and the Yemeni Alliance Committee.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Taskforce on Policing, Constitution, and Equality Applauds Presidential Executive Order Addressing Policing

May 26, 2022

WASHINGTON -- Yesterday, two years after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, President Joe Biden signed an executive order addressing police accountability and public trust. The Congressional Progressive Caucus’s Policing, Constitution, and Equality Task Force praised the decision after police reform passed by the House in 2021 stalled in the Senate.

“Two years after George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police, Black people are still waiting for justice. Americans all over the country have raised their voices in calling for police reform, yet little progress has been made. In fact, police killings increased in the year following the murder of Mr. Floyd, and a disproportionate number of the victims were Black,” said Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) Chair of the Policing, Constitution, and Equality Task Force. “I thank President Biden for issuing an executive order on police reform, which will start holding federal law enforcement officers accountable for their actions. This is a historic step in the right direction, but it is not the end. We must ensure that Black lives matter not just to civil rights advocates, but to our nation’s most powerful institutions. I’m honored to launch the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ new Policing, Constitution, and Equality Task Force, which will provide policy suggestions for building a justice system that prioritizes the safety of all Americans.”

“I applaud President Biden for his bold action. As one of the leading voices in Congress against police militarization, I’m pleased to see that many of the recommendations in the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act – a bill I've introduced every Congress since 2014 – are a part of the President’s executive order, including banning the transfer of certain military-grade equipment,” said Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04). “The time is long overdue to deliver the urgent, critical reforms needed to address systemic racism while increasing transparency and holding police accountable, and this executive order does just that. I’m going to continue fighting to see these and other ideas are passed into law and made permanent. I appreciate the President’s leadership on this issue and look forward to working with my colleagues to rein in the Pentagon’s weapons pipeline—we must remember that military equipment fundamentally changes the relationship between police and the communities they serve.”

“I commend President Biden for taking this bold action to demilitarize police forces across the country. This executive order is a vital first step to protect the health and safety of our most marginalized communities, and working to reform our nation’s broken criminal legal system,” said Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-NY). “We made a promise to the American people that we would address systemic racism in this country head on, while ensuring that these systems become more transparent and accountable in the process. Today’s announcement is a welcome step in that direction. I look forward to continuing my work here in Congress to enshrine these reforms into law, to deliver true public safety for those we swore an oath to protect.”

The executive order creates an accountability database of officers fired for misconduct, ensures timely and thorough investigations after the use of deadly force or deaths in police custody, places restrictions on the transfer of military equipment to local police departments, institutes a ban on chokeholds, and adds restrictions on no knock warrants at the federal level.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Applauds Policing Executive Orders on the Second Anniversary of George Floyd’s Death

May 25, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement on the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and in response to a new executive order on policing issued today by President Biden: 

“Two years ago today, the country watched George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Before he was a globally recognized name, he was a father, friend, brother, and son. On this painful anniversary, our thoughts are first and foremost with his family and community. We thank the Floyd family for sharing George’s memory with the world, including with the honor of their presence at today’s signing ceremony.

“President Biden has taken a very important step today to increase police accountability by executive order. In particular, the President's order addresses the policing asks from our Progressive Caucus Executive Action Agenda: to collect and publish data on the use of force in police departments across the country; to establish strict national standards governing the use of force; and to demilitarize law enforcement by preventing the transfer of certain excess military-grade weaponry to federal, tribal, state, and local police. We applaud the Biden administration for this executive order, and the Progressive Caucus stands ready to work in partnership to ensure these actions are implemented in a manner that maximizes their impact.

“But let us be clear: these executive actions are necessary because Republicans have refused to move forward the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, passed by the Democrats in the House more than a year ago. There is still far too little accountability for far too many killings at the hands of police, especially those of Black and Brown people. Republicans would rather demagogue activists and movements than find a path forward. 

“The Progressive Caucus will continue to support the Congressional Black Caucus as our members continue to introduce legislation to tackle this crisis, such as CPC Whip Representative Ilhan Omar (MN-05)'s Amir Locke End Deadly No-Knock Warrants Act. This bill would establish strict limitations on the use of no-knock warrants and other police actions that have taken too many Black lives. On this anniversary, in the names of families across the country who have been touched by the pain of police violence, we vow to continue to push for Congressional action and for eliminating the Jim Crow-era filibuster that robs Black and Brown families of justice.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Statement on Shooting in Texas Elementary School

May 24, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, T.X.:

“We are devastated for the families who whose children were murdered today by a gunman, and for the community of Uvalde that is grieving. These children and their teacher had their whole lives ahead of them. At least 18 children got up this morning to go to school: to learn with their teacher, to play with friends, to have a childhood and become the people they were going to be. Now, as a result of senseless violence, those futures are gone, along with the future of a teacher who dedicated her life to that service. Beyond the lives taken, the trauma of this shooting for all the children and families who survived is horrific. There is nothing more heart wrenching for any parent than this horrifying violence. 

“I am furious, and I am ashamed that this is what our country has been reduced to. I am enraged by the hollowness of any condolences from those who offer prayers but do nothing to change the conditions that have allowed this and many other shootings to be possible. We cannot separate these shootings from the constant cries for more guns from those in the U.S. Senate and House, Governor’s mansions, and state legislatures. America has 4 percent of the world’s population but 42 percent of the world’s guns — yet Texas Governor Abbott just recently signed laws loosening restrictions on gun carrying. Senator McConnell has led the GOP to filibuster even the most universally supported gun violence prevention laws for years. And Texas Senator Cruz — as his own constituents try to pick up the pieces of their lives —  is already waving away the call for these common sense reforms. 

“Today’s shooting comes just over a week after the deadly white supremacist mass shooting in Buffalo and nearly a decade after Sandy Hook. How many more elementary school shootings need to happen before Republicans decide to act?  Year after year, the House has passed sensible gun reform legislation that would save lives.  And year after year, the U.S. Senate has blocked those reforms from passing, thanks to the filibuster. It could — tomorrow — find 60 votes to pass sensible gun reforms or eliminate the filibuster, so senators are finally acting to save lives. 

“It does not have to be this way. Our children are dying because the U.S. Senate refuses to act, and because Republicans continue to push for more guns instead of taking guns off the streets.  This isn’t inevitable. We have an obligation as public servants to interrupt this relentless march of violence. Progressives will continue the fight to do so.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Condemns No Labels for Undermining Accountability and Democracy

May 23, 2022

“No group that claims to be looking for real solutions to the problems facing our country can be taken seriously when it tweets out a video that undermines the only real effort to hold perpetrators of the deadly January 6 insurrection accountable, including getting to the bottom of the role of the then-sitting Republican president in inciting a coup attempt to overturn the election. 

“The Select Committee’s work is essential to helping prevent another insurrection from happening — and potentially succeeding — and to investigating how a former sitting President managed to incite an insurrection to overturn a free and fair election. Without a robust investigation, we cannot ensure the perpetrators are punished to the full extent of the law. One cannot claim to espouse the importance of bipartisanship and support a world view claiming the Committee is ineffective. 

“To malign the January 6 Committee as a ‘partisan exercise’ is a dangerous message for the American public and our democracy — one that deeply undermines the Committee’s work and denies the truth about the Republican party. The January 6 committee membership is, indeed, made up of both Democrats and Republicans — but clearly for No Labels, Reps. Kinzinger and Cheney do not count because they have dared to stand up for country over party. The fact that only two Republican members of Congress are willing to be brave enough to seek the truth about what happened is a testament to the brokenness of a Republican party that still subscribes to the Big Lie.

“I was here on the day of the insurrection and witnessed the violence first hand. Congress cannot stop working to hold accountable every person involved in the worst attack on the United States Capitol since the War of 1812. 

“No Labels has thrown any credibility for ‘bipartisanship’ and ‘moderation’ away with this video and shown its true colors.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Statement on Federal Ruling Blocking the End of Title 42

May 20, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement in response to a federal court ruling blocking President Biden’s attempt to end Title 42:

“The Trump-initiated Title 42 was a xenophobic end-run around U.S. immigration law that has no basis in public health, and President Biden was right to end it. It is a terrible decision from the federal court to keep this unjust Trump anti-immigrant policy in place, create chaos at the border and continue to deny people seeking asylum their legal rights. Ending Title 42 was a key part of the CPC’s executive action agenda for advancing immigrant rights, and our Caucus leadership, along with the Hispanic Caucus, have pledged to oppose legislative attempts to reinstate it. We applaud the Biden administration's move to appeal this ruling, and their refusal to be deterred in reinstating the rule of American immigration law.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Applauds House Passage of Legislation to Combat Big Oil Price Gouging

May 19, 2022

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7688, the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act:

“Fossil fuel companies have been raking in billions of dollars in record profits, all while raising the price of gas on working families who are struggling to get by. Today, Congress is fighting back on behalf of the American people. We’re proud to have helped the House Democratic majority pass this bill, co-led by CPC Deputy Chair Rep. Katie Porter (CA-45) and Rep. Kim Schrier (WA-08), to take on Big Oil. 

“Corporate executives have tried to justify price increases as unavoidable consequences of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, but one look at their record margins make it clear they’re using those crises as cover to pocket exorbitant windfall profits. At ExxonMobil, profits rose to $5.4 billion in the first quarter of 2022. At BP, first quarter 2022 profit reached $6.2 billion, its highest in more than a decade. Chevron more than quadrupled profit in the first quarter of 2022, raking in $6.3 billion. And still the seven largest oil and gas companies announced stock buyback programs that could total up to $41 billion this year alone, all while continuing to raise prices of everyday people who are forced to scrimp on essentials so they can fill the tank. 

“But we’re putting communities over corporations, and taking back the economic power on behalf of those we serve. This bill would empower the President to declare an energy emergency and would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the authority to issue penalties on companies that raise prices excessively during the emergency. It would also enhance the FTC’s authority to go after false market information designed to artificially inflate prices. Today’s vote was a hugely important step, and we thank Speaker Pelosi and House Leadership — in particular CPC members Energy & Commerce Chair Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ-06) and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) — for their stewardship of Democrats’ commitment to easing the burden on working families.

“However, there is more to do. Progressives in the House and Senate have introduced legislation to tax Big Oil’s excess profits, and return that money to the people with direct payments for gas costs. This approach will ensure that not only are fossil fuel companies prevented from robbing consumers in the future, but are forced to return what they’ve already taken to the economy and to the people who need it most.

“We’ve encouraged Congressional Leadership to move these windfall profit tax proposals forward, and will continue to do so. Combining both these approaches, we have a path forward for the most urgent task facing Congress today: lowering costs for American families and delivering desperately needed economic relief.”

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