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WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued this statement following President Biden’s State of the Union address:

“In his first two years in office, President Biden acted boldly to create a workers’ economy that benefits families across the country and improves the lives of the American people.

“Under his leadership and with Democrats in Congress, the President rightly celebrated a significant record of achievement tonight. In just two years, we have created 12 million jobs, more than any other President has created in four years. Unemployment is down to its lowest level in half a century and real wages are increasing, particularly in lower-paid sectors. Seniors on Medicare now pay no more than $35/month out-of-pocket for insulin and Affordable Care Act enrollment is at a record high. American manufacturing is on the upswing, with strong government industrial policy at work. Due to the largest climate investment in history, working families have access to affordable, renewable home appliances and electric vehicles, and we are on a path to achieve the President’s goal of 80 percent clean electricity by 2030. I am proud that the Progressive Caucus worked closely with the President to play a defining role in all these achievements.

“We applaud the President’s bold call for increased tax fairness with new taxes on billionaires and stock buybacks that enrich wealthy shareholders but discourage investments in workers and lower prices for consumers. We began this fight in the last Congress and have shown that increased tax revenue through fair and equitable means, combined with strong investments in the tools people need to get back to work and take care of their families, is exactly how you build a strong economy. While Republicans want to cut food stamps, Social Security, and Medicare, Democrats want to tax the wealthiest to pay their fair share, expand Social Security and Medicare, and lower costs for working and poor Americans.

“That’s why it is so important that the President called out the need to finish the rest of his agenda, to lower costs through universal child care, home care, and pre-K, paid sick leave, and bold housing investments. These are some of the biggest inflationary costs hitting working people, and why we fought so hard to deliver them in the last Congress. We got incredibly close, and we will not stop until they are law.

 “In the wake of the killing of Tyre Nichols and too many before him, our communities are urgently demanding significant change to law enforcement’s use of force. We also know that we must expand voting rights and codify the right to abortion — fundamental freedoms without which our democracy will suffer. As the mother of a transgender kid, I was deeply moved to hear him rally our country to defend the transgender community. Progressives are proud champions of the President's bold antitrust agenda, and we were thrilled to hear him tout it tonight. We commend the President for presenting a vision for the path forward to meet these challenges and look forward to continuing to be partners in that fight.

“The President has shown how he can use executive action to make enormous progress. We will focus the next two years not only on showing the American people what we have done, but also working with the White House to deliver more. Progressives stand ready to work with the Biden administration to: raise the overtime threshold so tens of millions of workers can get paid for work they already do; institute strong rules to clean up the power sector and lower emissions; continue the work to end gun violence; address the crisis of access to affordable housing, child, and home care, and pay for care workers; ensure the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share in taxes, rather than padding shareholder profits; restore competition across industries; continue to crack down on Big Pharma and lower prescription drug prices; provide a fair and humane process for everyone seeking safety in the United States, and continue expanding legal pathways and protections for immigrants. He has made important progress on the agenda the Progressive Caucus released in 2022; in the coming weeks, we will release our updated agenda for 2023. We will also be watching to ensure equitable implementation of the investments we passed into law last Congress. 

“As the President made clear, this year Democrats will also need to hold the line against Republican extremism, including guarding against any attempts to force a default on the debt limit, gut Social Security, Medicare and other critical programs. We will be a strong opposition party against these extreme MAGA Republican ideas that would hurt Americans everywhere. But the President today made clear that Democrats are always a party of not just opposition, but also of proposition. 

“Tonight, the country heard the President lay out his vision for a better America backed by the powerful results of a progressive agenda put into action over the last two years. If we continue on this path — taking on corporate power, investing in working families, and embracing equitable policymaking — we will continue to deliver.”

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement on Republicans’ attempt to bring to a vote on the House floor a resolution to remove Representative Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Deputy Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, from the House Foreign Affairs Committee:

“The Congressional Progressive Caucus stands fully behind our Deputy Chair, Representative Ilhan Omar. Rep. Omar is a valued member of the Democratic Caucus and of this Congress. Throughout her service in Congress and on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, she has brought her essential and unique voice and lived experience to bear: as a refugee, war survivor and soon, as the first African-born Ranking Member on the Africa Subcommittee.   

“You cannot remove a Member of Congress from a committee simply because you do not agree with their views. This is both ludicrous and dangerous. In the last Congress, Republican members were removed from committees with a bipartisan vote for endangering the safety of their colleagues. Speaker McCarthy is attempting to take revenge and draw false comparisons.  I applaud those Republican members who have already rejected this idea and hope that more will join them to state their opposition so it is not brought to the floor, or vote against it should it be brought to the floor. 

“As a fellow woman of color and Chair of the CPC, I am proud that our Caucus will stand strongly with Rep. Omar: an esteemed and invaluable legislator, a respectful and kind colleague, and a courageous progressive leader.”

WASHINGTON — Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Deputy Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Chair of the Caucus Immigration Task Force, released the following statement after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that the Department would extend and redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia:

“Secretary Mayorkas’ announcement to redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status to Somalis living in the United States will deliver a sense of much-needed relief and stability. As conflict and humanitarian crises continue to impact the lives of Somalis, it is important that the United States continues to live up to its mission of granting and providing humanitarian relief to people who need it most. We commend Secretary Mayorkas and the Biden administration for taking this important step forward, and making Somalia the thirteenth country from the Congressional Progressive Caucus Executive Action Agenda to receive an extension or redesignation of TPS in the last year. 

“The fight for immigrants’ rights cannot, and will not, end here, and we will continue to push for the American Dream and Promise Act to become law. TPS, like DACA, is critical, lifesaving policy — but they are both temporary fixes, leaving immigrants and their communities in a constant state of limbo. If the United States is to create a more humane immigration system rooted in compassion and justice, we must finally provide immigrant community members with a roadmap to citizenship.”

In addition to Somalia being included in the CPC Executive Action Agenda, Representatives Jayapal and Omar were joined by Representatives Adam Smith (WA-09) and Yvette Clarke (NY-09) to lead members of Congress in calling for the extension and redesignation of TPS for Somalia. 

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.