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Washington –Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), along with Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), sent a letter to Secretary Arne Duncan urging the Department of Education to forgive loans incurred by students attending Corinthian Colleges, Inc. Corinthian Colleges is one of the country’s largest for-profit education institutions and is currently under investigation by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for its predatory loan program.

The full text of the letter is available below and a signed copy can be seen here.  

WASHINGTON – Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), along with CPC Members Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Mike Honda (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Janice Hahn (D-CA), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) stand with low-wage workers across the country who will go on strike tomorrow to stand up for higher wages and the right to collectively bargain.

“The Fight for $15 isn’t about a number – it’s about the dignity of a livable wage and the rights of workers to stand together against unfair employment practices,” said Rep. Grijalva. “As workers from across the country continue to rise against unfair – and immoral – treatment, we must recognize that every American forced to accept less than their worth for labor is an American who cannot contribute fully to our economy. We must restore this nation’s role as a land of unbridled opportunity, and that starts by ensuring everyone willing to work full time earns enough to get by.”

“Too many working Americans leave work every night wondering how they’ll make it through the end of the month,” Rep. Ellison said. “But a movement made up of workers from every community in America is growing and today’s nationwide action shows the power of people standing up together. Their demand—$15 and the right to organize—isn’t too much to ask from corporations booking huge profits. I’m proud to stand with the thousands of workers hitting the streets tomorrow and I join them in their demand for dignity on the job.”

“Too many hardworking low-wage workers don’t make enough to keep their families out of poverty,” Rep. Pocan said. “That’s why I’m proud to stand with them in the fight for a living wage and the right to organize. Growing their paychecks will help grow our economy and help working families make ends meet.  No one who works full-time should have to live in poverty.” 

“Everyone deserves the dignity of a living wage. Simply put, the minimum wage keeps families in poverty. I stand with low-wage workers, in the East Bay and across the country, who are raising their voices for economic justice,” Rep. Lee said. “The Fight for $15 movement is built upon the principle of basic fairness. It’s unconscionable that our country continues to subsidize billion-dollar corporations that pay their workers poverty wages. We need economic fairness and greater opportunity so families can lift themselves out of poverty.”

“The single biggest economic issue facing America today is that jobs do not pay enough to live on,” Rep. DeLauro said. “Our middle class is shrinking and our economy is suffering because of it. Working families are struggling to pay their rent, put food on the table and get out of debt. We need to treat workers with the respect they deserve by raising their wages. Doing so is not just the right thing to do, but it is good for businesses and taxpayers. It results in lower turnover and higher productivity, and saves taxpayers money because fewer workers have to rely on government assistance. It is long past time to ensure that workers have decent wages and the right to collectively bargain. We must get this done.”

“When a growing number of workers are paid so little, it slows down the economy for everybody,” Rep. Jackson Lee said. “When workers cannot afford basics -- like groceries, rent, or transportation -- that reduces their purchasing power in their neighborhoods. Higher pay will put more purchasing power into the hands of workers, so they can put more money back into their community, boost the economy, and create more good jobs.”

“All workers deserve a living wage.  I stand with all American workers in their efforts to obtain reasonable pay and the right of workers to organize," Rep. Honda said.  “No one who works full time should be living in poverty.”

“Today, stagnant wages mean that jobs are frequently a tether to poverty instead of a path out of it. And without the right to unionize and negotiate for better pay, an increasing number of full time workers are forced to rely on public assistance,” Rep. Chu said. “As workers all around the nation come together today, we can make positive changes for the millions of hard working employees in industries such as food service and retail. Our workers deserve a wage that helps them stand on their own two feet to support their families; to put food on the table and kids through college. I am proud to join them in their fight for the fifteen!”

“I support local and national efforts by working families and their allies to increase wages and gain bargaining rights," Rep. Hahn said. “Many food workers are women and men raising families, and despite working hard and putting in full-time hours they live in poverty.  When highly profitable companies don’t pay their employees enough to survive without public assistance – yet reward their stockholders and CEOs – taxpayers foot the bill. We should publicize the examples of successful business leaders who value and invest in their workers, pay good wages, provide good benefits.  These innovative entrepreneurs are proving that businesses can profit not despite treating workers well but in fact because they treat their workers well.”

“Millions of Americans have watched corporate profits skyrocket and prices for even basic essentials like food jump while their wages have stagnated,” Rep. Watson Coleman said. “Low-wage workers face the worst of this, often trying to scrape together 40-hour weeks, but still making so little money that they need SNAP benefits and other government assistance to make ends meet. It is unacceptable, immoral, and almost criminal that in the wealthiest nation on earth, anyone willing to work full time would be forced to live in poverty. I stand with workers demanding fair and livable wages and the right to organize, and I urge my colleagues in Congress to start listening.”

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WASHINGTON— Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) released the following statement today after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it would move forward with a rule to protect Americans from predatory ‘payday’ lending practices.

“We are pleased the CFPB is acting swiftly on a rule to protect working Americans from unfair payday lending practices. Fraudulent payday loans threaten the economic well-being of many Americans, especially those from low-income communities of color, by trapping them in a cycle of debt. The Congressional Progressive Caucus led a letter along with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus to the CFPB recommending it take bold action to improve the small dollar loan market.

“We applaud the CFPB and President Obama for acting on our concerns and moving forward to protect Americans. We urge them to issue a rule that leaves no room for unscrupulous lenders to continue their harmful conduct.”

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WASHINGTON – Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), along with CPC Members Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI), Judy Chu (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Janice Hahn (D-CA), and Barbara Lee (D-CA) unveiled the Progressive Caucus’ FY 2016 budget alternative called The People’s Budget: A Raise for America.  

The executive summary for The People’s Budget is below and the full budget can be found here.

The press conference to introduce The People’s Budget will be live streamed at noon and can be seen here.

“The most important thing Congress can do as we recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression is pass a budget that invests in the American people,” Rep. Grijalva said. “The People’s Budget create good paying jobs by addressing our nation’s biggest challenges head-on, from rebuilding crumbling roads to updating antiquated energy infrastructure. It’s a down payment on the continual effort to improve the quality of life for all Americans by raising wages, restoring and enhancing vital programs like SNAP and emergency unemployment compensation, and making bold new investments like debt-free college for all, which will increase our global competitiveness and ensure every student has a fair shot at achieving their dreams.”

"Too many working Americans open their paychecks each week and ask themselves how they will make ends meet," Rep. Ellison said. "The People's Budget fully funds childhood health, education and affordable housing to help working families stretch their paychecks. The Progressive Caucus budget is a blueprint of proven investments to end grinding poverty, promote economic mobility and enable shared prosperity. It asks the wealthiest Americans and multi-national corporations to pay their fair share, so we can afford debt-free college, universal pre-kindergarten, paid sick leave and workforce training for all. The People's Budget makes smart cuts to the Pentagon budget and puts the money towards working families. The People's Budget invests in people, providing hard-working Americans with a raise they deserve."

“First and foremost The People’s Budget reflects our progressive priorities – leveling the economic playing field by increasing wages for middle- and low-income workers," Rep. Pocan said. "With families struggling to make ends meet, it is clear the American people want Congress to help create good-paying jobs and expand economic opportunity for all."

“Working a full time, 40 hour schedule is supposed to lift you out of poverty, not chain you to it,” Rep. Chu said. “It’s not just unfair, it’s wrong. It flies in the face of the promise of America. And it is why this budget – The People’s Budget – is so necessary. This budget promises to not only to grow our economy but to tackle inequality.”

“During our economy’s best decades, Congress invested in the American workforce and every family was better off for it. But recent years have been dominated by growing inequality and a Republican majority in Congress obsessed with slashing the budget, making it harder for working Americans to find decent jobs and save for the future,” Rep. Jackson Lee said. “The Congressional Progressive Caucus’ People’s Budget reverses the damage budget austerity has inflicted on hard-working families and restores our economy to its full potential by creating 8.4 million good paying jobs by 2018.”

“Today Americans are working more and earning less. Republicans, however, continue putting forth a budget that gives tax breaks to the wealthy instead of helping working American families,”  Rep. Gallego said. “While the GOP budget would end Medicare guarantees and make cuts to education that would make college even less affordable, the Congressional Progressive Caucus does the opposite ensuring that we make investments in the American people - creating good paying jobs, providing universal pre-K, and restoring funding for programs like SNAP that many American families rely on. It’s time for us to pass a budget that reflects the needs of the American people and focuses on giving American families the best opportunity to move ahead.”

“The Progressive Caucus works on everyday issues of the working family, and our budget reflects this commitment,” Rep. Napolitano said. “We will continue to fight to deliver that which we all feel is a necessity for our districts, for our working class.”

“The Congressional Progressive Caucus budget expands economic opportunity for middle class and lower income families and reflects priorities different from the House Republican proposal,” Rep. Hahn said. “Our budget creates jobs and invests in essential repairs and upgrades to America’s roads, highways and bridges to keep us globally competitive in the future.  The CPC budget also includes my recommendation to fully spend the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, returning money collected at our nation’s ports so they can make necessary improvements.”

“Despite a recovering economy, too many Americans are still struggling to make ends meet,” Rep. Lee said. “This budget supports American families and focuses on much needed investments here at home. This budget also reins in waste, fraud and abuse at the Pentagon and ends the OCO slush funds for defense contractors.”

The People’s Budget Executive Summary

The People's Budget fixes an economy that, for too long, has failed to provide the opportunities American families need to get ahead. Despite their skills and work ethic, most American workers and families are so financially strapped from increasing income inequality that their paychecks barely cover basic necessities. They earn less and less as corporations and the wealthy continue amassing record profits. It has become clear to American workers that the system is rigged.

The People’s Budget levels the playing field and creates economic opportunity by increasing the pay of middle- and low-income Americans. More customers and higher consumer spending advance American businesses, not tax cuts and relaxed regulations. The People’s Budget drives a full economic recovery by creating high-quality jobs and reducing family expenses, restoring the buying power of working Americans.

The People’s Budget closes tax loopholes that companies use to ship jobs overseas. It creates fair tax rates for millionaires and provides needed relief to low- and middle-income families. It invests in debt-free college, workforce training and small businesses within our communities, helping return our economy to full employment and giving a raise to Americans who need it most. Investments in The People’s Budget boost employment and wages by addressing some of the biggest challenges of our time: repairing America’s rapidly aging roads and bridges, upgrading our energy systems to address climate change, keeping our communities safe, and preparing our young people to thrive as citizens and workers.

A fair wage is more than the size of a paycheck. It’s having enough hours, paid overtime, sick and parental leave, and affordable health and childcare. It’s being able to afford a good education for your kids and never living in fear that your job will be sent overseas. It’s knowing you can make ends meet at the end of the month. The People’s Budget helps achieve that with a raise for American workers, a raise for struggling families and a boost to America’s long-term global competitiveness.

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