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Washington, D.C.–Today, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) sent Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) a letter urging him to create a Select Committee on Income Inequality instead of spending as much as 3.3 million tax dollars on another investigation into Benghazi. An analysisfrom Think Progress shows the Republican-led House of Representatives is on track to spend more investigating Benghazi than it does on nine other House committees.

The letter, signed by 25 members of Congress, calls on Speaker Boehner “to focus on the issues that everyday people face instead of spending taxpayer dollars on an investigation that will not help families put food on the table.”

The text of the letter is below. A PDF with signatures is available here.

Dear Speaker Boehner:

The loss of four American lives, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, on September 11, 2012 was a terrible tragedy. However, your decision to establish yet another investigation into Benghazi despite the thirteen hearings across eight different Congressional Committees, twenty-five thousand pages of documents and fifty briefings is redundant. Secretaries of State Clinton and Kerry and other Obama administration officials have answered repeated questions on this issue and we believe that Congress should refocus its attention on issues that address the real economic struggles of the American people. Thus, we urge you to establish a Select Committee on Income Inequality to focus on the issues that everyday people face instead of spending taxpayer dollars on an investigation that will not help families put food on the table.

As Members of Congress, we remain focused on the issues that touch Americans in their everyday lives. The growing income divide in America is no secret. Hardworking people can’t find work, and when they do, their wages aren’t always enough to cover their day-to-day needs. Renowned economist Thomas Piketty recently found that for the majority of people who work for a living, income inequality in America is “probably higher than in any other society at any time in the past, anywhere in the world.” We find this unconscionable and it cannot continue. 

Mr. Speaker, with respect to economic security in this country, you yourself recently said that “the American people are concerned about this issue, and our priorities will continue to be the priorities of the American people.”  Yet we wonder why you continue to prioritize politics over policies that will help create good paying jobs that narrow the income gap. If House Republicans are serious about focusing on jobs and our economy, we again urge you to establish a Select Committee on Income Inequality to investigate and develop common sense solutions to our country’s widening income gap. 

What happened in Benghazi was a tragedy, not a politically motivated scandal. No amount of hearings or select committees will change that fact.  We urge you to stop the political witch-hunt and focus on the issues that touch people at their kitchen tables. 

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WASHINGTON,D.C—Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), along with CPC Peace and Security Task Force Chair Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), introduced a concurrent resolution urging Congress to debate and vote for any sustained United States combat role in Iraq or Syria.

The text of the resolution is below. A PDF is available here.

H. CON. RES. 114

Urging Congress to debate and vote on a statutory authorization for any sustained United States combat role in Iraq or Syria.

Whereas Congress has a constitutional duty, enshrined in article I, section 8, clause 11 of the United States Constitution, to debate and examine the significant consequences of another multi-year United States military intervention in the Middle East;

Whereas the War Powers Resolution provides that 60 days after the President informs Congress that he has introduced Armed Forces into an overseas theater, the President `shall terminate any use of United States Armed Forces' unless Congress has authorized such use of the Armed Forces;

Whereas the United States military has engaged in over 100 airstrikes in Iraq since August 8, 2014;

Whereas currently there are over 1,000 United States military personnel deployed in Iraq;

Whereas the United States military has flown surveillance sorties over Syria to collect information on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS);

Whereas the Obama administration has stated that the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) is obsolete and has supported its repeal;

Whereas the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40) should not apply to ISIS because ISIS has no operational connection to al Qaeda or the Taliban and is not currently considered an `associated force' of al Qaeda;

Whereas any new authorization for the use of military force should be narrowly tailored and limited;

Whereas ISIS is a violent extremist organization that has terrorized and committed unconscionable atrocities against religious and ethnic minority communities in the course of attempting to create a de-facto state within the borders of Iraq and Syria;

Whereas the threat posed by ISIS requires a robust response from a broad international coalition, with regional partners playing prominent and leading roles;

Whereas Congress should support a comprehensive strategy for defeating ISIS that cuts off access to ISIS supplies and financial resources and isolates extremist elements by addressing the legitimate political grievances and aspirations of local religious and ethnic communities in Iraq and Syria;

Whereas this issue should be immediately referred to and debated by the United Nations Security Council;

Whereas the House of Representatives passed House Concurrent Resolution 105 on July 25, 2014, by a vote of 370-40; and

Whereas House Concurrent Resolution 105 expressed the sense of Congress that the President shall not deploy or maintain United States Armed Forces in a sustained combat role in Iraq without statutory authorization: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress--

          (1) should debate and vote on a statutory authorization for any sustained United States combat role                 in Iraq or Syria

          (2) does not support the deployment of ground combat troops in Iraq or Syria;

          (3) should ensure that any such statutory authorization is narrowly tailored and limited; and

         (4) should ensure that any statutory authorization includes robust reporting requirements.

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Washington, D.C. – Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), along with Progressive Caucus members Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Judy Chu (D-CA), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) released the following statements in support of fast food workers striking today across the country to demand employers raise wages to $15 an hour and allow workers to organize unions without retaliation. 

“Today, fast food workers from across the country stand united as they strike for fair compensation, and I am proud to stand by their side,” Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) said.  “We are a nation that believes in the dignity of hard work, but too many Americans with full time jobs still struggle to make ends meet. We must raise the minimum wage and pay workers a living wage to ensure the American Dream remains within reach for all who are willing to work for it.”

“Thousands of fast food workers will be out in the street today, demanding a living wage and the right to organize,” Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) said. “They’re doing it because they have families to feed and parents to look after. They’re doing it because they have basic needs that can’t be met at $7.25 an hour. They’re standing for the possibility of a better future and an economy that works for all Americans, not just the wealthy few. I’m proud to stand with them.”

“The federal minimum wage of $7.25 is a starvation wage,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). “I applaud the fast-food workers all across the country who are striking today to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. Nobody who works 40 hours a week should be living in poverty."

“In recent years, the disparity in income and wealth between very rich and everyone else has continued to increase,” Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) said. “Today, for example, the richest one percent of Americans own more than one-third of our wealth. Yet there are also millions of Americans who work full-time but, earning only the minimum wage, cannot afford to support a family or to save for the future. Our economy should reward hard work. We have a responsibility to honor the dignity of work, and the individual dignity of workers. We have a responsibility to enact a living wage.”

“It is time for our workers on the front lines to be paid a fair wage. Doing so will help families avoid poverty and help grow our economy. Sixty eight percent of fast food workers are the main wage earners in their families. Women, especially women of color, are disproportionately represented in this group. I support them and their strike today because a job should be a way out of poverty, not a tether to it,” said Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA).

“I proudly join the effort to support the fast food workers' Fight for 15. In America, the land of opportunity, no one who works full-time should be struggling to raise a family,” said Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY).  Increases in minimum wage have not kept pace with the rising costs of basic necessities for the average American family, while income inequality has increased by 23 percent since 2008. If we want to help build real, lasting economic security, the federal minimum wage must be raised to a living wage. At its core, giving America a pay raise is not just about ensuring fair compensation, but also preserving justice and dignity for all workers."

“I’m proud to stand with the national movement of fast food workers organizing for $15 an hour. Each and every American worker deserves an honest, living wage for an honest, hard day’s work,” said Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA). “I’m also proud to call Seattle home – the city recently approved a $15 an hour minimum wage.  Seattle’s historic action on raising the wage underscores an essential truth: the 20^th century American economy was built by the middle class and the middle class was built by a living wage and the right to organize.  For the American economy to thrive in the 21^st century, we must guarantee our workers the wages, benefits and on-the-job protections they deserve.  It’s time to follow Seattle’s lead and raise the wage from coast to coast.”

"It’s time to raise the pay of fast food workers and everyone earning a low wage in this country,” said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI). “Companies should pay their workers fair wages and put more money in the hands of consumers to help strengthen our economy. These companies are super-sizing their profits while their workers are struggling to make ends meet."

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WASHINGTON, D.C.— The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) co-chairs Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) along with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) issued statements this evening in advance of President Obama’s expected executive action enhancing workplace protections for federal contractors.

“Every worker deserves fair pay for hard work, and today President Obama demonstrated his commitment to protecting that right,” Rep. Grijalva said. “This executive order ensures government agencies don’t reward companies that mistreat their workers. Taxpayer money should never support companies that do not support their own employees, and I’m glad to see the president act to ensure that no longer happens.”

“Once again, President Obama is taking strong action on behalf of hard working Americans," said Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. "The federal government has no business contracting to those who would violate federal law and trample workers’ rights. If we are to root out wage theft and labor abuses in America, we cannot overlook those perpetrated by federal contractors.”

“I am glad the President is taking action on this important issue, which the Congressional Progressive Caucus has done much to draw attention to in Congress,” said Democratic Whip Hoyer. “Off-the-clock work and denial of overtime pay represents not only a significant violation of our laws but also of the basic American belief that hard work ought to lead to fair compensation and opportunity.  At a time when those earning the lowest salaries are already struggling to make ends meet, combating wage theft goes hand in hand with efforts to raise the minimum wage and invest in education and job training that will help workers rise up into our middle class.”

The Progressive Caucus has been advocating for better workplace protections for the past year. In March, the CPC sent a letter to the Department of Labor urging Secretary Thomas E. Perez to collect data on contractors that engage in wage theft. This summer, CPC members have successfully attached wage theft amendments to four appropriations bills. Just last week, the Progressive Caucus sent a letter to the President asking him to sign a Good Jobs Executive Order to reward contractors that treat their workers fairly.  

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