WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement regarding U.S. support for a resolution advanced by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization (WTO), backed by 100 countries, to temporarily waive intellectual property protections on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments until the pandemic has ended: 

“I commend President Biden for today’s monumental decision, which recognizes the common humanity we share in the face of this horrific and unprecedented pandemic. By heeding the call of a global grassroots movement and a majority of House Democrats—led by Progressive Caucus members Reps. Schakowsky, Doggett, DeLauro, Blumenauer, Chuy Garcia, and Espaillat—this administration is restoring U.S. global leadership by putting human life above pharmaceutical profits. This life-saving decision to reverse the Trump Administration’s shameful obstruction of international efforts to temporarily waive patent monopolies could not come a moment too soon, as India, Brazil, and countries across the world experience terrifying new surges in COVID19 infections and deaths. 

“Today, wealthy countries have administered more than 80 percent of global vaccines while low-income countries have received just 0.3 percent. Redressing this injustice requires deploying every tool in our arsenal, and this waiver is a vital first step. The Progressive Caucus is ready to partner with this administration on additional measures to achieve our shared goal of a rapid and equitable global vaccination program. This should include leveraging U.S. patent ownership over vaccine innovations to license their widespread production; investing an additional $25 billion in the Build Back Better agenda to manufacture vaccines domestically and provide them to the world; cooperating with the World Health Organization’s program to transfer vaccine technology to global producers; and supporting a new issuance of Special Drawing Rights, a cost-free IMF reserve asset, to strengthen public-health budgets worldwide and assist low-income countries in carrying out vaccination campaigns.

“Now is the time to build international cooperation and solidarity in ways we have never seen before, including using the full force of U.S. membership in multilateral institutions, as the Biden Administration has just demonstrated at the WTO in such an historic way. It is clearer than ever that the fate of our own health and safety in the United States is inextricably connected to the wellbeing and protection of the most vulnerable among us worldwide.”

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, released the following statement tonight applauding President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office and urging him to continue going big in the days ahead: 

“President Biden has risen to this moment — one in which people across America face multiple crises. In tonight’s address, he recounted the immense progress we’ve made as a country over the past 100 days to move beyond the cruelty, chaos, and mass COVID-19 casualties that defined the Trump presidency. President Biden inherited a nation in despair, with hundreds of thousands having needlessly died, millions more thrown out of work, and too many unable to put food on the table. 

“The bold, decisive action he took in proposing and signing the American Rescue Plan — which progressives fought to keep as big as possible — put money in people’s pockets, shots in their arms, and robust relief into their communities to help weather this devastating pandemic. The President deserves recognition for laying the foundations for a just economic recovery, and demonstrating real leadership in ensuring that we quickly got 200 million vaccine doses into people's arms, bringing hope and security to so many.

 “Now, the challenge is not to let up because there is so much more that America needs to bring back opportunity and justice for all. That is why we urge President Biden to go just as big in the days ahead. His outline for the American Families Plan tonight is a strong addition to his American Jobs Plan, and reflects many longstanding priorities of progressives including free community college, paid leave, child care, affordable housing, and so much more. 

“But there is more to be done to address the serious health challenges that have existed in this country for far too long. We must include in the Families Plan bringing down the price of pharmaceutical drugs for all Americans who are paying over twice as much as those in other countries. Pharmaceutical companies have been profiting from their greed and the pain of Americans who are cutting their prescriptions at the kitchen table. We must also expand Medicare benefits for seniors to include dental, vision, and hearing benefits while lowering the Medicare eligibility age to cover tens of millions more. Finally, we need to expand child care to ensure every single family in America can afford it. 

“Progressives also welcome the President’s remarks on immigration and look forward to working with him to provide a roadmap to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS recipients, and essential workers as part of this package. Paired with an American Jobs Plan that tackles the climate crisis and creates millions of good, union jobs that pay a living wage, the American Families Plan must be enacted by Congress as a single package — without delay — to transform the lives of people throughout this country.

“Finally, President Biden showed courage and moral clarity on foreign policy tonight in bringing U.S. servicemembers home after 20 years of war in Afghanistan. The return of our soldiers must be paired with robust diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and a genuine end to U.S. hostilities in order to achieve a peaceful outcome, led by Afghans. But much more must be done to improve U.S. foreign policy.

“Tonight’s joint address showcased President Bident’s vision in guiding America through the worst challenge we’ve faced in a generation. The Congressional Progressive Caucus looks forward to continuing to partner with the Biden-Harris Administration to seize the historic opportunity to make a real, lasting difference in the lives of people across America.” 

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement on the need to include major prescription drug savings and important components of health care in the American Families Plan:

“As we consider the critical investments we must make in this next jobs and families plan, we must ensure that we invest in the health of people across America. Republicans worked tirelessly to strip health care away from millions of people over the past four years. Then, the horrors of COVID-19 and the economic crisis it caused exposed how truly dysfunctional our system is. Tens of millions of people lost their jobs and their health care. Untold numbers of Americans have been bankrupted by medical debt. And we still pay more than twice as much for prescription medications than other wealthy countries.

“Voters delivered us governing majorities and now we must deliver for them on health care policies that are not only urgent but wildly popular. We must immediately lower the cost of prescription drugs and use the massive savings from this to lower Medicare’s eligibility age and improve benefits while at the same time ensuring the permanent affordability of health plans obtained through the Affordable Care Act. These necessary policies that are supported by large bipartisan majorities of the American people enjoy the strong support of our Democratic Caucus, and can be accomplished simultaneously. 

“What the American Rescue Plan taught us is that American people of all parties support us when we enact bold, populist policies that deliver for them. I urge the President to include these important components of health care in the American Families Plan.”

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Washington, D.C. – Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement regarding President Biden’s annual budget proposal and the need to cut the bloated Pentagon budget:

 “I applaud President Biden for recognizing that after more than a decade of chronic underinvestment, the federal government can and should serve as a force for good in the lives of everyday Americans. By raising spending on domestic needs by 15 percent in his budget proposal — a $100 billion annual increase — President Biden is sending a powerful message: in the world’s wealthiest country, all Americans deserve robust education, job training, environmental protection, health care, housing, research, transportation, nutrition support, and so much more.

“However, this proposal also recommends increasing the level of an already-out-of-control Pentagon budget, which has exploded over the past four years. By boosting Trump’s $740 billion Pentagon budget by 1.6 percent to $753 billion a year, this proposal would fund a military larger than those of the next 10 countries combined. At a time of such dire challenges—including a global pandemic, a mass unemployment crisis, a climate catastrophe, and millions more being pushed into poverty—a military budget rife with waste, fraud and abuse must finally be reined in so we can invest these resources in our communities to address genuine human needs. While I welcome the proposed end to the overseas contingency operations slush fund, a longstanding Progressive Caucus priority, Congress must continue to identify and eliminate additional military bloat, such as the production of needless and dangerous nuclear weapons, which we should be working to rapidly reduce — not expand. If our national security was preserved during eight years of the Obama-Biden administration, there should be no reason not to return to those levels of military spending under the new Biden-Harris administration.”

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