Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement upon Senate passage of the Inflation Reduction Act:

“After more than a year of negotiations, we are thrilled the Senate has finally passed a reconciliation bill with every Democrat voting in support. The Inflation Reduction Act includes many pieces of the House-passed Build Back Better Act to make the largest-ever federal investment in tackling the existential threat of climate change, lower healthcare costs, and begin to ensure that corporations pay their fair share.  

“The Congressional Progressive Caucus was essential to ensuring that the President’s economic agenda was drafted and passed in the House. While we are heartbroken to see several essential pieces on the care economy, housing, and immigration left on the cutting room floor — as well as a successful Republican effort to remove insulin price caps for those with private insurance — we know that the Inflation Reduction Act takes real steps forward on key progressive priorities.

“The bill will cut carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030 through rapidly accelerating the adoption of renewable-energy technologies such as electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar panels, saving the average family $1,025 a year in energy costs and creating millions of good jobs. It will immediately extend affordable health insurance coverage to 13 million people, cap seniors’ yearly drug costs at $2,000 per year, and cap insulin at $35 per month for seniors on Medicare. It takes on Big Pharma by, for the first time ever, allowing Medicare to begin negotiating prices for a small group of drugs that expands over time. The bill also imposes a 15 percent minimum tax on corporations, taxes corporations that inflate their share values through stock buybacks, and invests in the IRS to go after large corporations that evade taxes. As President Biden has promised, the bill won’t raise taxes on any family making less than $400,000 per year. 

“Let us be clear: we do not support the bill’s new provisions that expand fossil fuel leasing. However, independent analyses show that their limited impact will be far outweighed by the carbon emissions cuts this legislation accomplishes. 

“Progressives in Congress and in the movement held the line and demanded action on these priorities, ensuring that we got to where we are today.  Together with President Biden, progressives across the country and in Congress should take credit for the enormous progress made in this bill toward our movements’ long standing work: pushing the federal government to act on the climate crisis, taking on the greed of Big Pharma, lowering health care costs, and reining in the power of the wealthy and large corporations — passed in the Senate without a single Republican vote. We look forward to voting for this bill as it comes to the House and sending it to the President’s desk immediately.”

WASHINGTON — Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and David Cicilline (RI-01), vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statements after the House of Representatives passed the CPC-endorsed Assault Weapons Ban. This marked the first time since 1994 that a federal ban on assault weapons has passed the House. 

“Assault weapons are weapons of war. Their only purpose is to destroy. We have seen more than enough mass shootings — from Uvalde and Buffalo, to Tulsa, Las Vegas, and Sandy Hook — to know that they do not belong on our streets,” said Rep. Jayapal. “Today’s passage of Congressman Cicilline’s Assault Weapons Ban shows the continued commitment from House Democrats to saving lives from needless gun violence and protecting people’s right to exist safely and peacefully in our country. I thank Congressman Cicilline for his tremendous leadership on this bill and in the fight against gun violence. Now, the Senate must heed President Biden’s call to get this vital legislation to his desk, and take up this bill without delay.”

“There are more guns than people in this country — more mass shootings than days in the year. This is a uniquely American problem. In 2022 alone, more than 160 people have been killed by an assault weapon and more than 245 have been injured. This bill will not stop all gun violence, but it will effectively decrease it,” said Rep. Cicilline. “Researchers estimate that if we still had a federal assault weapons ban, we would see 70 percent fewer mass shooting deaths. And while nothing we can do can bring back 70 percent of these victims to their family and friends, we can honor their memories with action and prevent more carnage moving forward. I urge the Senate to pass this bill immediately and send it to the President for his signature.”

The last federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004. Since then, an assault weapon was used in eight out of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in America. 

The Assault Weapons Ban passed today would prohibit the sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of semi-automatic assault weapons and high capacity magazines.

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement after a meeting the House of Representatives passed the CHIPS and Science Act: 

“Today, Progressives voted to pass the CHIPS and Science Act thanks to Secretary Raimondo’s partnership and transparency with our caucus throughout the legislative process. Over the past week, I engaged in deep and frequent negotiations and conversations with the Secretary to work to address our members’ concerns that this bill would expand domestic manufacturing capacity — and not be utilized as a subsidy for companies to engage in stock buybacks and dividend payouts to enrich wealthy shareholders and executives. As the Secretary made clear this week, ‘This CHIPS money is not a subsidy for companies to make them more profitable or so they have more cash for stock buybacks or to pad their bottom line or to invest in other countries.’

“In addition to the funding for semiconductors, which power everything from innovative technology to our phones and household appliances, this bill will also double the funding for the National Science Foundation, an investment that will make a tremendous difference for universities and research institutions across the country. I would like to thank the Secretary for her principled engagement with me to resolve our members' concerns, and to ensure the strongest implementation of this bill. With Secretary Raimondo’s commitment and continued partnership, we look forward to working together throughout the implementation process.”

As a result of these negotiations, the Commerce Department issued language clarifying the taxpayer protections it plans to institute as part of its implementation of the bill. Those protections include "Prioritizing selecting companies that are committed to investments in manufacturing, innovation, and workers...In selecting projects, the Department will give preference in awards to companies who commit to make future investments that grow the domestic semiconductor industry (such as through research and development, workforce training, or manufacturing investments) and not engage in stock buybacks."

The guidance continues, emphasizing that the Department will be "Strictly monitoring the use of funds to ensure companies are delivering on their promises and not abusing taxpayer resources. The CHIPS incentives are not a subsidy for companies to make them more profitable or enable them to have more cash for stock buybacks or to pad their bottom line...This includes strictly enforcing many important guardrails in the CHIPS Act—which cover appropriate uses of government funds, project delays, IP transactions that raise national security concerns, and investments in foreign countries of concern...The Department will not hesitate to clawback funds or pursue other remedies if companies misuse taxpayer dollars."

The language makes clear that "the Department will seek to make awards to applicants who demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to this vision."

WASHINGTON — Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Executive Board called on Majority Leader Schumer to bring two antitrust bills, S. 2992 the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, and S. 2710 the Open App Markets Act, to a vote before August recess.

The two bipartisan bills take on abusive and anti-competitive practices by dominant online platforms that harm small businesses, consumers, and innovation. The bills would prohibit dominant online platforms from arbitrarily discriminating against competitors, rein in self-promotion of platforms’ own products over those of competitors, and ensure that consumers have access to competitive, fair app ecosystems.

The letter cites polling that found “that 76%-to-80% of voters in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire support” the Senate bills. “71% of voters in those states want their Senator to vote for this legislation. Polling of Republican primary voters…found that 73% of respondents believe Big Tech companies are not regulated enough…and between 81% and 85% support S. 2992 and S. 2710.”

The Senate bills are companions to House antitrust measures, which emerged as a result of a 16-month, bipartisan investigation by the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law. The investigation found clear regulatory gaps and a need for congressional intervention. As the lawmakers write: “A handful of dominant online platforms have become gatekeepers over digital markets, controlling other businesses’ access to customers and the tools that those businesses use to serve their customers…[T]hese platforms routinely abuse their gatekeeper power to hurt rivals and destroy competition.”

While the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights has similarly looked into these issues and “held numerous hearings in recent years on abuses by online gatekeepers,” the legislative solutions continue to languish in the Senate. The antitrust bills also represent a chance to advance an agenda supported by the Biden administration, with both the Departments of Justice and Commerce in support — critical at a time much of the President’s legislative priorities have been blocked.

“Regardless of ideology or party affiliation,” the lawmakers write, “Americans are concerned with the dominance and power of the largest technology companies, and they want Congress to act.” They emphasize “that each of these bills should be enacted as they address persistent and problematic conduct that harms consumers, competition, and innovation,” and urge Leader Schumer to schedule them for a vote before the Senate ends its legislative session in August.

Signatories of the letter are all members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Executive Board: Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Deputy Chair Katie Porter (CA-45), and Whip Ilhan Omar (MN-05); Chairs Emeriti Barbara Lee (CA-13), Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03); Executive Board Member At-Large Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Vice Chairs Joe Neguse (CO-02), Marie Newman (IL-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), David Cicilline (RI-01), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12); and Deputy Whips Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Mondaire Jones (NY-17), Andy Levin (MI-09), and Mark Takano (CA-41).