WASHINGTON, D.C.– Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) released the following statement today after the recent outbreak of Zika virus in Florida.

“With Florida linking an outbreak of Zika infections to local mosquito transmission, it is clear that Zika is a serious and rising health threat to our nation. Pregnant women should never have to live in fear that their unborn children are at grave risk because of inaction by Congress to address a largely preventable health crisis. Perhaps just as horrifying is that most cases are asymptomatic, meaning that individuals could be at risk of spreading Zika while not even knowing it.”

“We’ve seen the devastation Zika has caused in South and Central America, as well as our own U.S. territories, and the fact that our elected officials have not heeded experts’ warnings is a travesty. House Republicans’ decision to recess for summer without passing this crucial legislation is inexcusable. It’s time for Speaker Ryan to immediately reconvene Congress and pass President Obama’s full emergency funding request to protect expectant parents and their children from Zika virus.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) were joined by fellow CPC members today to accept a petition signed by more than 1 million Americans demanding Speaker Ryan schedule a vote on legislation reinstating the assault weapons ban that expired in September, 2004. The petition, which was organized by MoveOn.Org, CREDO Action, Democracy for America, The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Daily Kos, and Ultraviolet was delivered on the one month anniversary of the attack on Latin night at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, the deadliest mass shooting in our nation's history.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) today urged the Department of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation after two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, were shot to death by police officers this week. The shootings continue a long trend of racially tinged police violence that has come to the forefront of national discourse through the increasing prevalence of personal video cameras.
Washington, D.C.– Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) sent a letter to Acting Assistant Secretary of Education Lloyd Horwich supporting a final recommendation received from the June 22-24, 2016 National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) meeting. In the letter, the co-chairs urge the Department to strip the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) of its authority to evaluate and renew accreditation for institutions of higher education. This accreditation gives schools access to federal student aid. The co-chairs express concerns with ACICS's long and well-documented list of failures to meet its obligations to ensure federal dollars are well spent and students are receiving high-quality education. The Department of Education has 90 days to act after receiving NACIQI's final recommendation.