Progressive Caucus Releases The People’s Budget for FY 2017

WASHINGTON - Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), and CPC First-Vice Chair Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) today released the Progressive Caucus’ budget for fiscal year 2017, called The People’s Budget: Prosperity Not Austerity; Invest in America.

“The People’s Budget reverses harmful austerity cuts and fixes a system that for far too long has only benefited those at the top,” Rep. Pocan said. “The Progressive Caucus Budget rebuilds our crumbling roads and bridges, creates good paying jobs, and increases educational opportunities from pre-kindergarten to college. Our budget invests in the American people and gives working families the best opportunity to get ahead.”

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The People’s Budget Executive Summary

While our economy is rebounding from the Great Recession, hardworking Americans are being left behind. Our economic and political system has lost sight of what matters most: We the People. The Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Budget for Fiscal Year 2017 provides major reinvestments in our country through infrastructure, education, and wage growth to increase opportunity for all. The People’s Budget is a down payment on a brighter future for all Americans, ensuring every family struggling to make ends meet has a fair shot at the American Dream.

An investment in roads, bridges, and railways is an investment in the safety and prosperity of the American people. The People’s Budget commits $1 trillion in infrastructure spending overall to transform our country’s crumbling roads, bridges, and facilities into a 21st century network, creating jobs and improving economic opportunities in the process. This includes billions for water lines nationwide and $765 million specifically for Flint, Michigan, to replace toxic pipelines and provide needed health, education, and other services for residents exposed to lead. Families should never have to worry about whether their water is safe to drink, or their roads are safe to drive on.

Access to equitable education opportunities is key to ensuring future generations are prepared for success. From pre-school through college, every student deserves the right to high-quality affordable education. The People’s Budget invests in our students by providing robust early learning opportunities, effective public schools for all students, and debt-free college.

The People’s Budget creates 3.6 million good paying jobs to push our economy back to full-employment, which will provide the necessary economic conditions to spur across-the-board wage growth for hardworking Americans. It empowers working families, protects collective bargaining, and seeks to close the pay equity gap. It also increases funding for worker protection agencies to crack down on wage theft, combat overtime abuses, and safeguard workers’ retirement savings. Now is the time for Congress to remove the barriers that have held down wages for working Americans.

The People’s Budget makes major public investments to rebuild America by fixing our crumbling roads and bridges, improving schools, moving towards clean energy, and creating good paying jobs in the process.

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The Congressional Progressive Caucus was established in the U.S. House of Representatives in the early 1990s. It reflects the diversity and strength of the American people, and we seek to give voice to the needs and aspirations of all Americans and to build a more just and humane society. The Co-Chairs of the 78-Member Congressional Progressive Caucus, U.S. Representatives Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), welcome your interest in the growing Progressive Caucus.


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

http://cpc-grijalva.house.gov/the-peoples-budget-prosperity-not-austerity-invest-in-america/



And where I got the story


http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2016/03/03/progressive-caucus-releases-peoples-budget-fy-2017