Last year, I was arrested in Milwaukee while protesting shoulder to shoulder with our city's fast-food workers during a nationwide strike to raise the minimum wage. Our message was clear: America's workers deserve better. Today, our message is amplified by the voices of students, teachers, parents, and those from the private and public sectors. Their collective support for a living wage and the right to collectively bargain can be heard from coast to coast, sending a clear message to America's workforce that we are in their corner. I am proud to be one of those voices. Read more »
I am honored and privileged to have been chosen by Leader Pelosi to serve as one of our party's conferees to the FY 2016 Budget Conference. As we take our place at the negotiating table, my Democratic colleagues and I are committed to forging a path to a sensible budget agreement that recognizes the struggle and challenges of our country's most vulnerable. Read more »
Today, the House of Representatives showed what we can do when we come together and compromise. Through bipartisan cooperation, the House passed legislation that will benefit seniors, children, and families all across America. Read more »
Once again, House Republicans have passed a budget that cuts programs crucial to the working and middle class so that they can provide more lavish tax breaks to the rich. This tired, failed trickle-down approach shows that the Republican Party lacks new ideas and has no regard for how for how these cuts will affect hardworking Americans. Read more »
The bipartisan passage of NAHASDA demonstrates that the House of Representatives is capable of working together to get important things accomplished. This legislation is a crucial step in building economic opportunity for Native Americans, while maintaining and respecting their Tribal sovereignty. Read more »
In the ongoing assault on Wisconsin's working class, Governor Walker signed another crippling anti-worker bill into law. This so-called •right-to-work' legislation is nothing but a bald-faced attempt by our Republican Governor and legislature to protect special interests at the expense of working class families. I am reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King who once said, •In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as •right to work.' It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights.' Read more »
This week, my colleagues Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) Congressman Denny Heck (D-WA), Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and I introduced legislation to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank before its charter expires on June 30. For 70 years, the Export-Import Bank has aided U.S. businesses to access foreign markets and ensured that American exports remain competitive. Our legislation would further bolster the bank's ability to support American businesses in an increasingly crowded global market. H.R. 1031 is widely supported by my fellow Democrats in the House, with a growing total of more than 160 cosponsors. Read more »
During this month, we must not forget the importance of the local African American activists, who clashed with the forces of inequality on the front lines without a thought of personal recognition. We have people like Charlyane Hunter-Gault, Vel Phillips, and Lloyd Barbee to thank for the progress the African American community has made over the past half century. I hope their examples can serve to inspire a new generation of local activists, like they have inspired me, to continue their fight for justice and equality for all. Read more »
In addition to the President's pursuit to end the sequester and address the important issue of wage stagnation, I was personally delighted to see such robust investments toward addressing the needs and concerns of vulnerable Americans. I especially commend President Obama for his $500 million commitment toward renewing and expanding the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home… Read more »
I take great pride and honor in assuming my new role as Ranking Member on the Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee. I am deeply appreciative to have the trust and confidence of my congressional colleagues as I undertake this great responsibility. As our country continues to rebound from the financial crisis, it is critical that we maximize on our current economic momentum in a fashion that further fosters commercial growth and supports job creation. Read more »
