Debt ceiling deal is done. Now we must protect vital programs, press for new revenues and pivot toward job creation, USAction says.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 2, 2011
Contact: David Elliot, 202-263-4567
WASHINGTON – With the debt ceiling now extended into 2013, USAction today called on Congress to focus on the issue that is most important to the American public: jobs.
Alan Charney, USAction director of strategy and policy, said Congress and indeed all of America face three challenges moving forward.”Protect vital programs, press for new revenues and cuts in wasteful Pentagon spending and pivot toward the number one issue facing our country today – jobs,” he said.
Charney added that the debt ceiling deal, the need for new revenue and the lack of good-paying jobs in America are closely interrelated. “The deal will cost jobs – no doubt about it,” he said. “But we can minimize the damage going forward. We can raise new revenue by closing corporate loopholes and raising taxes for millionaires and billionaires. This would fund job creation – which, in turn, would help our economy get back on its feet.”
He said job creation is really about rebuilding America’s middle class. “Working and middle class families are getting crushed while the wealthiest and most powerful people are taking more and more,” he said. “We have to rebuild the middle class because it is the engine of our economy. But rebuilding the middle class requires deliberate action on our part – it doesn’t happen by accident. So we need a Congress that works for all Americans, not just the most powerful.”
USAction, its national partners and its state affiliates will embark on a Good Jobs for Everyone in America campaign this month. Preparing for the campaign, USAction affiliates in July held more than 100 events throughout the United States and delivered more than 42,000 messages to Congress, calling on members to raise taxes for millionaires and billionaires and cut Pentagon spending, instead of slashing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
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USAction is a federation of 24 state affiliates and partners that organize for a more just America. With our state partners, we build broad coalitions to win progressive campaigns that enrich people’s lives
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