Cicilline, Langevin oppose ‘fast-tracking’ TPP free trade agreement


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tppThe Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed 12 nation free trade agreement that’s been nicknamed “NAFTA on steroids” between the US, Canada, Japan and others, has the American left – if not mainstream America yet – on high alert for two reasons.

One reason is that so-called “free trade” agreements and organizations like the TPP, NAFTA and the WTO benefit big business rather than regular Americans.

“Global health advocates, environmentalists, Internet activists and trade unions have deep concerns about what the deal might contain, and are making as much noise as possible in order to influence negotiations before a final version becomes public,” according to a Washington Post Wonkblog post from December.

And the other reason is that the final version could win congressional approval without ever becoming public. President Obama has been seeking what is called “fast track authority” which would stifle lawmakers ability to amend the deal.

That’s why Congressmen David Cicilline and Jim Langevin, along with 150 House Democrats, signed a letter saying the TPP it should not be fast tracked.

“I believe it is too important an issue for Congress to be bypassed with fast-track authority,” Langevin said in an email to RI Future. “The TPP is far-reaching, affecting economics, intellectual property, the environment, health care and so much more, and as such, it merits a transparent, measured discussion between the Administration and members of Congress.”

Added Congressman David Cicilline: “Using trade promotion authority to ‘fast track’ complex trade agreements restricts Congress’s ability to ensure trade policies are fair for American workers, businesses, intellectual property holders, and consumers. Congress should have a say in crafting trade agreements, which impact U.S. workers and our economy.”

While details of the TPP are still shrouded in secrecy, there is some evidence that the free trade agreement could have a particular impact on an industry important to Rhode Island’s economy. According to the International Business Times (emphasis mine): “The U.S. has its own issues about opening up certain industries, too, such as removing sugar import tariffs and quotas that would harm American sugar beet farmers. The U.S. is also facing the sensitive prospect of inflicting harm on domestic textile and seafood producers in the negotiating process.”

But the Left in general fears the deal because, like NAFTA, it could put American workers in peril and would probably have adverse effects on environmental protections as well. According to the Economist: The “21st-century” aspects of TPP are “behind-the-border” issues, such as intellectual-property protection, environmental and labour standards, the privileges of state-owned enterprises and government-procurement practices. All are problematic.”

And then there are the provisions of the TPP that should raise ire in every American. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation: “Leaked draft texts of the agreement show that the [intellectual property] chapter would have extensive negative ramifications for users’ freedom of speech, right to privacy and due process, and hinder peoples’ abilities to innovate.”

Thanks for standing against domestic spying, Congressman Cicilline


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cicillineIt is rare for me to call my elected representatives, and rarer to call them allies. Like many Rhode Islanders, I swim against a tide of cynicism.

However, Congressman Cicilline, whatever brand of patriotism has motivated you to oppose the NSA and its spying, for that patriotism you have my own honor in accord. I am with you.

I am quite unsure whether or not the rest of our delegation will do what you have bravely done: co-sponsor and support the USA Freedom Act in order to limit, and hopefully soon end, these flagrant abuses of power by the NSA and other surveillance programs.

For you, sir:

I will never forget, and will forever cherish, the day I witnessed our Congress, your Congress Mr. Cicilline, an edifice I had long given up on, rise up and strike against a beast that grew in darkness. You, our public servants so often estranged, had a special fire in you. I saw, perhaps for the first time in my adult memory, an unlikely coalition of fearful friends struggle to defend the dignity of their people. This was no fool’s errand; it spoke to the heart of what we need from you now. More than ever we need it, from all your fellows!

We may have missed by twelve votes then, but not this time. We have a better bill, and a more focused will to fight.

Remarkably I find myself with a renewed faith that, in the ever-darkening halls of public office, there may remain enough principled people to make these, the toughest of decisions: those that may cost us the cheap domain of comfort, and they, their own seats of power, all to alleviate the real suffering of another.

I am with you, sir, as nothing secures our common dignity but our willingness to be vulnerable. Together! May those who feel otherwise be banished to the safety of their small hearts and soulless thrones. We all suffer for our inaction, so thus let us bear the burden together, at once, and abolish these programs of suspicion, torture, and murder!

For the reader: please consider reaching out to our other delegates in Congress, Senators Reed and Whitehouse, and Representative Langevin, and to all who will listen. Implore them to fight back against this regime of unwarranted spying and data collection that threatens our privacy and self-respect as a society. Support the USA Freedom Act! Follow this issue and those most difficult to come. Dearest reader, we cannot afford to do otherwise, and so much more remains for us to bear.

In earnest, for his protection of our common liberty, let us thank Congressman Cicilline for his service.

Whitehouse, Reed vote no on food stamp cuts in farm bill


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delegationSenators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed were two of the nine Democrats who voted no on the latest version of the farm bill, which slashes food stamps by $8 billion over the next 10 years.  When the original Senate farm bill (which would have cut nutrition programs by $4 billion) passed, our Senators were the only Democrats voting no.

In the final bill, they picked up no votes from seven other Democrats, including the Senators from our neighboring states–Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).  Because a surprising number of progressives, including Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), voted with leadership on this one, our senators’ principled votes are especially meaningful.

In the house, both of our Congressmen voted no, too.  David Cicilline took to the floor to deliver one of his best speeches yet, deploring the cruelty of cutting anti-hunger programs.

Although we lost this battle, because our delegation put up such a hard fight, they almost certainly kept the cuts from being even worse than they are.  They deserve our gratitude today.

 

RIF Radio: Special State of Union edition with Jack Reed, Jim Langevin and David Cicillne


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Wednesday Jan 29
North Kingstown, RI – Good morning Futurists. This is Bob Plain, editor and publisher of the RI Future blog podcasting to you from The Hideaway on the banks of the Mattatuxet River behind the Shady Lea Mill in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

We’ve got a special post State of the Union podcast for you today, complete with extended conversations with most of our congressional delegation about President Obama’s speech last night. Unfortunately we weren’t able to catch up with Senator Whitehouse,  but we did speak with Senator Reed and Congressmen Langevin and Cicilline.

Cicilline, Gutierrez put on pressure for immigration reform


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gutierrezDavid Cicilline has brought his colleague Luis V. Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat from I here to the Ocean State to rally for immigration reform. Today at 5:30 at the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Providence. Gutierrez is leading the effort among House Dems for a bi-partisan immigration bill and he will be joined in Providence by Sen. Jack Reed, Laurie White, CEO of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, George Nee, president of the AFL-CIO and Mario Beuno, executive director of Progreso Latino.

Cicilline will have more opportunities to work on this issue with Gutierrez, now that he’s been appointed to the judiciary committee. According to a press release from his office, “In his new role as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Cicilline will help oversee federal immigration policy and help guide legislation through Congress to reform our broken immigration system.”

Here’s the full release:

U.S. Representatives David N. Cicilline (D-RI) and Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), both members of the influential House Judiciary Committee, will be joined by federal, state, and local leaders, including many elected officials, this Friday, January 17th at 5:30 p.m. at the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Providence to rally for comprehensive immigration reform and call on Congress to enact this important legislation.

Congressman Gutierrez, who is a lead negotiator in the U.S. House of Representatives on a bipartisan immigration reform bill and Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, will be travelling to Rhode Island at Cicilline’s request.  Over the past year, Gutierrez has visited states across the country as part of his ongoing effort to build public support for immigration reform legislation in Congress.

Last summer, the U.S. Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform legislation to grow our economy, provide a path to citizenship for deserving immigrants, and secure our borders.  Cicilline is an original co-sponsor of similar legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that over the next 10 years this bill would promote job creation and wage increases, cut the deficit by nearly $158 billion, and increase America’s GDP by over $800 billion.

Groups from the business, faith, and labor communities that support immigration reform include: Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Small Business Majority, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Caterpillar, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Interfaith Immigration Coalition, American Jewish Committee, Muslim Public Affairs Council, AFL-CIO, SEIU, UFW, AFSCME, NEW, and TEAMSTERS.

WHO: U.S. Representative David N. Cicilline (D-RI)

U.S. Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL)

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)

Laurie White, President and CEO at Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce

George Nee, President of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO

Reverend Donald Anderson, Executive Minister at Rhode Island Council of Churches

Mario Bueno, Executive Director at Progreso Latino

Rhode Island First District residents

WHEN: Friday, January 17th at 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Saint Michael The Archangel

239 Oxford Street

Providence

UI funding crisis: ‘I had to give up an apartment I loved to move back with family…


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Erica Campanella

Representative David Cicilline held a press conference this weekend calling out a “Republican-led Congress” that skipped town for the holidays leaving 1.3 million Americans without desperately needed unemployment insurance.

He also asked three Rhode Islanders to tell their stories.

Erica Campanella hasn’t had a problem finding a job, she says, “I have a problem keeping a job… I’ve been laid off five times since 2008.”

One company thought Campanella’s freelance rate was too high, so they hired her into a full time position at a lower hourly rate. Two months later, when the job was done, she was laid off. I asked her if she thought she had been tricked by the company into doing the work on the cheap. She told me that she didn’t think that was the case, but that the company simply needed to make the cut because of the bad economy.

As for moving back in with family, she is grateful that she was able to, but she can’t imagine what those without family must be going through.

UI funding crisis: ‘It’s becoming very hard on my household…’


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Clarice Thompson

Representative David Cicilline held a press conference this weekend calling out a “Republican-led Congress” that skipped town for the holidays leaving 1.3 million Americans without desperately needed unemployment insurance.

He also asked three Rhode Islanders to tell their stories.

Clarice Thompson has a job, but her partner has been unemployed since July. Clarice spoke because her partner is “not able to be here because she’s looking for work… out and about, doing just that.” Recently her partner had to extend her search for work outside of Rhode Island.

Clarice later told me that when her partner was laid off the family could only afford the COBRA health care insurance payments for one of them, so Clarice currently has no health care coverage. They had to choose between health care for Clarice and paying the mortgage on the house.

UI funding crisis: ‘I wouldn’t have reached out if I wasn’t in desperate need…’


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Rhonda McMichaelRepresentative David Cicilline held a press conference this weekend calling out a “Republican-led Congress” that skipped town for the holidays leaving 1.3 million Americans without desperately needed unemployment insurance.

He also asked three Rhode Islanders to tell their stories.

Rhonda McMichael is 54 years old, and she has lived in Rhode Island and worked all her life. She “never asked for a penny” while she was raising her two children, because she always felt there was someone else who needed the money more.

“So,” she says, “I went and got two or three jobs…”

McMichael has exhausted her 401K, and as a breast cancer survivor without unemployment benefits, she can’t afford her medications.

She later added, “Because I’m in this situation, I have to now start applying for food assistance, housing assistance, my health care is going to end on the first of the year so what do I do?”

UI funding crisis: Reed, Cicilline fight to restore unemployment benefits


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cicillneRhode Island’s congressional delegation had a busy weekend working to restore extended unemployment benefits. Senator Jack Reed, a co-sponsor of the benefit now expired that helps 1.3 million out-of-work Americans, spoke with President Obama who offered his support, tweeted Reed.

And on the House side, Representative David Cicilline held a press event to offer tough words for the Republicans who skipped town while more than a million Americans economic lifelines hang in the balance. He also gave a public voice to a few of the 5,000 directly affected Rhode Islanders.

Cicilline’s statement is here, and we’ll be posting video of the people affected telling their own stories in subsequent posts.

The day the Republican-led Congress skipped town for the holidays it left behind 1.3 million Americans who rely upon this assistance to survive as they continue to look for work. Nearly 5,000 Rhode Islanders who have already exhausted their state benefits and are now without their last safety net.

I’m not giving up this fight until we renew emergency unemployment benefits for people struggling to find work.  We can’t turn our back on more than a million Americans, especially in Rhode Island where our unemployment rate is the highest in the nation.

Was this David Cicilline’s best vote yet?


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cicillineLast Thursday, David Cicilline cast one of his best votes in Congress, voting against the latest budgetary assault on economy.

It is not easy to defend the austerity “deal” struck between Paul Ryan and Patty Murray.  On its face, it looks bad.  In exchange for $85 billion in austerity, this deal would pare back $65 million of the sequester cuts.  That is what Democrats get.  (Remember how the sequester cuts were supposed to affect Republican and Democratic priorities equally?)

The austerity measures do not include any Democratic priorities like closing tax loopholes for the rich or large corporations.  Instead, the most prominent provisions are pension cuts for federal workers and a big hike to air travel fees.  Of course, there is also the usual mess of blatant right-wing giveaways, like opening more of the Gulf of Mexico up for offshore drilling.

In many ways, this is the sort of “deal” we have come to expect.  Any stimulus must be paired with steeper austerity.  For those of us who believe that we should be passing a jobs bill and fixing the economy, it is a disappointment we have become sadly accustomed to.  Since the 2010 elections, we have been losing the broader budgetary battle–and losing it spectacularly.

None of this is the main reason Congressman Cicilline voted no.  For there is something much worse about this deal–it does not extend benefits for the long-term unemployed.  As the Congressman put it so eloquently on the floor of the House, “just three days after Christmas, 1.3 million Americans struggling to find work will be immediately thrown out into the cold and lose their unemployment assistance, including 4,900 Rhode Islanders.”  To put that in context, nearly as many Rhode Islanders will lose unemployment benefits as the 6,500 Rhode Islanders Gordon Fox threw off of Medicaid this year!  It is easy to see why Nancy Pelosi had to resort to “embrace the suck” as her main argument for voting yes.

While some may fantasize that passing the budget deal will not kill any shot at passing Senator Reed’s bill to extend benefits (which Senator Whitehouse has cosponsored), it is hard to see the House passing it outside of a deal.  Make no mistake, a vote for the budget deal is a vote against unemployment insurance.  David Cicilline has the sense to recognize this.  His no vote on this dangerous deal might just be his best vote yet.

David Cicilline: A path forward


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cicilline msnbcMore than two weeks into the federal government shutdown, the American people have every right to be mad as hell at Congress.

When it works the way our Founders designed it, the American model of government is the envy of the world. But right now we are at a standstill because Republicans and Democrats have failed to cooperate in order to get things done for our country.

The cause of the current dysfunction in Washington is some combination of the disproportionate power of a small group of ideological intransigents called the tea party, a broken campaign finance system made worse by Citizens United and the influence of corporate and anonymous spending in our elections, gerrymandered congressional districts that undermine any chance of bi-partisanship, and the unwillingness to confront, in a serious way, our nation’s debt.

As a result, Head Start, the Small Business Administration, and the Veterans Administration have been forced to suspend some or all of their operations. Hundreds of thousands of government workers have been told to stay home – they don’t know when they’re going to get their next paycheck. And while Washington politicians are using this crisis to score political points, the federal government shutdown is hurting families in cities and towns across Rhode Island and all over the United States.

Even as both sides have traded political barbs in recent days and argued forcefully on the cause of the government shutdown, we have yet to hear a clear path forward out of this mess that would be acceptable to both Democrats and Republicans and advances our nation’s interests.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, mandatory spending for programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid is expected to increase $1.6 trillion over the coming decade. Anyone who is serious about protecting these programs and the benefits they provide America’s seniors, our veterans, and the disabled, can recognize that even as we preserve existing benefits, we need to make changes to the way these programs are funded in order to ensure they continue to provide for future generations as well.

And there is no question that our nation faces serious fiscal challenges across the board that demand innovative solutions from policymakers. Unfortunately, neither side has articulated a way to move beyond this current crisis in a way that enhances our long-term stability and honors our values as a nation.

The American people don’t care who is to blame for this current crisis. They are sick of hearing members of both parties sling mud and try to capitalize politically on each new crisis of the month. Instead, they want their elected officials to provide a path forward that outlines a way to get our country back on the right track and stops the current pattern of lurching from crisis to crisis without a long-term vision for our nation’s success.

That’s why Congress should immediately end this crisis by passing a clean continuing resolution to fund the entire government and raise the debt ceiling, both for a period of 90 days and then commit to an expedited negotiation process so that we can thoughtfully develop a commonsense, long-term strategy for growing jobs, responsibly reducing our deficit, investing in educational opportunities, and strengthening the guarantees of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Our leaders, on both sides of the aisle, should agree to travel to a place like Camp David or Independence Hall in Philadelphia, in a summit-like setting, and remain there until they hammer out a reasonable compromise — a good reminder of the greatness of our country and the genius of our founders.

And while these goals may seem difficult in today’s political climate, they are certainly not without precedent. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose legacy endures with modern-day progressives, clashed often with Congressional Republicans who opposed his agenda, but when he asked for a vote on the Social Security Act, Republicans in the House voted 77-18 in favor of his historic proposal.

Ronald Reagan, who is still revered as an icon by conservatives today, worked regularly with Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill to get work done on taxes, Social Security, and infrastructure investments. There is no reason that Republicans and Democrats today should not be able to work in a similar way to find common ground and develop a long-term strategy that creates jobs, strengthens our economic outlook, and cuts the deficit in a responsible way that honors our values as a nation.

After more than a week of an unnecessary federal government shutdown, it’s time for both parties to focus again on making good public policy decisions for the hardworking Americans who sent us to Washington.

Cicilline is serious about background checks


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Stephen Colbert may have had some fun with David Cicilline last night, but Rhode Island’s most progressive congressman is serious about his supporting background checks for gun owners.

But first, Colbert:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

Now, make sure you watch Congressman Cicilline being quite serious about the issue in giving this address from the House floor yesterday:

cicilline

To: RI congressional delegation Re: Syria


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Wounded Syrian Child Asks for PeaceYou have been given a rare opportunity in a time of crisis to thoughtfully direct the United States before military force has been applied. Since the Vietnam War, Presidents have usurped the responsibility of Congress to declare war. It is a welcome challenge that you face.

That the Assad government in Syria has crossed a line by using chemical weapons against its own population seems to be little in doubt.

If there was a clear and clean target—a weapons dump or a political assassination—that would erase the danger and the perpetrator, I suspect that the President would have moved ahead without seeking your advice and approval. Recent years have, as you know, demonstrated the uncertainty and indecisiveness of Congress in supporting this President.

Therefore the use of force will be symbolic, using our military power to spank the criminals who are brutally killing their own population.

But will dropping bombs demonstrate that deploying chemical weapons is wrong, or will it just replace an unauthorized weapon of mass destruction with its legally sanctioned cousin?

Furthermore, an almost unilateral response by the United States seems unlikely to do more than increase the damage both in the Middle East and back here. If there is one lesson that we could learn from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is that modern wars do not have clean and clear endings.

We have gotten into the habit of pitting our munitions and soldiers against repressive regimes and terrorist-supporting governments at great expense, loss of life, and with only partial success.

In the 21st century, military action with or without a clearly defined goal produces instability in the war zone, and redirects waves of terrorist resentment against all parties involved.

In short, the war machine will shift from Afghanistan to Syria. The terrorists will have more cannon fodder, the US will remain the enemy, and the eventual results we produce will be unstable and out of our hands.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the “war on terror” have cost us our children’s education. They have cost us our roads. They have cost us our privacy. They have enticed our soldiers to torture and our government to renditions, assassination-like drone strikes, and imprisonments without trial.

Given the rock and the hard place, how shall you vote?

Congress is neither nimble enough nor designed to make foreign policy.

Congress does have the power to declare war. Or not. Despite the inclination for this Congress to actually accomplish something, doing is not always better than deliberately doing nothing.

You can demonstrate the power of representative democracy—not by abandoning an injured foreign population but by drawing limits against the use of power in the name of peace.

Sirs, as a voter, a citizen and an American, I ask you to vote against the unilateral use of military force in Syria.

Progressive Dems deliver letters to congressmen


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Each month, members of the Progressive Democrats of America across the country drop letters at the offices of our national representatives.  Here is the letter we are delivering to our Representatives this month.  This is the Cicilline letter.  The main difference in the Langevin letter is that Langevin did not support the Amash-Conyers amendment.

Right-wing state legislators in states like North Carolina, Texas, and Rhode Island are launching an unprecedented assault on the right to vote.  It is time to take a stand and protect the most fundamental right of our democracy.  At the same time, we remain in a severe jobs crisis because of conservative austerity policies.  We must restore growth.

Thank you for signing onto Rep. Lewis’s H.R. 12: The Voter Empowerment Act, which would simplify and modernize the voting process, offering equal access for every citizen.  In the spirit of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., we call on you to mark the 50th Anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom by cosponsoring, speaking out, and supporting the following legislation:

  • H.J. Res. 44: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding the right to vote.
  • H.J. Res. 43 Removing the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
  • Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment and Training Act, H.R. 1000.
  • H.R. 1579: The Inclusive Prosperity Act, a stronger version of the Harkin-DeFazio compromise bill you have cosponsored.  Without a large number of Democrats endorsing a fully robust financial speculation tax, the compromise effort runs the risk of being watered down even further.

We would like as well to thank you for supporting the Amash-Conyers amendment to stop the indiscriminate tapping of phone calls and collection of emails from millions of Americans.  We are very pleased that you recognize that this type of surveillance weakens our most fundamental right to privacy while doing nothing to enhance the overall security of this country.*

Finally, we join with the George Wiley Center to thank you most sincerely for fighting to maintain the SNAP program, and we ask that you provide us with the names and contact information for your staffers responsible for all of these issues.

*In the Langevin letter, this paragraph reads:  “We would also like to thank you for holding a town hall meeting where we and other constituents could explain our concerns with your vote against the Amash-Conyers amendment.  This amendment would have stopped the indiscriminate tapping of phone calls and collection of emails from millions of Americans.”

cropped-ripdalogo

Join me for a neighborhood conversation next week


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cicilline primary victoryNext week, I am coming home to host the first two of several neighborhood conversations about the challenges we face across this great state, and I wanted to make sure RI Future readers knew about next week’s events in Woonsocket and Bristol.

As your voice in Congress, it is critical that I hear directly from you on the challenges we face and how my office can better serve you. That’s why I look forward to discussing a wide range of topics with you including my jobs and manufacturing agenda for Rhode Island, protecting the guarantee of Medicare and Social Security, honoring our responsibilities to our veterans, keeping student loan rates low, and achieving comprehensive immigration reform.

I’d also like to share with you some additional information about the services my office can provide to help you better navigate federal agencies as well as how to access important services provided by the federal government. Please join me at one or both of the following Neighborhood Conversations:

For more information, please call my office at 729-5600 or email me at David.Cicilline@mail.house.gov. Thanks and I look forward to seeing you next week in Woonsocket or Bristol.

Langevin okays domestic spying; Cicilline opposes


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Kudos to Rep. Cicilline for his vote in support of Justin Amash’s (R-MI) amendment to curtail the NSA’s regime of domestic surveillance.  Meanwhile, Rep. Langevin took a disappointing vote, as activists came up just short of overwhelming the efforts of the NSA, White House, and others to continue collecting Americans phone records and other data.

We lost on a 205-217 vote — while losing Rep. Langevin and several other Democrats, including a handful who’d purport to be progressive.

Demand Progress substantially coordinated these efforts, connecting activists with relevant Hill staff and driving in tens of thousands of constituent calls and emails to Congress over the last few days.

There’s coverage of our work in the Guardian, Huffington Post, Mashable, Vice, The Christian Science Monitor, and many other outlets.

Lots to say about what went down, but it’s worth highlighting the disgusting rhetoric of Dem leadership — accusing all Americans of being potential terrorists in their memo whipping Dems to vote against the amendment.  (My emphasis):

Amash/Conyers/Mulvaney/Polis/Massie Amendment – Bars the NSA and other agencies from using Section 215 of the Patriot Act (as codified by Section 501 of FISA) to collect records, including telephone call records, that pertain to persons who may be in communication with terrorist groups but are not already subject to an investigation under Section 215

Meanwhile, the White House issued a (non-ironic) statement decrying the lack of open deliberation about the Amash amendment — which would’ve reined in a system of laws that were built via case law developed in a system of secret courts.

Today’s showing was extraordinary — and while we came up short, we’ve made our point loud and clear, and we’re going to win this fight in not too long.

‘Immoral’ that GOP stripped food stamp program


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cicillineSpeaking about the controversial Farm Bill that also authorizes funding food stamps, Congressman David Cicilline said the House GOP “made a clear choice to protect generous subsidies for agriculture corporations at the expense of the hungry and working poor.”

He’s right. According to the New York Times: “Republicans muscled a pared-back agriculture bill through the House on Thursday, stripping out the food stamp program to satisfy recalcitrant conservatives but losing what little Democratic support the bill had when it failed last month. It was the first time food stamps had not been a part of the farm bill since 1973.”

Cicilline said about 1/5 of Rhode Island will be adversely affected by the GOP’s decision.

“Make no mistake today House Republicans are telling hungry children food banks struggling to meet the needs of their community and low-income seniors who depend on food assistance that there needs don’t matter,” he said. “They are not extraneous. This is disgraceful, it’s immoral and it’s contrary to our values as a nation.”

Congressman Cicilline stands with Sen. Warren


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elizabeth warrenElizabeth Warren made waves recently when she introduced the Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act, which would offer students the same low interest rate the Federal Reserve offers big banks through the discount window, currently around 0.75%. This strong proposal highlights one of the most destructive, anti-capitalist practices of our government.

The Fed, which is partially owned and controlled by the banks, has been offering those very banks very low interest loans. Even though the abyss of private sector debt crippling ordinary consumers remains the primary force holding down aggregate demand, the Fed has refused to take more aggressive action to lower the real interest rates ordinary Americans pay on that debt. Warren’s bill would change that.

The sort of populist message that made the Democratic party the electoral juggernaut it once was, this bill has garnered considerable support from red state Democrats. Of the seven Senate cosponsors, four hail from states that voted for Romney and McCain. What these Senators see in Elizabeth Warren’s brand is that old-school FDR Democratic party, that pro-growth Democratic party that once swept to victory in today’s red states by catastrophic margins. Economic populism made the party great. If we return to it, we will be great again.

That is why it is so important that David Cicilline signed on as a cosponsor of the House version of Warren’s bill. It is a vote of confidence in the true vision of the party. Congressman Cicilline deserves to be recognized for his strong stance on this issue. You can give him a call to thank him here:

David Cicilline: (202)-225-4911

Unfortunately, Langevin, Reed, and Whitehouse have yet to sign onto Warren’s bill. Each of them has a good record on financial issues and should be winnable. If you’d like to see them join Elizabeth Warren, you can give them a call here:

Jim Langevin: (202) 225-2735

Jack Reed: (202) 224-4642

Sheldon Whitehouse: (202) 224-2921

A key ally of Warren on the banking committee, Jack Reed has introduced a compromise bill that keeps the interest rate on student loans from doubling but doesn’t push to lower them. Compromise is important. But it should never be your opening offer. Without a bold progressive proposal like Warren’s, Reed’s compromise will be seen as what the Democrats want. It will be the place Republicans start bargaining from. So the best thing Senator Reed can do to protect his bill is cosponsor Senator Warren’s.

PolitiFact RI once again shows right-wing bias


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I was going to write about this this weekend, but the Huffington Post beat me to it.

PolitiFact is well-known nationally for its conservative bias. In Rhode Island, where PolitiFact has partnered with the right of center Providence Journal, this bias was recently on full display. Recently, they went after David Cicilline for saying on Newsmakers that the Social Security payroll tax is currently assessed on about 83 percent of income, down from a peak of “approximately 90 percent of the income generated in this country…which was sort of where it has been historically.”

This is true. Even PolitiFact admits that both numbers are correct. In order to justify a “mostly false” rating, they claim that Cicilline’s muttered qualifier, “sort of where it has been historically,” amounted to saying that 90 percent was the historical average, not the peak. That sort of unreasonable quibbling could arguably justify a “mostly true.” But there really is no defending a “mostly false” rating.

In fact, PolitiFact was guilty of some misleading of their own. The percentage of earnings taxed started at 92 when the program was implemented in 1937, dipped down to a low of 71 in 1965, and rose to a peak of 90 in 1982 and 1983. It has since declined to 83 percent. In their quest for a “mostly false,” PolitiFact neglected to mention the fact that the figure started at 92 percent, giving the impression that 90 percent was the all-time peak, instead of the closest the income percentage ever came to returning to its starting point.

The cap on social security taxes is one of the most regressive features of America’s tax system. To help address this, Obama added a 0.9 percentage point high-income surcharge on the Medicare tax and cut the Social Security tax by two points. Here’s what that looks like in chart form:

payrollTaxRate

Sadly, this pro-growth, highly progressive Social Security tax cut recently expired, falling victim to austerity politics.

37th vote on Obamacare


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Three years ago, over strong Republican opposition, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law a historic health care reform bill. Opponents of the bill took their case all the way to the Supreme Court…and still lost. And later today, Republicans in the House are going to vote for a 37th time to repeal all or part of this law.

I spoke on the House floor earlier today pointing out just how ridiculous this is and urging the Republican leadership to get back to the important task of getting our country back to work. Watch the video below and then leave a comment about what Republicans in Congress should be working on instead of another empty attempt at repealing health care reform.


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