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Stimulus Compromise a Big Victory for Poor Communities and President Obama
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Center for Community Change and community organizations across the country today heralded the package as a “down payment” on change and called for both houses of Congress to pass the recovery plan to start getting America working again.
Washington-Congress has reached agreement on a historic $789 billion Economic Recovery Plan. If passed, this legislation will represent the largest economic stimulus proposal ever initiated. The Center for Community Change and community organizations across the country today heralded the package as a “down payment” on change and called for both houses of Congress to pass the recovery plan to start getting America working again.
“This compromise marked an important first step in altering the way business is done in Washington,” said the Gabe Gonzalez, head of the Center’s Campaign for Community Values. “These are the largest investments in poverty programs in decades. We worked with community organizations across the country. We worked in the halls of congress and in home states and districts. We did so because we believe that only by fixing the inequality at the root of our economic crises can all Americans benefit.”
“No one can say the legislation is perfect – we will continue to address the problems that remain – for example, we missed an opportunity to use job targeting rules to make sure this money gets to struggling families that really need it,” Gonzalez continued, “But there is crucial help for people in this bill – the expansion of the Child Tax Credit will keep hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty, the infrastructure spending will create critical jobs and expansions in unemployment benefits, health care coverage and food stamps will help soften the blow of this economic crisis on many of the most vulnerable Americans.”
“Not everyone in Washington heeded this nation’s thirst for bold change and we will re-commit ourselves to making sure the voices of diverse communities across America are heard loud and clear on the fight for just immigration reform, the struggle to achieve universal health care for all and establishing real workers rights. Our campaign is grounded in the belief that now, at this juncture, it is the responsibility of those who govern to recognize we are all in this together.”
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The Campaign for Community Values is a national coalition of more than 200 grassroots organizations from across the country advancing policies to make America finally work for all of us. The initiative is led by the Center for Community Change, a 40 year-old national organization dedicated to building the field of community organizing, with hundreds of local organizations nationwide.
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