Posts Tagged ‘priorities’

EPA says climate change bill would cost less than originally anticipated

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

The Wall Street Journal has a piece today about the first round of arguments in the climate change debate taking place in Congress. Most notably, the EPA presented new analysis of the bill put forward by Reps. Waxman and Markey on the House Energy Committee, stating that the plan would cost consumers far less than the nearly $3,000 a year per household that many opponents have referenced.

Check out the pdf of the EPA’s analysis here.

Which comes first? Health care or climate change?

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

With so much at stake in the coming weeks, there has been much speculation about which problems will be tackled first (if at all) during this Congressional session. While Obama has laid out clear goals of fixing health care, tackling climate change, and improving higher education, it remains to be seen which issue Congress will make a priority.

Despite Rep. Henry Waxman’s promise to move a climate bill through the House by Memorial Day,  The Wall Street Journal speculates that health care will be addressed before climate change issues, which are more controversial:

“A growing number of Democratic lawmakers prefer health care, saying that has a far greater chance of producing consensus than climate change, inside the party and across party lines. And they argue that it would be a more tangible accomplishment to present to financially stressed voters heading into the 2010 midterm elections.”

Read the full article here, and keep checking back here to see how things unfold. In the meantime, call your Senator today and tell him/her which issues YOU think should be a priority.

New York Times backs ending FFELP program for student loans

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

In an editorial published today, the New York Times came out against the FFELP program, stating that the “direct-lending proposal is clearly in the country’s best interest.” Check out the excerpt below:

The direct-loan program suffered no such disruption. In addition to being more reliable, direct lending is also less expensive. Equally important, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the country would save $94 billion over the next decade by switching completely to direct lending.

This would not in fact “grow government,” as conservatives in Congress have already begun to charge. The loans would be handled through colleges, just the way Pell Grants are now. The loans would then be serviced and collected by private companies that are already competing for this lucrative business.

What are our Progressive Budget Priorities?

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

budget_pie

I’m sure at this point, we’ve made ourselves clear on how vital it is for Congress to pass a progressive budget. But you may be asking yourself, what exactly do these progressive priorities entail?

Or, maybe you are lobbying/attending an event with your Member of Congress this last week of recess and need some specific talking points on the investments needed in this year’s budget.

Well, look no further. Below are Campus Progress one-pagers outlining our progressive budget priorities for affordable college education, green jobs and climate, and health care – including great background info on the current problems associated with each issue.

Progressive Budget Priorities:

College Affordability

Green Jobs/Climate

Health Care

Use these outlines to brush up on the specifics of the issues you demand to see addressed in the budget or use them as talking points when lobbying your Reps and Senators or writing a letter-to-the-editor!