Economic stimulus package

NETWORK is a progressive voice within the Catholic community that has been influencing Congress in favor of peace and justice for more than 30 years. They sent us the following information on the economic stimulus package:

An economic stimulus package must be timely, temporary and targeted. It must also be passed by both the House and the Senate and signed by the president. Unfortunately, many desirable provisions would make it unlikely to pass in both chambers.

Amid the furor to improve the economy, the president released his budget request on Monday, February 4, in which he promotes expansion of tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans - estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to cost $4.3 trillion over ten years.

According to the National Women's Law Center analysis, households with incomes over $450,000 a year (top 1%) will be gifted with over $1 trillion in tax cuts in this time - an average tax savings of $8,000 per year.

Funding for this gift to the wealthiest earners in the nation materializes through cuts to programs that provide necessities to low-wage workers, seniors, and persons with disabilities - including veterans.

ACTION

Contact your representative and senators; tell them to support an economic stimulus package that will:

- get money into the hands of seniors
- get money into the hands of veterans and other people whose disabilities keep them from significant earning, and
- extend unemployment insurance, expanding it to cover those who lost low-wage and part-time work
- increase funding for LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program), as the costs of energy skyrocket, even for those living in poverty.

More information is available here.