RLC Weekly: For Workers, Students, and Teachers

September 13, 2024
In The News

Dear Colleagues,

On the heels of promising inflation news and an Affordable Care Act milestone, the Biden-Harris Administration and House Democrats continue to tout the local impact of the Investing in America agenda in their communities. Here are a few recent highlights:

Meeting with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona

The Regional Leadership Council (RLC) met with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona this week to discuss how the Investing in America agenda can continue strengthening educational opportunities and creating healthy learning environments across the country. They also spoke about how the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act's gun safety protections and investments in youth mental health are making a difference in schools nationwide. Following the meeting, Secretary Cardona thanked the RLC and House Democrats for working to "raise the bar for public education in our country." Please reach out to your RLC Leader to see some of the materials shared during this meeting.

Prioritizing America's Workers

Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-06), union leaders, and local officials were on hand to watch President Joe Biden sign an executive order promoting good jobs standards in federal contracts. From the "Buy American" provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act to the workforce development programs in the CHIPS and Science Act, the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda has continued to prioritized labor agreements, high wage standards, and access to child care. See more local news on this event here.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was also in Michigan recently highlighting the 60,000 infrastructure projects announced by the Biden-Harris Administration. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-07) joined him for a tour of the US-127/496 interchange project, which Rep. Slotkin said is a "tangible example" of how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has made life better for Michiganders. See more local coverage on Michigan's infrastructure improvements here and here.

Sounding the Alarm on Project 2025

House Democrats continue to warn the public about the dangers of Project 2025 and its removal of checks and balances with our democracy. This week, RLC Leader Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Rep. Annie McLane Kuster (NH-02) highlighted how this agenda could raise energy costs for working families and increase pollution. Read more from Rep. Huffman and the House Natural Resources Committee Democrats here. See more from Rep. Kuster here.

What Else?

  • U.S. Department of the Treasury announced their proposed rules to implement the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax, which was created by the Inflation Reduction Act. This new provision of the tax code will level the playing field for small businesses by ensuring that the largest, most profitable corporations can no longer avoid paying their fair share. Read more here.
  • The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced $236 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strengthen wildfire resilience and recovery. Read more on these investments here.

For more updates on how to help implement the Investing in America agenda locally, please follow us on social media and share your story on how these investments are making a difference in your community. You can also visit our website for additional resources that will help track these historic investments.