Paralyzed Veterans of America commends President Obama for stressing the important need to take care of our veterans in Tuesday’s State of the Union address.

In his speech, he said: “Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they’ve served us. That includes giving them the care and the benefits they have earned – which is why we’ve increased annual VA spending every year I’ve been President. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our nation.”

He then highlighted the new tax credits package that was passed last fall for companies that hire veterans and also spoke about the efforts by first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden to get American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. He also proposed a Veterans Jobs Corps that will help communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that “America is as strong as those who defend her.”

“Paralyzed Veterans of America applauds President Obama for the work he’s done with Congress to continually increase VA funding each year and the efforts he has made to help get our unemployed veterans back to work. We hope the increased funding for VA continues with his budget request for this year,” said Bill Lawson, national president of Paralyzed Veterans of America.

On the complex issue of tackling the problem of unemployment, Lawson welcomed the President making it one of his top priorities. “We need all leaders and all sectors — public and private — to play their part to get this economy moving for everyone and especially our unemployed veterans who have so many great skills to offer and have done so much for our country,” added Lawson.

Immediately following the release of the President’s budget request (expected to be released on February 13), Paralyzed Veterans of America, along with AMVETS, the Disabled American Veterans, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, will release ‘The Independent Budget’, a comprehensive budget and policy document that outlines veterans’ health-care and benefits funding and policy recommendations for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Please visit www.independentbudget.org or www.pva.org for more information.

Sixty-six years ago, Paralyzed Veterans of America was founded by a band of spinal cord injured service members who returned home from World War II to a grateful nation, but also to a world with few solutions to the challenges they faced. These veterans from the “Greatest Generation” made a decision not just to live, but to live with dignity as contributors to society. They created an organization, dedicated to veterans’ service, medical research, and civil rights for people with disabilities. For more than six decades, Paralyzed Veterans of America and its 34 chapters have been working to create an America where all veterans, their families, and people with disabilities have everything they need to thrive. (www.pva.org).

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Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement in response to  President Obama’s State of the Union address:

At a time when 1.3 million construction workers are still jobless, we are particularly encouraged by the President’s ideas to create jobs in one of the economy’s hardest hit sectors.

As the men and women of LIUNA have long argued, investing in America’s crumbling transportation systems will put millions of men and women back to work. We applaud his proposal to invest half of our nation’s “peace dividend” in rebuilding America’s basic, critical infrastructure.

Congress can start by passing a long-term Highway and Transit Bill by March 31 that makes a full investment in rebuilding America’s basics – the highways, bridges and transit systems that are falling apart across the country. The President’s “all-of-the-above” strategy to increase development of American energy – including oil, hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas and investment in renewables – can create and support desperately needed jobs.

Hydraulic fracturing alone will provided needed energy and jobs for an estimated 600,000 men and women. The President accurately noted that our nation does not have to choose between good jobs and protecting our environment and he reinforced that comprehensive climate change legislation is the best, if not only way, to tackle global warming.

The President’s proposal to make it possible for responsible homeowners to refinance their mortgages can ease the pain for millions of working people, help cure our still sick housing market and add fuel to a robust economic recovery.

In short, the President’s speech was a good one, but there must now be action. As the Build America union, the men and women of LIUNA urge Congress stop standing in the way and to act.

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In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama outlined a blueprint for helping Americans in a difficult economic climate. Women and families continue to be impacted by the effects of the Great Recession and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has experts available to discuss their specific needs.

According to IWPR analysis, women have regained about one out of four (23 percent) of the total jobs they lost in the recession, while men have gained more than one out of three (34 percent). The Women’s Scholars Forum, led by IWPR President Heidi Hartmann, outlined several measures for boosting employment for women, some of which were cited in the supporting literature for the American Jobs Act.

Women, on average, continue to earn less than men. As the President acknowledged in his speech, achieving “equal pay for equal work” is an important step forward for the economy.

Available to comment:

Government policies to boost employment for women, the post-recession job gap
Dr. Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D., President of IWPR is an economist, MacArthur fellow, and co-author of Still A Man’s Labor Market: The Long-Term Earnings Gap and Equal Pay for Working Families.

She lectures widely on women, economics, and public policy; frequently testifies before the U.S. Congress (most recently at the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on the economic status of older women following the recession); and has commented in prominent print and broadcast news outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, and PBS NewsHour.

Women’s education and training, work-life balance, job quality
Barbara Gault, Ph.D., Vice President and Executive Director of IWPR is the co-author of  “The Costs and Benefits of Policies to Advance Work Life Integration.” She has testified in Congress, has spoken on women’s issues in venues throughout the country, and has appeared in a range of media outlets.

The gender wage gap and pay equity, workplace flexibility, gender discrimination
Ariane Hegewisch, Study Director, started her career in local economic development, developing strategies for greater gender equality in employment and training in local government in the United Kingdom.

She has published many papers and articles and co-edited several books, including “Women, work and inequality: The challenge of equal pay in a deregulated labour market.” She has been cited in major media outlets in the United States and internationally.

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The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) issued the following statement regarding the State of the Union address by President Barack Obama:

“We applaud the President for expressing his strong commitment to building a 21st century immigration system and providing young people with the chance to earn their citizenship in his address to the American public last night.  While these words ring true to our community and the mission of our organization, we know they must be followed by concrete and swift action.

We call on the President and Congress to work together in the coming year to pass bipartisan legislation that will provide millions of Americans with the opportunity to become full members of this great nation.

“During his address, the President also emphasized the importance of job creation and policies that will help the nation fulfill ‘the basic American promise that if you work hard, you can do well enough to raise a family, own a home, and put a little away for retirement.’  Like all Americans, Latinos want the opportunity to pursue the American dream.

In recent years, our community has been one of those hit hardest by the economic crisis, experiencing job loss and foreclosure rates higher than most Americans.  With Latinos now numbering more than 50 million or 1 out of every 6 Americans today, our community’s economic progress will play a critical role in determining the future of this country.  We urge the President and Congress to implement policies that will foster economic opportunity for Latinos and all Americans.

“In addition, we were encouraged by the President’s call for a return to American values built around ‘fairness for all.’  As the nation’s second largest population group, this theme is fundamental to many of the pressing issues facing our community today, including the Latino electorate’s ability to participate in the political process and elect the representatives of their choice this year.

We ask the nation’s leadership to carefully monitor all efforts to weaken the electoral voice of Latino and minority voters, including implementation of unfair voting requirements and illegal redistricting plans across the country.  We also call on the President and the Department of Justice to vigorously enforce the Voting Rights Act (VRA) so that all U.S. citizens, regardless of race or linguistic ability, can fully and fairly participate in the American electoral process.

“In the coming year, we urge the President and Congress to honor the American people by working together to ensure that our country’s journey ‘moves forward’ and that ‘our future is hopeful.’  Our nation’s more than 6,000 Latino elected officials are ready to do their part, working with the President, Administration and Congress to promote policies that will foster the economic and political progress of the Latino community and all Americans.”

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Statement attributable to Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America:

On January 25 President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address to Congress and the nation.  The President spoke about the need to restore the American values of responsibility and fairness for all in order to ensure opportunity for all Americans.

Those values have been compromised in recent years by a struggling economy that has left 1 in 6 men, women and children in America at risk of hunger. There is no greater evidence of the need for long-term solutions to restore opportunity than the number of Americans struggling to put food on the table, including a number of middle class families seeking food assistance for the first time.

Feeding America strongly believes that feeding our neighbors is a shared responsibility. We are grateful for the many volunteers and donors who support our work in communities around the country, enabling us to feed 37 million Americans each year. We are also grateful that this value of shared responsibility is reflected in our federal budget through important anti-hunger programs like SNAP/food stamps, TEFAP, CSFP, and WIC.

We need the Administration and Congress to commit to ensuring that those confronting the greatest risks are not left behind as our nation looks to the future. The President laid out his vision for investing in skills for American workers, but we are sobered by the reminder that it does not matter what kind of educational and training opportunities we provide if Americans do not have enough to eat.

Children cannot learn if they are hungry, and workers cannot reach their fullest potential if they cannot afford to provide enough food for their families. That is why any investment in the future of America must be coupled with an investment in reducing hunger.

The annual cost of our nation’s hunger problem is estimated at over $167 billion per year in reduced educational outcomes, lost worker productivity, and increased health care costs. Fortunately, federal anti-hunger programs are an effective preventative investment that protect against hunger and promote nutrition and enable children and adults to reach their fullest potential.

Investing in nutrition programs is an investment in American values and an investment in America’s future. As a people that values helping our neighbors, there is no more fundamental expression of that value than to feed our most vulnerable citizens. And a country that promises a future filled with hope and opportunity for every citizen must be a country that invests in fighting hunger, because the long-term health of our nation lies in the health of its people.

We urge our nation’s leaders to work together to defend federal anti-hunger programs and to make sure that these vital programs, firmly grounded in American values, remain in place to protect hungry Americans.

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Rev. Larry Snyder, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) responds to the President’s State of the Union: ”Catholic Charities USA was heartened by the initiatives outlined by President Obama in [his] State of the Union speech that have the potential to improve the lives of many.

We were very encouraged by the President’s discussion on immigration and the recognition of the need for increased access to quality education and job training as important pathways to opportunity.  However, we feel an urgency to also place a priority on addressing more effective methods for delivering vital services to those most vulnerable among us.

“While there is a very robust discussion occurring in Washington about how much money should be spent on various federal programs that serve the poor, few are engaged in conversation about how better to administer those services, how to maximize efficiency in delivery and how to identify new solutions to prevent and alleviate poverty at large.

We are hopeful that moving forward the President will lead a national conversation about identifying new methods and strategies for lifting more Americans onto a path of opportunity and self-sufficiency in a way that is economically sustainable for the nation, ensuring not just an ‘America Built to Last’, but an ‘America Built to Last – For All.’

“While the President discussed a deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street, CCUSA remains focused on addressing the needs of those on Back Street.  At the moment, our nation’s safety net system is focused on helping these people get by, when we should be making sure they thrive.

We need comprehensive reform of the nation’s service delivery system that is market driven, results oriented and locally controlled, enabling the country to permanently make a difference in the lives of those living in poverty, and establishing accountability for the investment of taxpayer dollars.

“We recognize that the challenge at hand is great, but with great challenge comes great opportunity. Catholic Charities USA embraces this challenge and looks forward to working with the President to ensure we fulfill the moral responsibility of creating opportunity for everyone, ensuring an America built to last for all.”

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/catholiccharitiesusa

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The Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), a coalition of leading civil rights and education advocacy organizations, is calling on President Obama to fully commit to investing in education reforms that are critical to the success of the country’s future workforce.

Sustainable U.S. economic growth will require meaningful support of policies that ensure all of America’s students graduate high school prepared to drive innovation in critical sectors like manufacturing, health care, educational services, and alternative energy.

“We cannot afford to tolerate a climate in which the students of color, the very ones who will make up the bulk of the nation’s future workforce, have the least access to high-quality public education,” said Michael Wotorson, executive director of CHSE. “American companies cannot be expected to bring jobs back home, if our workforce is not prepared to claim them.

President Obama’s recognition of the need to prioritize high school graduation rates is very encouraging. Still his administration must do more than the president revealed in the State of the Union address to lead essential education reforms that provide the strategic investment of the resources necessary to ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.”

CHSE’s “Plan for Success” is a blueprint for the administration and Congress that’s designed to ensure that America leads the world in educating its people. The Plan for Success provides a comprehensive set of recommendations designed to strengthen public schools, support effective teaching and offer every student a pathway to graduation and beyond. Specifically, the Plan for Success calls for policies that:

• Make all students proficient and prepared for college and career;
• Hold schools accountable for student success;
• Provide students with the excellent leaders and teachers they need to succeed;
• Invest communities in student success;
• Provide equitable learning conditions for all students; and
• Provide students with expanded learning opportunities.

CHSE is also calling for the meaningful engagement of communities of color to ensure that all students-including English language learners, and students with diverse learning needs, have access to the high-quality educational content and teachers who have been trained to effectively teach students from under-resourced communities by using methods that research demonstrates are essential to success in college and career.

“The current level of investment in public education is completely inadequate to meet the demands of a knowledge-based economy. If America is truly committed to building a strong and sustainable economy, then we must recognize that all of our students are the building blocks,” said Wotorson.

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