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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
January 21, 2015 Joseph Rendeiro
(202) 776-1566
jrendeiro@nclr.org
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In response to last night’s State of the Union address, in which President Obama highlighted the progress American families have made over the past two years thanks to a recovering economy, Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza), has called on policymakers to continue expanding opportunities for hard-working families and protect programs that have improved the lives of millions of Latinos.
“The U.S. economy continues on the path to recovery and as a result, Latino unemployment rates are the lowest they’ve been since 2008. While our community has seen marked improvements, many Latino families are still not feeling the full benefit of that recovery when it comes to their personal finances,” said Murguía. “We implore lawmakers to pursue a legislative agenda that will continue to secure the economic futures of all Americans, including Latinos, by promoting policies that help create quality jobs, ensure our workforce has the necessary training and education available to compete in the 21st-century job market, protect vital tax credits for working families, and open up credit access to qualified home-buyers.”
In the days leading up to the State of the Union, the president offered a number of policy proposals aimed at improving economic conditions for working families. NCLR applauds the president’s plan to extend much-needed tax credits to middle- and low-income communities, as well as his proposal to cut fees on Federal Housing Administration loans, enabling more first-time homebuyers to purchase a house. He also highlighted the need to make higher education more affordable for millions of hard-working students. Latinos have seen significant increases in graduation and college enrollment rates, but more must be done to guarantee that quality education, from kindergarten to college, remains affordable and accessible for all Americans.
“Pursuing policies that open opportunities and provide Americans with the tools to achieve their dreams is not a Republican or Democratic ideal—it is an American ideal,” said Murguía. “We echo the president’s call for both parties to work together so they can find common ground to continue moving this country forward.”
During his speech, President Obama emphasized the success his administration has had in encouraging more Americans to sign up for health care under the Affordable Care Act. Over the past year, nearly 7 million people have signed up for coverage, resulting in a significant drop in the rates of uninsured Hispanics.
Meanwhile, on immigration, the president vowed to defend his administrative actions, which could bring some relief to approximately 5 million immigrants through the use of legitimate prosecutorial discretion. He urged Congress to work on a law that upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.
“We are pleased to hear the president reiterate his plans to defend administrative relief regardless of any attempts by Congress to backtrack on this issue. His executive action will make our economy stronger, our country safer, and millions of American families more stable,” concluded Murguía. “The new Congress now has a choice to make on immigration—improve the situation, or make it worse. We hope they’ll choose to be agents of progress by finally delivering sensible and effective immigration legislation.”
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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