FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Joseph Rendeiro
(202) 776-1566
jrendeiro@nclr.org
Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO, responds to State of the Union
Washington—Applauding President Obama’s themes of economic fairness and shared responsibility during his State of the Union address, Janet Murguía, NCLR (National Council of La Raza) President and CEO, challenges Congress and the administration to enact commonsense policies that not only strengthen the middle class, but also ensure that economic mobility is achievable for hardworking Latinos.
“The president correctly stated that the values of fairness, equality, and shared responsibility built this country and helped guide this nation through its most difficult times. It is clear that Latinos, through their hard work and strong values, have in common with the president an optimistic outlook for the future and a commitment to shared responsibility. To make those values real for Latinos and for all Americans, though, we need policies that promote fairness and equity by focusing on creating jobs, improving education, ensuring financial security, and reforming our immigration system,” stated Murguía.
The Hispanic community believes there is a role for our federal government in expanding opportunity, and that it must act aggressively and wisely in times of economic strife for middle-class and low-income Americans. For Hispanics, this means that President Obama and Congress should support policies that:
- Provide all children with a quality education from early childhood education through college
- Protect the benefits of the health care reform law which will open new pathways to coverage for many Latinos, and prevent cuts to programs such as Medicaid and Medicare which serve as a vital lifeline to the Hispanic community
- Encourage job creation, particularly in sectors that have a large Latino workforce such as transportation, and more worker training and education
- Promote a tax system that is fair for all families, including working-class Latinos
- Reduce the federal deficit while preserving Social Security, which provides a critical source of income for Latino seniors
- Increase oversight and accountability among financial institutions in order to protect consumers from fraud
- Reform our immigration laws at the federal level, which would protect immigrant families from dangerous state legislation
“Americans, including Latinos, who work hard and play by the rules deserve a fair shot at the American Dream. The president’s address outlined some promising policies that should also be given a ‘fair shot’ by Congress. Hispanic Americans will be watching closely to see whether Congress and the administration can work together to respond to the needs of all Americans, including our community.”
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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