ARLINGTON – Leading the charge to expand opportunity for all Virginians, Alfonso Lopez celebrated many of the initiatives included in President Barack Obama’s proposed budget, but noted that some measures, including the pay raise for federal workers, did not go far enough to remedying the harm caused by the Republicans’ disastrous austerity measures:
The proposed budget for 2015 from the president includes important initiatives to expand opportunity for all Americans, and to ensure that nobody is continuing to struggle to make ends meet while watching the American Dream slip through their fingers. From making high-quality preschool available to every child, to doubling the Earned Income Tax Credit to lift millions of families out of poverty, to investing in our infrastructure and new clean technologies, and to taking steps to making college affordable for every student who wants to attend, the president’s budget is a much-needed step toward building a better future.
While I am pleased that the president’s budget included a pay raise for federal workers for the first time in four years, a one-percent increase is insufficient. Federal workers have been asked to sacrifice more than most as a result of the failures of Republicans in Congress, and it’s past time to give them a raise that honors their sacrifice.
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Voted the “Best Public Servant of 2013” by the readers of the Arlington Sun Gazette, Delegate Alfonso Lopez is a lifelong Democrat with over 20 years of experience on issues critical to the people of Northern Virginia. Alfonso has the passion and the practical experience to fight for our progressive values in Washington from day one. Over the past decade, Alfonso has served our community as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, an appointee in the Obama Administration, and as a trusted advisor to Governor Kaine on federal issues in Washington. For more visit AlfonsoLopez.org
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