News Release

Campaign for America’s Future Urges Reid and Pelosi to Appoint “American Majority” Champions to The Super Committee

Washington DC -- Campaign for America’s Future is encouraging activists to demand that House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Read appoint middle class champions to the Super Committee.

The petition being circulated by the Campaign for America’s Future asks for leaders like Sen. Bernie Sanders, Reps. Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva to be appointed to the Super Committee because they are fighters who will stand up for the unemployed and for low income Americans.

“The vast majority of Americans support shared sacrifice to achieve long-term deficit reduction. They want Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid protected. They favor tax hikes on millionaires and billionaires and on big corporations,” said Roger Hickey, co-chair of Campaign for America’s Future.

“Republican leaders have already pledged that none of their six Super Committee members will support any tax increases on the wealthy or big corporations – just more devastating cuts. So all it will take is one turncoat Democrat to ram through unconscionable cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid under the false pretense of national debt crisis,” Hickey said. “The Super Committee will be making decisions that will have an inordinate impact on a safe and secure retirement for Americans for generations to come.”

The Campaign for America’s Future petition reads:

"We the undersigned call upon House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to appoint to the Super Committee the best middle class champions that represent the views of the American majority. Champions who will defend Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and demand that the rich pay their fair share of taxes.

"Tell them to appoint six strong leaders -- like Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Keith Ellison and Rep. Raul Grijalva.

"Sen. Bernie Sanders led the fight for a fair compromise -- a 50-50 split between spending cuts and tax increases on the wealthy for any deficit reduction deal.

"As leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Reps. Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva put forth the only serious solution to cutting the deficit without sacrificing jobs: the "People's Budget" which ends the Bush tax cuts, invests in jobs, protects Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and produces greater debt reduction than the Republican plans to gut Medicare.

"These champions represent the views of the American majority. These are the values that must shape the Super Committee if it is to exercise the will of the people.

"Democrats have offered too many unilateral compromises. They have surrendered too often. It is time to stand up. Some Democrats have already capitulated to the conservative deficit agenda. But there are plenty of Democrats in both the House and Senate who will fight for the middle class and the poor. It is time to name representatives who will fight for the views most Americans support."