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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) meets with UNITE union members in support of Senate cafeteria workers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on July 20, 2022.
"Before we can effectively go forward in terms of economic policy, it's necessary to know where we are at," said Sanders. "And for working families in this country, the situation is not good."
Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Thursday that he will give a major speech on the state of the working class in the United States next week as he continues to push his fellow policymakers to work in the interest of the vast majority of Americans who make up the lower and middle class, instead of powerful corporations and the wealthy.
The Independent senator from Vermont plans to take stock of the economic realities facing millions of households across the country as corporate profits soar and workers demand fair wages, benefits, and working conditions in a number of industries.
Working families across the U.S. are struggling to stay afloat "at a time of unprecedented income and wealth inequality," said the senator ahead of the speech, which is scheduled to take place Tuesday, January 17 at 7:00 pm Eastern.
"Before we can effectively go forward in terms of economic policy, it's necessary to know where we are at," said Sanders. "And for working families in this country, the situation is not good."
While inflation slowed in December according to Consumer Price Index data released Thursday, food prices continued to rise. As Common Dreams reported Wednesday, children across the country are once again struggling to pay for school meals months after Republicans blocked a proposed extension of pandemic aid that enabled school districts to provide universal free breakfast and lunch.
The Washington Post reported last summer that in at least 15 states, officials at shelters for unhoused people reported "a dramatic increase in the number of people, particularly single mothers, seeking services," with waitlists doubling or tripling "in a matter of months."
"Real inflation-adjusted weekly wages for the average American worker are lower today than they were 50 years ago," said Sanders Thursday. "Over 60% of American workers are living paycheck to paycheck, 85 million are uninsured or underinsured, nearly 600,000 are homeless, and millions are unable to afford housing, childcare, or higher education."
"Now is the time for Congress—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents—to have the courage to take on the lobbyists and powerful special interests," added the senator, "and show the American people that our government can work for them, and not just the 1%."
Sanders will give the speech at the U.S. Capitol visitor's center in Washington, D.C., and the event will be livestreamed on his Twitter and Facebook pages.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Thursday that he will give a major speech on the state of the working class in the United States next week as he continues to push his fellow policymakers to work in the interest of the vast majority of Americans who make up the lower and middle class, instead of powerful corporations and the wealthy.
The Independent senator from Vermont plans to take stock of the economic realities facing millions of households across the country as corporate profits soar and workers demand fair wages, benefits, and working conditions in a number of industries.
Working families across the U.S. are struggling to stay afloat "at a time of unprecedented income and wealth inequality," said the senator ahead of the speech, which is scheduled to take place Tuesday, January 17 at 7:00 pm Eastern.
"Before we can effectively go forward in terms of economic policy, it's necessary to know where we are at," said Sanders. "And for working families in this country, the situation is not good."
While inflation slowed in December according to Consumer Price Index data released Thursday, food prices continued to rise. As Common Dreams reported Wednesday, children across the country are once again struggling to pay for school meals months after Republicans blocked a proposed extension of pandemic aid that enabled school districts to provide universal free breakfast and lunch.
The Washington Post reported last summer that in at least 15 states, officials at shelters for unhoused people reported "a dramatic increase in the number of people, particularly single mothers, seeking services," with waitlists doubling or tripling "in a matter of months."
"Real inflation-adjusted weekly wages for the average American worker are lower today than they were 50 years ago," said Sanders Thursday. "Over 60% of American workers are living paycheck to paycheck, 85 million are uninsured or underinsured, nearly 600,000 are homeless, and millions are unable to afford housing, childcare, or higher education."
"Now is the time for Congress—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents—to have the courage to take on the lobbyists and powerful special interests," added the senator, "and show the American people that our government can work for them, and not just the 1%."
Sanders will give the speech at the U.S. Capitol visitor's center in Washington, D.C., and the event will be livestreamed on his Twitter and Facebook pages.
Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Thursday that he will give a major speech on the state of the working class in the United States next week as he continues to push his fellow policymakers to work in the interest of the vast majority of Americans who make up the lower and middle class, instead of powerful corporations and the wealthy.
The Independent senator from Vermont plans to take stock of the economic realities facing millions of households across the country as corporate profits soar and workers demand fair wages, benefits, and working conditions in a number of industries.
Working families across the U.S. are struggling to stay afloat "at a time of unprecedented income and wealth inequality," said the senator ahead of the speech, which is scheduled to take place Tuesday, January 17 at 7:00 pm Eastern.
"Before we can effectively go forward in terms of economic policy, it's necessary to know where we are at," said Sanders. "And for working families in this country, the situation is not good."
While inflation slowed in December according to Consumer Price Index data released Thursday, food prices continued to rise. As Common Dreams reported Wednesday, children across the country are once again struggling to pay for school meals months after Republicans blocked a proposed extension of pandemic aid that enabled school districts to provide universal free breakfast and lunch.
The Washington Post reported last summer that in at least 15 states, officials at shelters for unhoused people reported "a dramatic increase in the number of people, particularly single mothers, seeking services," with waitlists doubling or tripling "in a matter of months."
"Real inflation-adjusted weekly wages for the average American worker are lower today than they were 50 years ago," said Sanders Thursday. "Over 60% of American workers are living paycheck to paycheck, 85 million are uninsured or underinsured, nearly 600,000 are homeless, and millions are unable to afford housing, childcare, or higher education."
"Now is the time for Congress—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents—to have the courage to take on the lobbyists and powerful special interests," added the senator, "and show the American people that our government can work for them, and not just the 1%."
Sanders will give the speech at the U.S. Capitol visitor's center in Washington, D.C., and the event will be livestreamed on his Twitter and Facebook pages.