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For Immediate Release
January, 14 2021, 11:00pm EDT
Contact:
Sam Quigley, sam@patrioticmillionaires.org, 317-752-9150
Patriotic Millionaires Statement on $15 Minimum Wage in Biden's "American Rescue Plan"
"A higher minimum wage isn't just a win for minimum wage workers—it's good for businesses, investors, and the economy as a whole."
WASHINGTON
Yesterday, President-Elect Joe Biden released details of his coronavirus relief plan, the "American Rescue Plan." Included among many provisions for much-needed government spending was a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and eliminate the subminimum tipped wage. In response, Morris Pearl, the Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and a former managing director of BlackRock, Inc., issued the following statement:
"Raising the minimum wage is one of the best economic stimulus policies out there, and it's encouraging to see the incoming Biden administration prioritize it in their stimulus package. Raising the wage means putting more money into the hands of low wage workers who will immediately spend it back in their local economies. With 40% of American workers making less than $15 an hour, lifting the federal minimum wage creates an incredible boost in consumer demand, the backbone of our economy.
If the economic crisis the coronavirus has caused has taught us anything, it's that businesses live and die based on how many people are spending money on their goods or services. That's why a higher minimum wage isn't just a win for minimum wage workers - it's good for businesses, investors, and the economy as a whole as well."
For more information or for interview requests, email Sam Quigley at Sam@patrioticmillionaires.org.
The Patriotic Millionaires is a group of high-net worth Americans who share a profound concern about the destabilizing level of inequality in America. Our work centers on the two things that matter most in a capitalist democracy: power and money. Our goal is to ensure that the country's political economy is structured to meet the needs of regular Americans, rather than just millionaires. We focus on three "first" principles: a highly progressive tax system, a livable minimum wage, and equal political representation for all citizens.
(202) 446-0489LATEST NEWS
'Congress Must Fulfill Its Constitutional Duty': 500,000+ Back Trump Impeachment Push
"We are the guardrails now," said the advocacy group Free Speech for People. "Trump can't hide from this movement, and neither can our lawmakers."
May 08, 2025
More than half a million Americans have backed a campaign demanding that the U.S. Congress impeach President Donald Trump for grave abuses of power, including the kidnapping and unlawful removal of residents, brazen profiteering, and defiance of judicial orders.
The progressive advocacy organization Free Speech for People announced Thursday that more than 500,000 people have signed its petition imploring lawmakers to impeach Trump for a historic third time, a demand that recent survey data shows is backed by a majority of U.S. voters.
The number of petition signatures has doubled over the past two months as anger has grown nationwide over the Trump administration's authoritarianism and corruption.
"Backed by hundreds of thousands of Americans demanding impeachment, Congress must fulfill its constitutional duty and impeach and remove Trump for his multiple high crimes," Alexandra Flores-Quilty, Free Speech for People's campaign director, said in a statement Thursday.
Free Speech for People's update on its petition drive came as the group unveiled a formal impeachment resolution that contains 16 articles against Trump, who was impeached twice during his first term but never convicted by the U.S. Senate.
The articles accuse the president of "abusing the pardon power through the broad pardon of January 6 co-insurrectionists," "improperly using emergency and wartime powers to mobilize U.S. armed forces against migrants," "receiving foreign and domestic emoluments," "unlawfully imposing tariffs," "co-opting and dismantling federal agencies for corrupt purposes," and "planning the forced removal of Palestinians from Gaza."
BREAKING: More than half a million people have signed our petition urging Members of Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump. We are the guardrails now. Trump can't hide from this movement, and neither can our lawmakers. Add your name today: ImpeachTrumpAgain.org
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— Free Speech For People (@fsfp.bsky.social) May 8, 2025 at 9:49 AM
The group released its resolution just days after U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) filed seven articles of impeachment against Trump, arguing that the president's "unlawful actions have subverted the justice system, violated the separation of powers, and placed personal power and self-interest above public service."
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U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) is also expected to file articles of impeachment against the president in the coming days.
Such impeachment resolutions stand no realistic chance of passing the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, but supporters of the campaign to remove the president say it could help galvanize opposition to Trump and his billionaire cronies.
Critics of the push, including some Democratic lawmakers who acknowledge Trump has committed impeachable offenses, have publicly and privately expressed concern that the effort could be detrimental to efforts to check the lawless president.
By Free Speech for People's count, at least 16 members of Congress have so far expressed support for impeaching Trump a third time.
"Members of Congress on record in support of impeachment include Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Al Green (TX-09), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Becca Balint (VT-AL), and Kevin Mullin (CA-15)," the group noted Thursday. "Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia has also made a public statement in support of impeachment."
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The Washington Postreported Wednesday that it obtained "a series of internal government messages" that "reveal how U.S. embassies and the State Department have pushed nations to clear hurdles for U.S. satellite companies, often mentioning Starlink by name."
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The Post points specifically to ongoing bilateral trade negotiations between the U.S. and India, where "government officials have sped through approvals of Starlink with the understanding that doing so could help them cement trade deals with the administration."
The Times of Indiareported Wednesday that Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk's SpaceX, "has been issued a Letter of Intent by the Indian government for satcom services."
The corruption is staggering. So brazen. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
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— The Tennessee Holler ( @thetnholler.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the U.S.-based consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said in response to the Post's reporting that "the glaring conflict of interest inherent in this pressure to preference a Musk-owned company is disgusting."
"The bottom line here is that tools of trade and government should be utilized for the benefit of the American public, not abused for personal tech bro profiteering," Gilbert added.
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called the revelations "a huge new scandal."
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Last month, U.S. President Donald Trumppartially paused the more aggressive tariffs he sought to impose on countries around the world while leaving in place 10% across-the-board import duties, which are already raising costs for American families.
The Post reported Wednesday that "at least two countries have explicitly discussed or moved toward adopting Musk's Starlink as a means of avoiding Trump’s tariffs and negotiating a better trade deal with the United States."
Cambodia, which is facing a potential 49% tariff rate, appears to be one of those countries. The Post obtained a U.S. embassy cable indicating that Cambodian officials have signaled a "desire to help balance our trade relationship by promoting the market entry of leading U.S. companies such as Boeing and Starlink."
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"Donald Trump's tariffs mean you could suffer higher prices and lose your job AT THE SAME TIME," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
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The new statement from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) "provides further evidence that a perfect storm for a recession is brewing" under U.S. President Donald Trump, said Jacquez, Groundwork's chief of policy and advocacy. "Barely 100 days into Trump's second term, working families are already being crushed by sticky inflation and slowing growth."
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Trump on Sunday pushed for a rate cut, and though he has backed off a threat to try to oust Fed Chair Jerome Powell, the president "could reconsider if the economy stumbles in the coming months," The Associated Pressreported Wednesday.
According to the AP:
Asked at the press conference whether Trump's calls for lower rates [have] any influence on the Fed, Powell said, "[It] doesn’t affect doing our job at all. We're always going to consider only the economic data, the outlook, the balance of risks, and that's it."
If the Fed were to cut rates, it could lower other borrowing costs, such as for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards, though that is not guaranteed.
Addressing Trump's evolving tariff policy, Powell said Wednesday that "if the large increases in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they're likely to generate a rise in inflation, a slowdown in economic growth, and a rise in unemployment."
Sharing a video of his remarks on social media, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) stressed that Trump's tariffs mean higher prices.
Donald Trump's tariffs mean you could suffer higher prices and lose your job AT THE SAME TIME. Forget dolls, families will be forced to make impossible choices between necessities like food, housing, and health care.
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— Elizabeth Warren ( @warren.senate.gov) May 7, 2025 at 3:13 PM
In a Wednesday blog post, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich wrote: "Recall that last November, the single biggest reason voters gave in exit polls for choosing Trump was that he'd bring prices down... Although Trump has scaled back some tariffs and paused others as he seeks trade deals with foreign nations, his tariffs are already eating into household budgets."
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