ICAN - Press Release

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Date: October 19, 2005

For more information, contact:
Betty Ahrens, 319-354-8116

IOWA GROUPS CALL ON REPRESENTATIVE LEACH TO OPPOSE REPUBLICAN BUDGET PLAN ON THE FLOOR TOMORROW THAT WOULD FINANCE TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY BY SLASHING SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES, CHILDREN, STUDENTS, AND SENIORS

IOWA CITY, IA – Iowa Citizen Action Network (ICAN), AFSCME Council 61, SEIU, Iowa for Health Care, the Iowa Conference of The United Methodist Church, the Iowa Coalition for Housing and the Homeless, and the Iowa Human Needs Advocates met via conference call with Rep. Jim Leach’s Washington, DC office today and called on Rep. Leach to reject the Republican Congressional Leadership’s new budget plan, to be voted on in the House of Representatives tomorrow. These measures, if passed, would finance a new round of tax breaks for millionaires by slashing support for families, children, students and seniors. Cuts would include initiatives aimed at supporting child nutrition, health care, student loans, nursing homes and other areas.

“There could not be a more inappropriate time in American history to be giving tax breaks to millionaires while cutting initiatives which support families, children, students and seniors and that are vital to the security of the poor and the middle class. However, that’s exactly what President Bush and the Republican Congressional Leadership are trying to do,” said Betty Ahrens, co-executive director of ICAN. “We are calling on Rep. Leach to stand up for America’s priorities and vote against this unfair, un-democratic and reckless budget on the floor of the House tomorrow.”

ICAN, AFSCME, SEIU, and Iowa for Health Care have joined a national campaign, the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities, which is working to defeat the effort to slash spending on initiatives which are vital to the security of poor and middle class families in order to finance tax breaks for millionaires and multi-national corporations.

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Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities

Emergency Campaign For America’s Future presents “First Things First” agenda for Congress

ACTION ALERTS!

I want to sign the petition to tell Congress to stop giving handouts to oil companies and start putting consumers first!

RESOURCES

Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently released reports

FACT SHEET

Congress Must Not Repeal The Estate Tax

SLIDESHOW: SOCIAL SECURITY IS NOT BROKE

The Social Security “Crisis” Explained in Plain English -- Midwest Academy, January 2005. Click here for the slide show.

FAIR TAXES FOR ALL CAMPAIGN

For more information on the Fair Taxes for All campaign, click here.

REPORTS

BULLSEYE ON THE POOR & MIDDLE CLASS

ICAN and partners have released a report telling Iowans how capital gains and dividend tax cuts exacerbate Iowa's growing income disparity. In total, the top five percent of Iowa earners would reap 55 percent of all benefits to Iowa households.

Setting the Right Priorities: Why Iowa Can't Afford Repeal or Drastic Reduction of the Federal Estate Tax

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities works at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals. Visit CBPP’s archive of recent policy papers by clicking here.