I love seeing the word "progressive" in a headline. Plus, it's the perfect timing for adding back things that the average American really understands; schools, state aid and health care extenders.
The Nation -- After the Senate passed a stimulus bill that key members of Congress now say "recklessly" shed much of the stimulus spending endorsed by the House, the Obama White House is reportedly prodding members of the conference committee that will reconcile two very different proposals to restore funding for schools, health insurance and aid for struggling states.
"To make room for added spending, the White House, joined by House Democratic leaders, is pressing to scale back certain Senate-passed tax breaks," according to the Wall Street Journal.
This is a dramatic step in the right direction by the Obama administration.
Pressured by Senate Republicans, Democrats in that chamber bartered off too much of the stimulus spending, creating a bill that is less likely to provide the boost that is needed for a sagging economy. As Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairs Lynn Woolsey and Raul Grijalva note in a new letter to House leaders, "We are especially concerned that the Senate package does not invest in jobs -- be they focused on 'green' technology, veterans, or sustaining the local prevailing wage."
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