In a new opinion piece, Next American Era leaders advise incoming lawmakers to put voters’ cost-of-living concerns ahead of Washington’s ideological checklists
WASHINGTON, DC — In Case You Missed It: In a new op-ed published in The Hill, Next American Era President and former DCCC Chair Cheri Bustos and NAE Senior Advisor and former House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley offer advice to the newest members of Congress: before Washington tells you what kind of member to be, remember what voters sent you here to do. Voters made cost of living their top concern this year. With electricity rates up 33 percent in five years, a shortage of five million homes, and a record $15.9 billion lost to scams last year, Bustos and Crowley argue that affordability is the new members’ core assignment.
Below are a few key passages from Bustos’s and Crowley’s piece:
“Voters were not subtle this year. Ask them what they wanted Washington to talk about, and the economy won by a wide margin, with cost of living the single most common answer. Life costs too much, thanks to gas prices, tariffs, and chaos in Washington… Families feel those pressures every month in their utility bills, rent and mortgage payments, grocery budgets, and bank accounts. That is your assignment: Work on those national problems first!”
“Washington is full of movements, factions, and interest groups eager to sign you up… But many of you just won highly competitive districts, including places where voters backed the other party at the top of the ticket. Those voters did not send you to Washington to adopt somebody else’s ideological checklist. They sent you to solve problems. So, start with the problems they can see and feel.”
“Two years from now, the important question will be whether the people who sent you to Congress feel like they can breathe a little easier. Did their electric bill stop climbing? Are there good jobs in their community? Can their kids imagine buying a home? Is starting or growing a small business a little easier?… Welcome to Washington. Now get to work.”
About Next American Era
Next American Era is a national 501(c)(4) organization focused on advancing a pro-growth, pro-consumer, and pro-worker agenda that strengthens communities, fuels innovation, and expands economic opportunity for all Americans. NAE is led by Cheri Bustos, former Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and former U.S. Representative for Illinois's 17th congressional district.
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