Contracting

Amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008

hmoroz — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:23:04 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Approximate total award that service members can currently receive toward their education, in dollars: 39,600

Average total charges, including tuition and fees and room and board, for four years at an in-state public college or university in 2007, in dollars: 54,356

Estimated percentage of the unemployed who will be unemployed for longer than six months by the end of 2009, according to the Economic Policy Institute: 20.8

Number of states with an unemployment rate greater than 6.0% as of April 2008, including Washington D.C.: 5

Amount of stimulus produced for every $1 spent on extending emergency federal unemployment insurance benefits, in dollars: 1.64

Unemployment rate in Michigan in April 2008: 6.9%

Minimum estimated cost of the Iraq War paid by Michigan as of May 2008, in dollars: 13 billion

Estimated 10-year cost of extending unemployment insurance benefits, in dollars: 11.1 billion

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Supports. The American economy remains at risk of recession and the employment picture is dim. In the first four months of 2008, the American economy lost 260,000 jobs and 400,000 workers were classified as “discouraged,” wanting work but believing that no jobs were available for them. Unemployment benefits provide direct assistance to the current and aspiring middle-class Americans likely to be hardest hit during the economic downturn. Moreover, the unemployed are most likely to spend their unemployment benefits immediately, providing an economic jolt that will enhance the stimulus generated by the tax rebates sent out earlier this year. Indeed, extension of unemployment benefits provides $1.64 in stimulus for every dollar spent, making the policy one of the most effective stimulus measures.

The “New GI Bill” measures are also important. Our nation owes those young people who have volunteered to fight for the United States a fair opportunity to enter the middle class. After World War II, the education and other benefits of the GI Bill allowed unprecedented numbers of returning soldiers to access a middle-class standard of living, but today’s GI Bill, intended for peacetime, does not provide adequate benefits. This amendment would change that. Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars face not only the challenges of readjustment to civilian life, frequently complicated by injury or mental illness, but the rising cost of higher education impacting middle-class Americans across the United States. The current GI bill covers only 60-70% of the cost of tuition at a four-year public university and less than two years at a private college. The Amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill would permit the equivalent of full scholarships to public institutions of higher learning to any service member who completed three years of service.

Imposing a moratorium on Administration-proposed Medicaid regulations will ensure continued health care access for aspiring middle-class beneficiaries and prevent a devastating loss of funding to states, public hospitals, and local schools already struggling during the economic downturn.

The provisions that increase accountability and transparency in federal contracting are welcome, but are not as comprehensive as those included in the Accountability in Contracting Act, passed by the House last year.

The Senate version contains welcome funding for programs that benefit aspiring middle-class and middle-class Americans.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

"Making the Case - Again - for Economic Rebound," from the Economic Policy Institute

Unemployment Insurance and the Stimulus Debate, from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

"A New GI Bill," from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Accountability in Contracting Act of 2007

atraub — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:52:37 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Value of federal government contracts in 2006: $412.1 billion

Percentage of that money that was awarded through a “full and open” bidding process: less than half

Approximate value of federal contracts that went to just one company – the Halliburton Corporation – in 2005: $5.9 billion

Amount the federal government collected in 2006 from settlements and judgments in cases involving allegations that contractors defrauded the government: $3.1 billion

Amount the top 50 federal contractors spent on lobbying in 2006: $146 million

Amount these contractors donated to federal campaigns in 2006: $15 million

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Supports. Whether it’s military contractors accepting kickbacks in Iraq, no-bid contracts with a guaranteed profit margin for companies cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina, or politically-connected businesses landing lucrative contracts to provide materials to the Department of Education, it is middle-class taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill. With spending on federal contracts reaching more than $400 billion in 2006 – more than double the level in 2000 – middle-class taxpayers have more incentive than ever to demand efficient spending. Yet lax oversight is provoking increased concern about waste, fraud, and profiteering. Combined with legislation that protects whistleblowers who reveal cases of fraud, this bill represents an important step toward making sure that taxpayer money is spent effectively and efficiently.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, from the Project on Government Oversight

“Katrina Watch,” from the Center for Public Integrity

“More Dollars, Less Sense,” from the House Committee on Government Oversight

Federal spending contracts database, from OMB Watch

Amendment to Protect U.S. Workers from Competition with Foreign Workforces for Performance of Federal and State Contracts 2003

atraub — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:21:32 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Number of associate’s degrees awarded to American college students every year: 600,000
Number of U.S. information technology (IT), back office, customer service and sales jobs expected to move “offshore” by 2005: 600,000

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Supports: An estimated 1 in 100 U.S. jobs lost in the past three years was a result of “outsourcing”—the practice of contracting out work formerly done by American workers to low-cost centers abroad. By 2015, according to the most recent Forrester Research estimate, some 3.3 million American service jobs will be lost due to outsourcing. Critical to the long-term economic stability of the American middle class is access to well-paying, high-skilled jobs. This bill helps to set the U.S. economy on a job growth rebound by limiting the gradual progression of these highly desirable U.S. jobs out of the country.

Contracting

Amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Accountability in Contracting Act of 2007

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Amendment to Protect U.S. Workers from Competition with Foreign Workforces for Performance of Federal and State Contracts 2003

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources