Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) announced the launch of a new task force, the Accelerating Clean Energy (ACE) Task Force, which will be led by CPC Vice Chair Jared Huffman (CA-02). Under Huffman’s leadership, the task force will develop a blueprint for expeditiously achieving the benefits of the 117th Congress’ historic investments in clean energy. 

The task force’s charge is to clearly understand the challenges of implementation of clean energy projects, to work with the Biden administration and external partners, and to develop recommendations for administrative and legislative reforms to permitting that will assist in more rapidly bringing new renewable energy projects online, upgrading and modernizing the electrical grid to enable the United States to meet President Biden's goal of reducing carbon emissions 80 percent by 2030. The ACE Task Force will include Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee and CPC Chair Emeritus Representative Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), and CPC members Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Mike Levin (CA-49), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), and Paul Tonko (NY-20), as well as Chair Jayapal.

“Driven by the urgency of the climate crisis, CPC members stepped up last Congress to shape and pass transformative legislation that sets the United States on the path to decarbonization.  With the ACE Task Force, the CPC is showing our commitment to ensuring that these reforms and investments are implemented with the same sense of urgency to meet our climate goals and deliver the broad benefits of a clean energy economy while upholding environmental justice as a core value,” said Rep. Huffman. “We will examine the real factors that have held up clean energy projects, acknowledge recent executive actions and last year’s $1 billion investment in clean energy permit streamlining, and recommend additional strategies to expedite clean energy project completion.  We can meet our clean energy goals without sacrificing bedrock environmental laws, throwing disadvantaged communities under the bus, or passing Trojan Horse legislation to help the fossil fuel industry.”

 “I’m thrilled to announce our formation of the first-ever CPC task force dedicated to answering the urgent question of how we can speed up our transition to renewable energy without abandoning our climate goals,” said Rep. Jayapal. “Progressives have always been clear: we were not opposed to permitting reform itself, but rather to policies that are counterproductive to a clean energy future. This task force has been charged with developing a clear picture of where permitting reforms are needed, and of what administrative and legislative action can and must be done to accomplish those reforms. Our future on a livable planet depends on the speed with which we can meet this moment to implement the Inflation Reduction Act, disburse the funding allocated for clean energy, and modernize permitting law, all the while ensuring that we are not giving with one hand and taking away with the other when it comes to addressing the urgent crisis of climate justice.” 

Task Force Background 

The IIJA and IRA had record investments for clean and renewable energy deployment, preparing for greater climate resilience, as well as creating jobs and protecting environmental justice communities. To ensure that our nation can maximize the full benefits of these important wins, this task force seeks to work with the Biden administration to ensure a rapid and efficient roll out of new projects and programs and will ensure federal action to build greater efficiencies for clean energy and transmission. The task force will work on policies that advance energy, water, and transmission permitting, allowing for new rapid infrastructure buildout while protecting communities and environmental justice populations.

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget:

“The President’s budget shows he remains focused on delivering for the American people to meet the challenges they face. We are thrilled to see him continue to emphasize investments in working families that will raise wages, tackle poverty, and lower the cost of living, paid for by taxing the wealthy and the largest corporations. This is an agenda that the American people can be proud to have voted for — and that progressive movements can feel proud to have fought for.

“This budget would advance priorities progressives have been pushing for years, and continue the unfinished work from the President’s 2022 agenda: lowering prescription drug costs; expanding Medicaid, affordable housing, and accessible maternal care and health care; providing two years of free community college; and taking on the out-of-control costs of child care, pre-K, home care, and housing. It would reinstate the Child Tax Credit, decrease hunger, protect Medicare and Social Security, and finally provide national, comprehensive paid family and medical leave. It would also continue the important progress the President and Democrats began last Congress: continuing to lower the cost of deploying clean energy and speed our transition away from fossil fuels, rebuild American manufacturing, and take climate action with a focus on environmental justice. Essentially, these investments would be paid for with incredibly popular and common sense policies: a 25 percent minimum Billionaire Tax, increasing taxes on the largest corporations, quadrupling the tax on stock buybacks, and repealing the Trump Tax Scam.

“There are also a few places where we need to do better, and ensure record levels of funding come alongside real accountability, particularly for immigration and defense. On immigration, we must ensure that we focus resources on the implementation of humane immigration policy that matches our values, and does not penalize immigrants who are central to our economy’s functioning. 

“On Pentagon spending, the President’s budget requests $842 billion for the Pentagon, $26 billion more than Congress allocated in the previous budget — which itself was $63 billion more than the $773 billion the President requested for FY2023. This is a never-ending cycle of increased funds without accountability. It would be a new record high for the defense budget, following a year when the Pentagon failed its fifth consecutive audit, without ever having successfully accounted for all its assets. There is simply no reason for taxpayers to continue to pay for outrageously high budgets rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. A recent CBO study confirmed that the Pentagon could cut $100 billion per year without compromising on national defense. This is long overdue. Progressives in Congress have been at the frontline of this fight for decades, and we will continue to push for sensible, targeted defense policy that prioritizes our national security over profit-hungry military contractors.” 

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the President’s announcement that he would sign a bill overturning a D.C. Council-passed law:

“I’m deeply disappointed to see the President announce he will allow Congress to overturn a D.C. law for the first time in decades. This is simple: The District of Columbia must be allowed to govern itself. Democrats’ commitment to home rule should apply regardless of the substance of the local legislation. This is why the Congressional Progressive Caucus and its members have endorsed D.C. statehood, with every CPC member cosponsoring D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton’s bill in the 117th Congress. Statehood is the only way to protect the 700,000 residents of the District from this kind of interference, we will continue to champion this cause.”

WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the Commerce Department’s “Notice of Funding Opportunity” for companies that will receive investments allocated by the CHIPS and Science Act:

“This past summer, the Progressive Caucus worked with the Commerce Department to ensure the CHIPS and Science Act would expand domestic manufacturing capacity and not be utilized as a subsidy for companies to engage in stock buybacks and dividend payouts to enrich wealthy shareholders and executives. Today, we are very heartened to see the beginning of that commitment put into practice with the Department’s Notice of Funding Opportunity.

“The CHIPS and Science Act was passed with a vision: that smart policy could play a role in rebuilding American domestic manufacturing in a sustainable and just way. We could bring working parents, and especially women, back into the manufacturing workforce. We could deliver a major investment of taxpayer dollars without allowing corporations to artificially inflate their value through stock buybacks. We could build technology our people need in America to bring down costs for consumers and create good-paying union jobs. But the details are always in the implementation and that is why today’s announcement is so important. Secretary Raimondo and the Biden administration are turning that vision into reality, and I am incredibly proud of the key role progressives in Congress played in making it possible.”

“The agency has included a number of taxpayer protections that progressives negotiated directly with the Secretary, including: prohibitions on CHIPS funding being directly used for stock buybacks or dividends; creating a formal preferencing for companies that commit to refrain from making stock buybacks; disbursing the funding to companies on an incremental basis, rather than a lump sum, to allow the funding to be clawed back if it is misused; and a requirement that companies receiving over a certain amount of direct funding repay the U.S. government — and American taxpayers — for the upside. In addition, the Department has made clear they’re committing to building and supporting the workforce needed to make CHIPS, not only companies themselves: creating sector-based partnerships in consultation with labor unions; preferencing for companies with strong apprenticeship programs, including in construction; and child care on-site to support working parents in manufacturing for companies.”

In addition to negotiating these critical taxpayer protections with the Secretary, Rep. Jayapal also hosted a town hall with Secretary Raimondo in the fall with workers on the need for affordable care, including ensuring that there is equity for working parents with the jobs created through CHIPS funding. Rep. Jayapal also led her colleagues in two letters to the Secretary, on the need to protect the CHIPS investments from being used for corporate self-enrichment and stock buybacks, and on the need for companies receiving the funds to provide accessible child care.