Policy » Federal Policy Recommendations

Our national and state economies face an arduous task of rebuilding after the Great Recession. The hard-learned lessons of the past decade are quite clear. We have the power as citizens of Washington state and the United States to support policy choices that will create a firmer foundation of broadly shared opportunity and prosperity.

At the federal level, policy choices that prioritize quality jobs, education, health care, and strategic public investments include:

• Adopting a rational tax policy that raises sufficient revenue to fund investments in infrastructure, education, and research – including raising income tax rates on the wealthy and on unearned income.
• Renewing fiscal relief to states, school districts, and local governments, to avoid devastating cuts in jobs and services.
• Reforming trade policies to protect American workers as well as corporate profits, and domestic labor laws to allow those workers who want to form unions to do so without fear of reprisals.
• Raising the federal minimum wage and indexing it to economic growth.
  Following through on health reform and acting further to improve health outcomes and rein in the growth of health care costs.
• Regulating financial, energy, and other major sectors of our economy to protect today’s consumers and future generations from irresponsible behavior that puts us all at risk.
  Protecting Social Security – one of the few remaining supports for middle class economic security – and increasing benefits so the system works even better.
• Adopting new workplace policies to promote stronger families  and protect public health, by ensuring every worker can earn paid sick days on the job and establishing the framework for comprehensive family and medical leave insurance programs at the federal and state levels.

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