Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) released a statement this week seeking to shine light on a date that highlights the gender wage gap.
While most Americans know April 15 as Tax Day, [Patchtown]'s congresswoman is looking to spread awareness on a different April date of note. On April 9, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) released a statement on "Equal Pay Day." The 99th day of 2013, Equal Pay Day marks how many additional days in 2012 women would have had to work in 2012 to keep working in order to earn equal pay to their male counterparts. Currently, American women earn on average 77 cents for every dollar made by their male counterparts. Tsongas marked the day by noting her co-sponsorship of the Paycheck Fairness Act, a piece of legislation designed to address the issue. “I will continue to stand with women and men who are making the case for equal rights on this day…
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Westford's member of Congress released a statement saying that a vote by the House not to address sequestration in the Fiscal Year 2014 U.S. Budget will damage local government services.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a short-term spending member that Westford's member of Congress says will lock in the recent spending cuts and tax hikes known as sequestration. In a 221-207 vote, the House passed the a bill that would establish the Fiscal Year 2014 budget and impact budgetary levels for 2015 to 2023 that Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) calls "irresponsible" and "reckless" for not addressing the sequestration issue. In a statement, Tsongas says calls sequestration, which began with the debt ceiling debate last year, as threatening the country as a whole, but specifically her district, saying her office has heard of hundreds of constituents who oppose the sequestration as a concept. "In short, these …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Middlesex County has more than 9000 federal employees, most of whom work in defense.
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Thursday, February 28
The numbers here show the federal employees in Massachusetts by county in 2012, according to the latest figures from Eye on Washington, a DC-based lobbying firm that tracks federal employment. It compiles the data from the Office of Personnel Management, Federal Employment Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While much has been made written on how the current sequestration battle in Washington could affect the national economy, these numbers are meant to give readers a sense of the sequestration at the local level. No one knows for certain what the sequestration cuts, some $85 billion, will mean exactly. Even if the March 1 federal cuts are enacted, the full effects would not be felt immediately. The government is required to …
Do you wonder what the 'sequester' will mean for Massachusetts? A White House report gives examples of where federal aid would be cut.
Massachusetts would see more than $91 million in federal funds cut from a myriad of programs if Congress fails to act this week to avoid the sequester, the Obama Administration said Sunday. In a move designed to pressure Republicans into accepting new taxes on the wealthy as part of a deal to prevent the sequester from taking effect on Friday, the White House released reports that outlined how those cuts would impact individual states, Huffington Post reported. Here are some examples of what's on the chopping block for us here in Massachusetts, according to the report: After the reports were released, congressional Republicans criticized the Obama administration for the PR move, The Huffington Post reported. “Rather than issuing last-…
Monday, January 7, 2013
The main reason is the elimination of the payroll tax.
Despite the House and Senate reaching a Fiscal Cliff deal, 77 percent of Americans will pay more in taxes in 2013. That's because even though just 1% of households will pay higher income taxes, an increase in federal payroll taxes will hit nearly every wage earner, according to analysis by the Tax Policy Center. Individuals earning between $40,000 and $50,000 a year face an average tax increase of $579 in 2013, according to the Tax Policy Center's analysis. The average U.S. worker would pay $679 more in taxes this year under the fiscal cliff deal passed by the Senate early Tuesday morning, while the average member of the top 1 percent of earners would pay $73,633 more, according to Tax Policy Center analysis. The increases are relatively …
In an interview with Fox 25 news after her Thursday morning swearing-in ceremony, Warren told reporters she'd "work her tail off" in Washington.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who was sworn in to office on Thursday, told reporters she plans to "work her tail off" and will work with "anyone who will fight for America's families" in Washington D.C. "I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as your Senator, and I'll never stop fighting for you," she said via Twitter on Thursday morning after she sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden in Washington D.C. Warren told reporters she was "delighted" by her committee assignments. "I'm going to be on the Banking Committee which is something I really wanted to do," Warren told Fox25, "And I'm going to be on the HELP Committee which means we deal with health, education, labor, pensions…really the economics of working families." Warren…
Sunday, January 6, 2013
The congressman said he is giving "serious consideration" to a run for Senate.
Another Massachusetts Congressman is seriously considering a run for Sen. John Kerry’s seat in a special election this year. Congressman Stephen Lynch is reportedly talking to “well-known political consultants” and planning a possible run in a Democratic primary, reported The Boston Herald. “I am giving serious consideration to a run for the United States Senate and am grateful for the support and encouragement I have received in recent days,” Lynch said in a statement to the Herald. The Democratic frontrunner to take Kerry’s seat is Congressman Ed Markey, who is the longest serving member of Congress from Massachusetts. Kerry and Vicki Kennedy, the widow of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, have already thrown their support behind Markey. …
Friday, January 4, 2013
We've heard from Washington, now, what's your take?
Just before the holidays, we checked in at the J.V. Fletcher Library to see what folks were thinking about when it came to the Fiscal Cliff debate. While Congress has voted on a short term solution, it's likely that the topic will resurface in the coming months and we want to hear your thoughts! Do you agree with the people we talked to? Did they miss something? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Frank reportedly wants to stay to be part of the fiscal cliff debate.
One day after leaving the U.S. Congress, former Democratic Congressman Barney Frank said he asked Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint him as the interim senator to fill John Kerry's seat, according to the Boston Herald. Frank made the remarks during an appearance on MSNBC on Jan. 4. If appointed, Frank would fill the seat Kerry will likely vacate if he is confirmed as the next Secretary of State. Frank said he wanted to stay in politics for now because he wanted to be part of the fiscal cliff debate, according to the Herald. Tweets from Boston Globe political reporter Glen Johnson confirmed the news. "But [the fiscal cliff deal] now means that February, March and April are going to be among the most important months in American financial …
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Boston.com is reporting an early salvo has been fired in what could be the Senate special election showdown.
In a radio interview Wednesday morning, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) jabbed at Democratic Congressman Edward Markey about his residency in Malden, according to a Boston.com report. Brown questioned if Markey still lives in Massachusetts anymore and also told WTKK-FM he often sees members of the Bay State congressional delegation on planes trips home but said "I have never seen Ed on the airplane—ever," according to the report. This salvo from Brown could be a preview of a possible showdown with Markey over the Senate seat expected to be vacated by John Kerry if he is confirmed as the next U.S. Secretary of State. Boston.com reports Brown has "hinted" he could run for the seat while Markey said he would run if Kerry's confirmation is …
Andrew Sylvia
1:33 am on Monday, April 15, 2013
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