Engel Gets 100% for Supporting Middle Class
 |
Congressman
Elliot Engel (D) N.Y. |
WASHINGTON,
DC — For the fifth consecutive year, U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel
received a 100 percent rating from the non-partisan Drum Major
Institute for Public Policy (DMI) for his votes on legislation
supporting the middle class.
Since
2003, the DMI has issued annual scorecards analyzing the impact
of
domestic legislation on America’s current and aspiring
middle class, and evaluating members of Congress based on their
votes on this legislation. For each of those years Rep. Engel
has received 100 percent for his voting record.
Rep. Engel
said, “This is an achievement to be proud of. The middle
class is the backbone of any society but lately, in the United
States, this vital segment of society has been losing ground.
Tax relief for the rich coupled with wage stagnation means
that every year more of the middle class migrates down, while
the wealthiest grow even wealthier.
“That
is why I have consistently voted for legislation that supports
the middle class; for laws such as the Paycheck Fairness Act
(enforce prohibitions against sex discrimination), the Children’s
Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (health care for
4 million children without coverage), and the Emergency Extended
Unemployment Act (extending unemployment benefits).*
“Of
the 20 pieces of legislation that the DMI used as a measure,
I voted with the DMI on all 20.”
The DMI established
a website, theMiddleClass.org, to analyze bills it considers
would have a significant impact on the middle class, as well
as on the aspirations of low-income Americans who want to work
their way into the middle class.
By DMI definition,
the middle class standard of living in the United States has
come to mean having a secure job, the opportunity to own a
home, access to health care, retirement security, time off
for vacation, illness and the birth or adoption of a child,
opportunities to save for the future and the ability to provide
a good education, including a college education, for one’s
children. When these middle-class fundamentals are within the
reach of most Americans, the nation is stronger economically,
culturally and democratically.