National campaign will call for replacing sequestration with pro-growth federal budget policies

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
August 5, 2013

Washington, D.C. -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 36 of the nation’s preeminent Latino organizations, today launched the Latinos United for a Fair Economy campaign to raise awareness about, and advocate for, the Latino community’s federal budget priorities to grow our economy. The campaign will be led by NHLA’s Economic Empowerment Committee, which is co-chaired by Javier Palomarez, President and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Eric Rodriguez, Vice President of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).

The campaign’s work will be guided by the following priorities:

• Roll back the irrational and arbitrary budget cuts, known as sequestration, that are cutting federal investments in education, job training, healthcare, transportation, housing, and other important domestic priorities that impact the lives of Latino families.
• Increase opportunities for small businesses to grow, and train Latino workers to compete and thrive in the 21st century economy.
• Oppose cuts to safety net and income support programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, which provide critical income and health care for the elderly, disabled, and children.
• Invest in our future by investing in our youth, by funding education from pre-school to graduate school, as well as job training programs.

The Latinos United for a Fair Economy campaign includes a web platform at www.LatinosUnited.org/faireconomy with information resources and tools for people across the country to contact their Members of Congress. In the coming months, the campaign will also include town halls in various states, and educational briefings for policymakers and advocates.

“Working Latino families across the nation have already been bit by budget cuts to the schools that educate their children, the community health centers that keep them healthy, and rental assistance that keeps a roof over their heads. As Congress prepares to make monumental budget decisions after the August recess, additional cuts on the backs of struggling families should not be on the table. Instead, we need budget policies that will boost economic growth and job opportunities. The Latinos United for a Fair Economy campaign will ensure that elected officials in Washington hear the views of Latino voters loud and clear,” said Hector Sanchez, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA).

“We need to remind Congress to put families before politics,” said Eric Rodriguez, Vice President of the Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation at NCLR. “Hardworking Latinos have already paid their fair share of deficit reduction and to continue to ask them to disproportionately absorb the pain of these budget cuts is just unfair. As members of Congress head to their districts in August they will be hearing from Latino voters about the need to put an end to cuts and instead produce a fair and responsible long-term budget that invests in federal programs critical to helping Latino children and working families.”

“The overall impact of the Hispanic community, through leveraging its entrepreneurial spirit and becoming the fastest growing segment of enterprise, has been a huge asset to the American economy. As leaders in Washington outline their plans for responsible deficit reduction, we urge both parties to consider the impact of budget cuts that undermine the ability of Hispanic business owners and workers to help move us toward a full economic recovery. Today’s launch of the Latinos United for a Fair Economy campaign will be instrumental in advocating the federal budget priorities of the Hispanic community, and we look forward to working with Congress to promote policies that encourage job creation and a strong workforce,” said Javier Palomarez, President & CEO of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and LatinosUnited.org/faireconomy and follow us @NHLAgenda.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

| Melody Gonzales | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 508-6917 |

| Brenda Arredondo | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (915) 373-1483 |