Earlier this month, devastating across-the-board cuts -- known in Washington as the "sequester" -- kicked in. Since then, Americans of all political stripes have been scrambling to cope with a new world in which critical government services like pre-K education for disadvantaged kids, unemployment insurance for...

As President Obama prepares to take the oath of office, an elite consensus has emerged in Washington: The first term was about reducing unemployment; the second is about tackling the federal debt.

The Economist Magazine put it succinctly: "The crisis and recession are past," it declared. "Mr....

This letter is part of our "Letters to Our Ancestors" project. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, we've asked members of our community to share their own letters to our forefathers. With these letters, we hope to look back on the progress our community has made...

I can think of few issues that have led to more heated rhetoric and emotions than immigration. Much of the recent focus has rightly been on fixing our broken immigration system and what to do about the undocumented population that has been living and working in the United States, in...

Tomorrow, the House is expected to vote on whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over internal deliberative documents related to Operation Fast and Furious.

Last week, the attorney general -- who has testified on this matter on nine separate occasions and...

This past Wednesday, Stand Up for Democracy delivered 50 boxes of petitions with more than 226,000 signatures to Lansing, seeking repeal of Michigan's draconian and anti-democratic emergency manager law. As I stated in an op-ed published yesterday in the Detroit Free Press, "Our state is at a legal...

As you are preparing to gather around the Thanksgiving table, the Republican majority in Congress is rushing to push through legislation that will undermine the continued health and safety of the loved ones seated next to you. Over the next two weeks they will bring three bills to the...

The dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial provides an opportunity to reflect and commit ourselves to Dr. King's work. The ceremony on Oct. 16 will also serve as a homecoming for people of every nation who heeded Dr. King's dare to dream and then worked toward the...

Why would Congress pass three leftover Bush NAFTA-style "free trade" agreements with Korea, Panama and Colombia?

A report issued by the Economic Policy Institute concluded that the Korea FTA agreement not only fails to create jobs for American workers, it would result in the net loss of...

Today, we mark the 10-year anniversary of the War in Afghanistan. After 10 years, it is clear money is being wasted on military spending and wars that aren't making us safer, and are doing nothing for ordinary people in Afghanistan and Pakistan and beyond. It's working people in Michigan, and...

This past Monday, the House of Representatives held a vote on the so-called debt ceiling deal. I strongly opposed this legislation.

While default was not an option, I would have preferred a bill that raised taxes on corporations that earn billions of dollars a year and have...

Today in a letter to President Obama, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Emanuel Cleaver and I called on President Obama to raise the debt ceiling under the authority of the 14th Amendment.

Below is the text of the letter:

Dear Mr. President:

We urge you to invoke section 4...

On this Tax Day, many Americans are likely taking a moment to consider the costs associated with funding the public services that, among other things, keep our air and water clean, create educational opportunities for our children, and provide financial security to our most vulnerable fellow citizens. Although no one...

Based on their absolute refusal to compromise on the Federal budget, Tea Party adherents in the Republican party will force the government to shutdown at the end of Friday. Just last week, Tea Party Republicans traveled to the Nation's capital to urge the House Republican Majority not to compromise with...

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of New York City and one of the deadliest industrial accidents in the history of the United States.

This occasion has particular resonance in the present political landscape. Across this country,...

Yesterday, I invited some of the nation's leading experts and advocates to shed some light on how H.R. 1, one of the most draconian spending cuts packages our modern time has ever seen, will impact America's justice, job creation, public safety, and constitutional rights. Panelists spoke on how...

As Americans gather together this holiday season, many will take a moment to give thanks for the blessings in their lives. Most will be thankful for their family and friends. What will likely go unmentioned and unconsidered is an appreciation for the access to two basic necessities that many of...

One of the most underreported stories of the recent global financial meltdown was the role played in the crisis by housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and their subsequent and continued government bailout. To date, the federal government has purchased nearly $143 billion in stock in these two companies,...

Since the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, ending the lives of eleven men, injuring many others, and causing the largest environmental disaster in United States history, the victims have been waiting for BP to make them whole. Unfortunately, thus far BP's response has been a day late and a...

It is disingenuous to say this is an "emergency" supplemental. The only "emergency" is this: In funding the longest war in history, we are putting America further into debt with China, expanding the deficit, increasing wasteful government spending, undermining our budgetary process, risking Social Security and solidifying debt that military...