Americans are sick and tired of feeling like government is not working for them. And, with President Trump and Republicans in Congress dead set on giving the store away to Wall Street, wealthy political donors, and powerful special interests – at the expense of everyone else – it’s no wonder over 80 percent of Americans feel they can’t trust elected officials in Washington to do what is right.
Democrats have come up with a bold plan to fix our broken political system and return to a government that works for the people. Our plan would:
• Fix our broken campaign finance system and eliminate the pervasive influence of corporate money in politics.
• Strengthen our nation’s ethics laws to fight special interests, and hold Washington accountable.
• Empower American voters to ensure a responsive government.
The Trump administration, with the GOP Congress by his side, is working hand-in-hand with big polluters, Wall Street, and big pharma. Together, they’re driving up the cost of prescription drugs and healthcare, rolling back environmental regulations, and standing in the way of wage growth for hard working Americans. Luckily, Democrats are working for the people, and offering a better deal to restore faith in government by safeguarding the right to vote, ending the revolving-door in Washington that give lobbyists and big-money donors so much influence, and putting a stop to the river of undisclosed political contributions flowing through Washington.
SUPPORTING RHODE ISLAND’S TRAVEL & TOURISM INDUSTRY
Yesterday, I sat down for a roundtable discussion with Congressman Jim Langevin and leaders in the tourism industry to discuss the obstacles and opportunities facing this vital part of our economy.
Tourism is incredibly important to Rhode Island. It supports more than 83,000 direct and indirect jobs in our state and injected more than $4.4 billion in visitor spending into our economy last year.
And, as industry leaders underscored during our discussion, one of the most important things we can do to create more good-paying jobs and support travel and tourism is invest in our infrastructure. Democrats have put forward A Better Deal to Rebuild America, which would fix our crumbling roads, bridges, ports and highways, and increase investments in our airport and rail systems. Travelers need to be able to rely on our infrastructure and transportation systems to safely get them where they need to be, on time.
SCAM PHONE CALLS
My office has heard from an increasing number of constituents that they have been receiving “scam" phone calls – including calls that suggest you may have outstanding warrants from law enforcement or owe back taxes. As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advises, if you receive a phone call from someone you don’t know, and the caller or message is asking you to provide personal information – the first rule is to never provide such information, or hang up.
If you receive a call that you think may be a scam you can log a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), here . Constituents may also call 888-225-5322. You may also reach out to my office, and my staff can help guide you through the process.
IRAN SANCTIONS
President Trump shortsightedly and recklessly withdrew from the Iran Deal and now it’s clear he had no plan for what would come next. Imposing new sanctions on Iran will not stop the country from developing and using nuclear weapons and it has done nothing to advance our national security interests.
Instead, other global powers have condemned Trump’s decision. We need to be working with our international partners on a well thought out solution. This is another example of President Trump making an irresponsible decision, which jeopardizes the safety of all Americans and is a further detriment to our relationship with our allies.
SUPPORTNG RHODE ISLAND SMALL BUSINESSES
This week I met Robin, owner of the children’s boutique, Piccolo, in Barrington. Robin was able to purchase and open her store thanks to a Community Advantage loan which is part of a pilot program through the Small Business Administration. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and I’ll continue to support initiatives like the SBA Community Advantage program that help entrepreneurs like Robin compete and thrive in our economy.
As always, if you or someone you know has any questions or concerns, please call my office at 729-5600 or send me an email at David.Cicilline@mail.house.gov.
You can also click here to follow my work on Twitter.
Warm Regards,
David Cicilline
Member of Congress
