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“It’s time we legalize marijuana, but at the minimum, we must reduce the conflicts between federal and state laws so that the industry can continue to create jobs and bolster state economies,” said U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee. “This conflict hurts small businesses and constrains the economic benefits of legal cannabis—an industry that is estimated to reach $11 billion in sales this year and $23 billion by 2022. But in order to realize the benefits, we must act on legislation such as the STATES Act to help these businesses thrive.”
“Homeownership has always been a benchmark for financial stability. When young adults are unable to purchase homes, it makes it harder for them to accumulate wealth and build financial security,” said Senator Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee. “We must address persistent problems like slow wage growth, lack of affordable housing, and high student loan debt. Without comprehensive solutions to these issues, millennials will continue to struggle in the housing market and will be blocked from putting down the kind of roots that strengthen communities and economies.”
“We must do everything we can in the next Congress to advocate for working families and ensure that we have an economy that works for everyone. We have to protect and improve the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. We must invest in education and clean energy. And we must pass policies that tackle income inequality and make sure working families, not just the wealthiest among us, are set up for economic success.”
Climate change already has hurt the U.S. economy and is expected to do even more damage in the years ahead unless American policymakers join the world in trying to mitigate its worst effects, according to a new congressional report. The findings by the Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee are neither new nor surprising, but they do add another voice to the chorus that has spelled out in ever-increasing detail the dangers of a warmer planet. "These changes will cost lives, force waves of human migration across the globe, upend insurance markets, and have dire consequences for the American economy," noted the authors of the 10-page report. "The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond projects that climate change could reduce annual economic growth in the United States by one third over the next century."