Alain,

After more than two weeks of holding our country hostage, the House Republicans have given in and agreed to reopen America’s government. But there are no winners here—this unnecessary shutdown has cost our country an estimated $24 billion and we will continue to feel the economic impact in the coming weeks.

Our country is revving back up again, but we’re still under attack.

House Republicans are going back to lick their wounds and prepare for the battle ahead; just like last year, they want to put the 99% on the chopping block and bail out the billionaires and millionaires who already take too much from this country. If they’re willing to risk a global economic meltdown just to get their way, what aren’t they willing to risk? In the coming months, we’re going to have a fight over the direction of our economy and our nation.

Now that the government is back to work, click here to send a “Welcome home!” message to Congress—and remind them we’ve been watching, and we have some demands of our own.

The GOP only wants to do more bloodletting. But the labor movement knows what medicine this country needs. We demand an end to job-destroying fiscal austerity—the repeal of sequester. We demand no cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits, period. And we demand an end to the $600 billion in tax breaks given to companies for sending their business overseas for the next 10 years.

The GOP and its Wall Street cronies must be getting some kind of satisfaction from cutting retirement benefits for 90-year-olds, from preying on the most vulnerable among us. But the labor movement stands between them and even more tax breaks. We stand between them and a country up for grabs to the highest bidder. And we need you to join us.

Fight with us:

go.aflcio.org/we-demand

Damon
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Damon Silvers
Policy Director, AFL-CIO