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Democrats begin to pitch 'A Better Deal' economic agenda

By Andrew V. Pestano

July 24 (UPI) -- Congressional Democrats on Monday began pitching the party's new campaign-style agenda in Virginia, by focusing on the economy for working-class Americans.

"Everyday expenses keep climbing higher and higher, but wages seem to cover less and less. It's time more Americans got 'A Better Deal,'" Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

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Schumer said "A Better Deal" has three goals -- to put more money in the pocket of Americans with good-paying jobs, to cut expenses and to give people the skills needed for the 21st century.

Another facet of the campaign is to get more Democrats elected to Congress in next year's midterm elections.

Schumer joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and several other Democratics in Virginia Monday afternoon, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for the rally.

Senate Democrats said "A Better Deal" -- which alludes to Theodore Roosevelt's "Square Deal" and Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" -- will "boost wages, lower costs, and unrig the economy so it works for all Americans, not special interests or just the wealthiest few."

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In their efforts, Democrats want to break up corporate power by reversing a decades-long trend of rising market consolidation in the hands of a few large companies -- specifically in the beer, airline, eyeglass and telecom industries. Democrats will propose that new federal merger standards be changed to put the burden on corporations to prove that the deals would not make the economy less competitive.

The Democratic lawmakers also want to target rising prices in the prescription drug industry, and create 10 million new jobs through infrastructure spending and tax credits for employers.

"It is time to ignite a new era of investment in America's workers, empowering all Americans with the skills they need to compete in the modern economy," Pelosi wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. "We are calling for a new tax credit for employers to train and hire workers at a good wage, and a massive new national commitment to expanding apprenticeships and paid on-the-job training that advances their skills and careers."

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