NEW YORK (Sputnik) — De Blasio is scheduled to remain in Washington until Wednesday, after which he is scheduled to travel to California for fundraisers and speaking arrangements.
Bill De Blasio's latest: slamming Washington for not helping middle-class families http://t.co/5X8Py63gLC pic.twitter.com/8aWloQSvlF
— IBTimes (@IBTimes) May 12, 2015
“I’m here today because the fight to lift up struggling New Yorkers, and to help rebuild New York’s middle class, doesn’t end at the borders of my city,” de Blasio said at an economic forum hosted by the liberal think tank Roosevelt Institute. “What happens in Washington — or doesn’t happen — makes an enormous difference to my 8.5 million constituents back home.”
.@mikeallen: "De Blasio to unveil a progressive version of the "Contract with America""
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) May 6, 2015
De Blasio noted that despite his successes as mayor, which included enacting paid sick leave laws, creating a municipal identification system, as well as building and preserving affordable housing, there is still much left to do to address economic disparity.
“The crisis of economic inequality is massive,” he said. “But it is well within our power to take it head on and make a real difference.”
The Mayor argued that closing tax loopholes for big corporations and raising the minimum wage remain priorities for him.
“Governors, mayors, city and state legislatures — we all have the opportunity to incubate ideas at the local level, and create momentum for real, progressive national change,” de Blasio added.
