WASHINGTON (AP) – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, fashioning himself as one of the left’s loudest voices on economic causes, appeared in Washington on Tuesday to make two stops on his national tour to tout the need to fight income inequality, one with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the other to unveil his national liberal political platform.
De Blasio, a first-term Democrat, unveiled what he has dubbed “The Progressive Agenda” just outside the U.S. Capitol, touting its principles as key stepping stones to cut the gap between the nation’s rich and poor.
The 13-point plan is, in part, based on what de Blasio has done in New York, including setting up paid sick leave and universal free pre-kindergarten. But it also has planks far beyond the powers of a big-city mayor, calling for sweeping immigration reform, closing tax loopholes that benefit the rich and opposing trade deal deals that are bad for American workers and the environment.
“Something different is happening. It’s a movement from the grass roots. It’s an urgent call for change,” de Blasio said during a news conference where he was joined by dozens of fellow liberals, including former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro and civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton.
“It’s time to take that energy and crystalize it into an agenda that will make a difference,” de Blasio continued. “It’s time to put people ahead of profits and value work over wealth.”