0226JeffDCTestifyingOn February 26, before he attended a press conference with House Democrats advocating for a higher minimum wage, Jeff testified before the US Senate’s Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, which describes its purpose as “fostering dialogue between Senate Democrats and community leaders from across the nation.” The Steering Committee hosts several meetings with advocates, policy experts, and elected officials to discuss key priorities and enlist their help in the development of the Democratic agenda in the Senate.

0226Jeff&SchumerJeff with Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY)

The February 26 meeting, which was called “Rebuilding The Middle Class,” focused on ways to attack income inequality, which will be a main focus for Democrats in the upcoming election season.  Jeff told the Senators, aides, and others about Ben & Jerry’s 35-year commitment to paying its all of its employees a living wage, and how the company has recently extended this commitment to everyone in its supply chain by switching to 100 percent fairly-traded ingredients.  Wow, impressive.  But what impressed Jeff’s friends the most was his outfit.  It was like the appearance of the periodical cicada Magicicada, because Jeff only puts on a suit and tie once every 13 years.