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Eighteen years ago today, America lost one of its greatest civil rights leaders and an icon of social justice, Cesar Chavez. Born in 1927 and raised in the fields of America’s Southwest, Chavez dedicated his life to fighting injustice through peaceful actions and noble protests. His legacy is the lasting change he fought for to empower working men and women.

Democrats and Republicans must come together in the weeks ahead, setting aside partisanship to reach an agreement to fund the government for the rest of 2011. President Obama has been clear that he is eager to find common ground with Republicans that eliminates wasteful spending and fuels economic growth. But the President cannot support the Republicans’ current plan, which is a partisan effort to bulldoze crucial programs – one that would cripple our economy.

As the economy begins to recover from the worst recession in 80 years, President Obama proposed a plan to strengthen the incubators of growth while also helping our country live within its means. The plan makes targeted investments in education, innovation, and infrastructure – and is designed not just to create jobs right now but also to reinforce the pillars of long-term stability.

In President Obama’s State of the Union address, he promised that the United States would out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. The budget the President proposed this week takes another step forward in fulfilling that pledge – in part by bolstering innovation.