Daily Dems Doing the Work, Making Noise and Fighting Back Day 36

I got a bit carried away, we have nine stories today, I hope you don’t mind!

Rep Tom Suozzi (NY-03)

Went on CNBC’s Squawk Box this morning and, using language Republicans might actually latch onto, explained why what EM is doing is not getting rid of waste fraud and abuse in the government.

Look, you’re not gonna agree with a lot of what he’s saying, but, keep in mind, you’re not the target audience. And this really does have a chance of resonating with the people who are.

I also love how he didn’t let a single comment go by without responding to it. The interviewer tried neutralizing a lot, and Suozzi wasn’t having it.

Rep Glenn Ivey (MD-04)

Spoke at the “Hands Off Our NOAA” rally at the NOAA HQ in Silver Springs MD. Unfortunately, the entire rally was not live streamed, but I’m glad Ivey posted his own speech.

Rep Rick Larsen (WA-02)

Has a weekly series called “Recap with Rick” where he goes over the past week’s events. I have a feeling most people don’t even know he does this, so I hope I’m able to turn some people onto it because I think he does a really fantastic job.

This week, of course, he discussed the budget bill, and specifically how it will affect his district. He talked about how in his district 2k babies were born last year and half of them were born through Medicaid. That’s a tangible number, and that makes it more real and more powerful.

Sen Gary Peters (MI)

Wrote an op-ed about the tariffs for the Wall Street Journal. I have been shockingly impressed with the paper since DT took office, they seem like one of the only right-leaning papers that still care about old-school Republican values.

It’s important to note that while MAGA don’t read the WSJ, fiscal Republicans do, and many of them voted for DT just because they’ve only ever voted Republican and couldn’t stomach doing something else this time, but just maybe, articles like this will change their mind.

This is the link for those of you who don’t subscribe, which I assume is most.

Rep Chellie Pingree (ME-01)

Is reintroducing the “Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act,” bipartisan legislation to protect waterfronts from the climate crisis, along with Republican Rob Wittman. This is what I mean when I say there is such a thing as good bipartisanship. I also always find it impressive when Dems get Republicans to sign on to really good legislation, especially, because it shows how hypocritical they are.

Here is some of what Pingree said in her press release:

When fishermen must grapple with the loss of wharves, processing facilities, and other essential infrastructure in addition to navigating the challenge of climate change, it threatens the very survival of our coastal communities…Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have been proud to work across the aisle with my colleagues to create bipartisan solutions that can work for America’s coastal communities. My and Congressman Wittman’s bipartisan Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act will help reverse a worrying trend of shrinking waterfronts, while simultaneously protecting jobs and preserving the character of our coastal communities.

Rep Don Beyer (VA-08)

Will be holding a series of resource fairs for fired or soon to be fired federal workers called “Rising to the Challenge.” They will include things like info sessions on workers rights, and food aid for those who need it. This is brilliant, and I hope it helps bring some stability to a very unstable situation.

And before you ask, no this doesn’t mean he’s giving up or legitimizing the firings. It means that federal workers won’t be left out in the cold to find resources and fend for themselves. That’s not what we do.

I also hope other electeds follow suit and have them in their districts. I know he has the perfect district to do this for DC workers, but not all federal workers are in DC.

This is the kind of out of the box thinking we need more of!

DNC

Announced the rest of their leadership today. But I want to highlight two of the names specifically.

Roger Lau became the first Asian American presidential campaign manager when he managed Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign. He started working on Warren’s campaigns when she first ran for senate in 2012.

Shasti Conrad ran for vice-chair, and though she didn’t get elected, I’m glad to see she will be one of the associate chairs. She is the chair of the Washington Democratic Party and is the first woman of color and youngest person to serve in the role. She’s also the only AAPI state party leader in the lower 48. And WA is the only state in the nation that trended bluer in Nov.

So yes, the DNC is moving in a more progressive direction, and I hope this helps shut own the idea that this DNC is no different than the last.

Sen Elizabeth Warren (MA)

Posted another one of her amazing explainer videos. This one details the importance of the IRS in dealing with waste fraud and abuse. The IRS also happens to be one of the agencies EM is shrinking if not entirely dismantling.

I think the best thing about these videos is how they give everyone the ability to speak on these issues with the people in their lives. She uses clear and direct language that is incredibly hard to refute. Don’t just watch her videos, internalize them, and then repeat them when you need to.

Sen Dick Durbin (IL)

Led the rally and march in support of Ukraine in Chicago yesterday. I haven’t seen Durbin on the ground with constituents a whole bunch, so, I was really excited to see this. I’m glad to hear some of his speech, I wish they included a bit more.

So, as always, I hope this helps remind you that the Dems are fighting back, and they are making noise and they are doing the work!

And I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see what they do before during and after the joint address tomorrow!

Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!