What does the Republican Budget CUT ?

 

What does the Republican-led Congress’s 10-year budget propose to do? It would harm the most vulnerable, including: Cut Medicaid by $880 billion, which will result in 36 million poor people losing their healthcare coverage and the closure of more rural medical facilities Cut food stamps (SNAP) by $230 billion, which could impact over 40 million hungry families It would also protect the rich and harm people here and abroad, including: Give $4.5 trillion in tax cuts to billionaires, and require the poorest 20 percent of Americans to pay more in taxes Provide hundreds of billions of dollars for increased militarization of our communities, deportations of our immigrant neighbors and war abroad We need to reach all of our federal officials—not just to stop the cuts but to demand an expanded social safety net that lifts from the bottom and allows all of us to thrive, not struggle to survive. Join us! No previous experience is necessary. Please invite neighbors, family and friends.

Reverend Barber on the need for a Moral Budget -what the Republicans are killing. -Today in DC.

 https://ourmoralmoment.substack.com/p/our-moral-moment-comes-to-congress?

Poor People's Campaign. 

That is Senator Corey Booker holding the microphone. 

Opposition to the Trump/Maga Budget Plans to Cut Public Services

 

Here is what you and I can do. 

Donald Trump wants to make billionaires like Elon Musk even richer, and he plans to decimate lifesaving programs to do it. It’s an extremely unpopular idea, even among Trump’s own voters, but the GOP plans to use a familiar legislative trick (the process called reconciliation) to get it done.

This morning, congressional Republicans completed the first hurdle in this process: getting the House and Senate to agree on a very loose framework for the final bill. They plan to cut $1.5 trillion in unnamed spending -- a number only achievable by slashing Medicaid, SNAP, and more -- and give the richest Americans $5 trillion in tax breaks.

That was the easy part, and Republicans only got there after a lot of bitter infighting. They remain deeply divided about the specifics of the final bill. That gives us a huge opening to exploit their divisions and obstruct this process as long as we can.

The longer it takes them to write the final bill, the more we can turn public attention against it, make Republicans pay a political price, and ultimately, the better the chance we have to stop it from passing.

That’s what today’s email is all about: Understanding exactly what Republicans plan to do and how we can divide them, disrupt them, and stop them. It’s a long one, but this is one of the biggest fights we’ve faced yet -- so it’s important we all know the stakes and the plan. Buckle up.

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A refresher on reconciliation

Budget Reconciliation is a Senate maneuver allowing some bills -- namely those related to spending -- to pass with just 51 votes, instead of the 60 normally needed to bypass the filibuster. Put simply, it lets the party in power push bills through the Senate without any bipartisan support. (There’s a full explainer here if you want a deep-dive.)

You may remember Republicans using reconciliation to cram Trump’s billionaire tax cuts down our throats during his first term -- or to try repealing the Affordable Care Act in 2017. (We stopped them.)

This time around, Republicans are using reconciliation to slash Medicaid and give more tax cuts to billionaires like Elon Musk. They’re early in the process right now -- fighting among themselves over how many trillions to cut -- but we know one of the most destructive, partisan bills in American history is coming. And we need to be ready.

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The huge stakes of this fight

In short, the Republican plan is to enact trillions (ya, that’s with a T) of dollars in tax breaks for corporations and billionaires. And since letting rich guys like Trump and Musk dodge taxes means less to go around for the rest of us, Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs will get cut to pay for it all.

What does that mean for everyday Americans like us?

❌	Millions of Americans could lose their healthcare or face medical debt when Medicaid is slashed by hundreds of billions of dollars.
❌	Hospitals and healthcare facilities could close, particularly in rural areas, as federal funding drops sharply and fewer Medicaid patients can afford their services.
❌	Tens of thousands of kids could go hungry due to planned cuts to SNAP and other nutritional assistance programs that help families keep food on the table.
❌	Billionaires like Elon Musk will gain even more power as their massive slice of the pie gets even bigger -- leaving them extra billions to spend on lobbying, political donations, and, in Musk’s case, even shadier behavior.

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The good news: we can win

Republicans know their plan is unpopular, but when Donald Trump wants something, they scramble and grovel and fall in line. We need to make reconciliation so toxic, so painful, so slow and confusing and arduous, that even the most Trump-fearing MAGA puppets question whether it’s all worth it.

Here’s how we can do that:

🚨	SOUND THE ALARM: We need to ensure this plan and its impacts are known by everyone, everywhere. We’ll do that by talking to neighbors about the harm to our own communities, sharing educational resources like this email, and hosting highly visible local events.
💙	LEAD A LOUD DEM RESISTANCE: We need every Democratic lawmaker to speak out early, often, and loudly -- while party leaders use every possible tool to stall and divide Republicans. We’ll clearly define our expectations, celebrate Dems who fight boldly, and hold those who stay quiet accountable.
🥵	TURN THE HEAT UP ON REPUBLICANS: Vulnerable and so-called “moderates” on the Republican side will try hiding from constituents and distancing themselves from Trump’s plan -- even as they benefit from it. We can’t let them. We need to make them hear us, and we need to make them own this.
⏳	DELAY, DISRUPT, DIVIDE: We need Freedom Caucus Rs screaming at battleground Rs. We need votes that take days to schedule. We need lawyers and parliamentarians throwing sand in all the gears. We need this process to take months that feel like years.

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What you can do right now

This Saturday, April 12, until Sunday, April 27, Members of Congress will return to their home turf for the April Congressional Recess. That’s our opportunity to take action. We show up. We remind them how toxic Trump’s plans are. We refuse to let them hide.

From April 12-27, Indivisibles are hosting in-district events to make Republicans sweat and make sure Democrats stand firm. Please click here to sign up for a “Stop The Cuts” April Recess event near you.

JOIN AN EVENT→

1. If you have a Republican senator, call your senator’s office or send them an email to say you don’t want to pay the price for billionaire tax breaks.
2. If a Republican represents you in the House, call your GOP representative or send them an email to remind them they work for you -- not Musk, Trump, or their oligarch buddies.
3. If there aren’t any April recess events near you yet, use our “Stop the Cuts” toolkit to plan an event for your community during April Recess.

This April, every Republican needs to feel the heat for planning to cut Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs just to fund massive tax giveaways for billionaires. Every Democrat needs to know that we’ve got their backs when they fight back to protect everyday Americans.

Thanks for reading all of this, and thanks for being with us in this fight for democracy!

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

P.S. Fighting back against this reconciliation bill will be one of the hardest things we’ve ever done together -- requiring Indivisibles to be louder and more organized than ever before. If you can spare anything at all, please consider donating so Indivisible can gear up to stop the cuts and hold Republicans accountable.

House Republicans Take Food, Health Care and More Away from Children and the Elderly

 

.org Last night, every House Republican -- with only one exception -- voted for a budget framework that would gut Medicaid and other life-or-death programs in order to fund tax cuts for the rich. The sole no vote wasn’t some profile in courage, if you were wondering. It was a guy who thought the bill should have taken more money from hungry kids and struggling families.  But this fight is far from over. Last night’s vote was a nonbinding “concept of a plan.” It was written to be as vague as possible, so Republicans could cast their vote and then look constituents in the eye and say “no, I didn’t vote to take away your health insurance! I’d never do that!”  The hard part for Republicans comes next -- because now they have to write a bill that fulfills last night’s promise to cut $2 trillion from the budget. And spoiler: That can only be done by taking away their constituents’ healthcare and a lot of other stuff they depend on. It’s going to be very unpopular. It’s going to make constituents very angry. And it’s going to cost people their lives.  Let’s talk about what comes next, how we fight this bill, and how we make Republicans pay a steep political price for putting billionaires ahead of their constituents.  What’s next? In a word: Chaos.  Just because House Republicans agreed on a budget framework yesterday does not mean they are aligned on the next steps forward. Senate Republicans have their own, VERY different plan that would separate government spending and tax cuts into two different bills. The House wants to do everything -- massive cuts to Medicaid, education, food assistance to kids, and ungodly tax cuts for billionaires -- all in one bill. You might be thinking, “they’ll just do whatever Trump says, right?” Well, Trump endorsed the House approach… and then said he needs to read both. We know Trump doesn’t actually read bills, so his decision could hinge on a tweet from Elon Musk or something he hears tomorrow on Fox and Friends.  One bill or two, the real challenge here is getting House and Senate Republicans to agree on how to go about cutting trillions from the budget. Oh, they love the idea in theory. Spending cuts are even popular with voters… in theory. But things change when it actually comes time to name the programs that are going to be gutted.  To come anywhere close to the kind of cuts Republicans are talking about, Medicaid would have to be slashed by about $800 billion over the next decade. Quick facts: 72 million Americans rely on Medicaid.  41% of births in the US are paid for by the program.  Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing home care (something felt not just by those requiring the care, but their adult children as well)  One estimate suggests 36 million people could lose their healthcare coverage as a result of the bill.  That’s just the cuts to Medicaid. A lot of other popular programs would need to be hollowed out or completely terminated to reach the $2 trillion mark. Here’s a chart showing how cuts to SNAP (food assistance) would impact potential voters in districts where Republicans will face tight reelections next year: Source: Vote Save America Negotiations are going to drag on for months. Republicans from swing districts are going to get cold feet on the Medicaid cuts (some have already been spooked into public statements). Meanwhile, the most hardline conservatives are going to threaten to pull support if the budget isn’t slashed enough to offset the billionaire tax cuts Trump cares about above all else. It’s going to be a mess.  And that means we’ve got months to turn up the heat on Republicans and make them spend each and every day talking about why they are gutting programs for poor and working people to fund tax cuts for the rich. Delicious bonus? A congressional recess is coming. Every representative and senator is going to be back in their state or district coming face to face with pissed off voters (you).  What you can do  If we do our job right, the next few months are going to resemble the fight to save the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2017. Back then, Republicans had a much bigger margin in the House. They had a slightly smaller majority in the Senate. And they were trying to take away people’s healthcare using a similar legislative process -- reconciliation -- that would allow them to bypass the filibuster and pass their repeal bill with only 50 votes (an explainer on reconciliation can be found here).  We had Republicans’ phones ringing off the hooks. Constituents were so angry that the GOP simply stopped having town halls so they could avoid being yelled at -- but people found ways to confront them in their offices, at airports, and outside fundraisers. We also put together tons of events to make Members of Congress look really bad for being afraid to face their constituents. In the end, we won.  If anything, this bill is going to be even more unpopular than the effort to repeal the ACA. If passed, it’d hurt more people. And it’s being paired with incredibly unpopular tax cuts for billionaires. The politics are AWFUL. People are going to be fearful and angry. It’s up to us to harness that energy and convince a handful of Republican representatives (the math will depend on upcoming special elections) and/or four Republican senators to vote no -- or to make the politics SO toxic that Republicans are forced to rework the budget framework completely. If you are represented by Republicans in the House and/or Senate We’ve set up tools to help you easily contact your elected officials in opposition to this budget proposal.  Call your Republican Senator >>  Email your Republican Senator >> Call your Republican Representative >> Email your Republican Representative >>  But calls are just the start. Defeating this bill is going to take in-person action -- office visits, protests, and more. In the next two days, we’ll be reaching out with plans for how we’re going to use the next Congressional recess (March 15-23) to plan events in all 50 states, and with your help, every congressional district. If you are represented by Democrats in the House and/or Senate We’ve been saying for weeks that Democrats aren’t showing up to fight in the way this moment requires. But credit where credit is due: Last night Dems showed up. Literally. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (CO-7) cut short her maternity leave and flew across the country -- with her newborn baby -- to cast a no vote. Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15) went straight from the hospital where he was being treated for surgery complications to the airport so he could vote no. If a few shameless Republicans hadn’t flipped at the last minute, their heroic efforts would have blocked the resolution.  Dems are speaking with one voice:  Now, we need to ensure they speak loudly. We anticipate that Republicans are going to hide from voters during the next Congressional recess, so Dems have a chance to fill the void by hosting townhalls in their districts AND nearby GOP districts to raise the alarm about this bill. We’ll be talking a lot more about this in the coming days, but for now you can use our email tool to urge your Democratic Member(s) of Congress to schedule town halls during the recess >> If you’re in DC We don’t have a call to action for you yet. But we can guarantee some big protests on this around the Capitol as we get close to a vote. We’ll be creating social media toolkits you can share outlining the harm the bill causes. And there’s a good chance we’ll be setting up phonebanks so you can reach out to voters in Republican districts and urge them to make calls/attend events to put pressure on target reps and senators.  One more thing: Government funding runs out in 16 days We waited until the end for this, because it gets a little confusing. Everything we discussed above relates to funding beginning in fiscal year 2026, which starts on October 1 of this year. But Congress hasn’t actually funded the government for the rest of fiscal year 2025 yet -- meaning you’ll hear increasing chatter about a potential shutdown in the coming weeks, and the two fights could easily become conflated. We’ll try to simplify:  March 14 deadline: If you hear discussion about a possible shutdown or ‘funding the government’ over the next few weeks, people are likely talking about fiscal year 2025 funding. This funding bill will need to be passed by regular procedure, which means if Republicans try to slip in anti-immigrant provisions or massive cuts, Senate Democrats can use the filibuster and stop it. Because the bill will require Democratic votes, Dems have a TON of leverage in these negotiations, which they can use to force restrictions on Elon Musks’s lawless raiding of the government. We have email and call tools urging Dems to use this leverage here.  Republican Budget: Anything you hear about the Republican budget negotiations, reconciliation bill, Trump Tax scam, Medicaid cuts, funding for Trump’s agenda, etc. is referring to the BIG fight we covered in this email. Those spending/tax provisions would go into effect for fiscal year 2026 or later.  We’re sure this will give rise to some confusion, so don’t hesitate to reach out with questions. Great place for Qs? Our weekly Zoom chats. We’ve got one tomorrow, Thursday at 3pm, and you can sign up here.  Watch this space  Last night, President Elon Musk allowed Trump to make a joint address to Congress and the nation, and reinforced what we already knew: Trump is a corrupt megalomaniac who is running our country to the ground. He celebrated mass firings in the federal workforce and pledged to destroy agencies that keep our country safe. He spread outrageous lies about Social Security and the war in Ukraine. He continued his hateful tirades targeting immigrants and trans people. And without any trace of irony, he declared that "The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over," while Musk looked on from the galley.  And Republicans in Congress cheered him on at every opportunity. They have abandoned their responsibility to uphold our constitution and serve their constituents because they’re all in on the Trump-Musk agenda: looting the government for the ultra-rich and making working families pay the price.  The only moments of hope throughout Trump’s speech were from Democrats who fearlessly disrupted business as usual. From Rep. Melanie Stansbury to Rep. Al Green to all those who joined mass walkouts during the speech, these leaders refused to let his authoritarian agenda go unchallenged.   Their courage must inspire us now. Congress is heading home for recess next week, from March 15 through March 23, and Republicans are already announcing they’ll be hiding from constituents. Our goals: Make every Republican own their complicity and demand accountability, and support every Democrat committed to fighting against the Trump-Musk coup. Our Musk or Us March Recess toolkit provides everything you need to call on every Democrat and Republican to host an in-person town hall while they’re home for recess -- or organize an empty chair town hall if they’re too cowardly to face their own constituents.  How to plan your March recess event: 📞 Find out if your Member of Congress (MoC) is holding a town hall. Check their website, sign up for their newsletter, follow their social media, and check our Mobilize map -- see if they have advertised a town hall anywhere. If you find one, let us know here. If not, call their office and demand they host one.  Call Senate Republicans -- If they’re gutting Medicaid and Social Security, they should say it to your face. Call House Republicans -- They’re looting the government for billionaires. Make them explain why. Call Senate Democrats -- They must hold the line against extreme MAGA cuts and demand real guardrails to protect against the Trump-Musk coup. Call House Democrats -- They need to hear from us. No deals. No blank checks. No business as usual. 🪑 If they refuse, hold an empty chair town hall. If we don’t hear from our Republican MoCs, we’ll make sure they hear from us. Empty chair town halls are opportunities to publicize how craven they are at a time when they are attempting to gut Medicaid to line the pockets of their billionaire friends. You can even invite a Democratic MoC from a nearby district to participate. Need inspiration? Indivisibles in Minnesota just held a packed empty chair town hall for their missing Republican Rep. Emmer, with hundreds in attendance.    📜 Check out our recess demands. Familiarize yourself with what we hope to get out of a town hall right now, sample questions to ask, and what’s most important to emphasize based on whether you are represented by a Republican or a Democrat. 💻 Register your town hall or empty chair town hall on Mobilize so that people in your community can find it and join. Strategize about who will speak, who will record, and how you will share those videos afterwards. No kings. No billionaires running our government. No sitting back while Trump and Musk try to seize total control. Let’s show up, get loud, and make them answer for it. Get the Recess Toolkit >> In solidarity, Indivisible Team    Moments like these are what Indivisible was made for. This GOP framework is more incendiary than a cybertruck and will soon be even more reviled. The backlash to Trump’s presidency has already begun, but this unimaginably cruel budget is how we’re going to kick it into overdrive.  Let’s show up. Let’s organize. Let’s win.  In solidarity, Indivisible Team  Indivisible.org Indivisible Project is a locally-led, people-powered movement of thousands of local groups in red, blue, and purple states, and in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Our mission is to power and lift up a grassroots movement of local groups to defeat the Trump agenda, elect progressive leaders, and realize bold progressive policies. Grassroots donations, not foundations or large gifts, are our single largest source of funding. That means we’re accountable to, and fueled by, Indivisibles on the ground.  Chip in $7 to keep fueling our movement.  Chip in >> To give by mail, send a check to Indivisible Project, PO Box 43884, Washington, DC 20010. Indivisible Project is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Donations are not tax-deductible. Click here to view this email in your browser or here to forward this email to a friend.

Gerrymandering and Control of the U.S. House

  

Gerrymandering and Control of the U.S. House

 

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/gerrymandering-gives-one-party-head-start-house-race

 

The Road Ahead

The Terrifying Road Ahead.

Robert Reich.

This particular week after Labor Day also marks the start of a terrifyingly high-stakes ride for America — five months until the beginning of the primaries, eight until Trump’s trial for seeking to overturn the 2020 election, 10 until the Republican convention in which Trump is almost certain to be nominated, 14 until the presidential election of 2024. 

All the while, Trump and House Republicans will be throwing up every conceivable distraction and roadblock — threatening to or actually closing the government, impeaching Joe Biden, and holding more hearings on “woke” capitalism, Hunter Biden, the alleged “weaponization” of the Justice Department and the FBI. 

At this point, the polls are too close for comfort. 

The question we must all ask ourselves, I believe, is what can we do between now and the election to help save American democracy? Let me try out a few answers:

— Do everything within your power to ensure that Donald Trump is not reelected president. For some of us, this will mean taking time out of our normal lives to become more directly politically involved — up to and including moving to a critical swing state. 

— Do not succumb to the tempting anesthesias of complacency or cynicism. The stakes are too high. Even if you cannot take much time out of your normal life for direct politics, you will need to organize, mobilize, and energize your friends, colleagues, and neighbors. 

— Counter lies with truth. When you hear someone repeating a Trump Republican lie, correct it. Which will require that you prepare yourself with facts, logic, analysis, and sources. 

— Do not tolerate bigotry and hate. Call it out. Stand up to it. Denounce it. Demand that others denounce it, too. 

— Do not resort to violence, name-calling, bullying, or any of the other tactics that Trump followers may be using. 

— Be compassionate toward hardcore followers of Trump, but be firm in your opposition. Understand why someone may decide to support Trump, but don’t waste your time and energy trying to convert them. Use your time and energy on those who still have open minds. 

— Don’t waste your time and energy commiserating with people who already agree with you. Don’t gripe, whine, wring your hands, and kvetch with other progressives about how awful Trump and his Republican enablers are. Don’t snivel over or criticize Biden and the Democrats for failing to communicate more effectively how bad Trump and his Republican enablers are. None of this will get you anything except an upset stomach or worse. 

— Demonstrate, but don’t mistake demonstrating for political action. You may find it gratifying to stand on a corner in Berkeley with a sign asking drivers to “honk if you hate fascism” and elicit lots of honks, but that’s as politically effectual as taking a warm shower. Organize people who don’t normally vote to vote for Biden. Mobilize get-out-the-vote efforts in your community. Get young people involved. 

— Don’t get deflected by the latest sensationalist post or story by or about Trump. Don’t let the media’s short-term attention span divert your eyes from the prize — the survival of American democracy during one of the greatest stress tests it has had to endure, organized by one of the worst demagogues in American history. 

I cannot overstate how critical the outcome of the next 14 months will be to everything we believe in. And the importance of your participation. I will be with you every step of the way.

 

Robert Reich. 

Biden and the Debt ceiling demands

 Biden must resist Republican debt ceiling demands. Here’s what he needs to do instead

US economy out of touch with lives of most Americans. Biden must resist GOP debt plan that would make things worse

By Sen. Bernie Sanders

We are at a pivotal moment in American history. In the coming days, decisions will be made with respect to our federal budget and the national debt that could impact the lives of virtually every American in our country for decades to come. 

In my view, the debate we are having on the debt ceiling is about our national priorities. It is about what we value as a nation and whose side we are on. 

At a time of unprecedented wealth and income inequality, when the top 1% has never had it so good and when three people on top own more wealth than the bottom half of our society, do we finally demand that the billionaire class start paying their fair share of taxes? Or do we shower the wealthy and well-connected with trillions of dollars in new tax breaks?

At a time when corporations are making enormous profits by jacking up the price of health care, prescription drugs, gasoline and groceries, do we finally end the huge loopholes that exist in our rigged tax code that allow large corporations to avoid paying their fair share of taxes? 

Or do we eliminate the corporate minimum tax passed last year that prevents giant profitable corporations from paying nothing in federal income taxes after making billions in profits? 

At a time when we pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs do we finally take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and substantially reduce the price of what Medicare and the American people pay for life-saving medicine? 

Or do we continue to allow the pharmaceutical industry to bankrupt Medicare and cancer patients by charging outrageously high prices at the pharmacy counter? 

At a time when the United States spends more on the military — $877 billion — than the next 10 nations combined, do we finally begin to eliminate the enormous waste, fraud and cost over-runs that exist at the Department of Defense?

Do we address the information revealed in a recent "60 Minutes" investigation that documented the billions in price gouging that defense contractors steal from taxpayers? Or do we continue to appropriate more money for the Pentagon than our generals have requested? 

Sadly, the Republicans have made their priorities abundantly clear throughout the budget negotiations. 

If Congress does not agree to impose massive cuts on the needs of working people, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor — they will allow, for the first time in our history, the U.S. to default on the national debt. 

This action will have a devastating impact on our economy, destroy millions of jobs and cause interest rates on mortgages and auto loans to skyrocket. 

The hypocrisy of Republicans in Washington is truly breathtaking. Over and over again, we hear from the Republican leadership about how deeply concerned they are about the large deficit and national debt that we have. 

Really? If that's the case, why have they been pushing for the complete repeal of the estate tax which benefits a handful of multi-billionaire families and would increase the federal deficit by $1.8 trillion? 

Why are they pushing for an extension of the Trump tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy and large corporations and would increase the federal deficit by $3.5 trillion? 

Why do they want huge increases in defense spending that would increase the national debt by hundreds of billions of dollars? 

While defaulting on our nation's debt would be a disaster so would enacting the budget Republicans passed in the House in April. Here are just some of the estimated impacts of what is included in their budget to cut non-defense discretionary spending by at least 22% next year: 

• Deep and sweeping budget cuts that would push 790,000 Americans out of their jobs and push our economy toward a recession.


• Up to 21 million Americans could lose Medicaid, ripping away the health care they need.


• 80,000 jobs would be cut at the Department of Veterans Affairs alone and millions of veterans would be forced to wait much longer for the care and benefits they need.


• 1.2 million women, infants and children would not receive the nutrition they need to stay healthy through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.


• Nutrition services, such as Meals on Wheels, would be cut for more than 1 million low-income seniors.


• 640,000 families would lose access to rental assistance and more than 430,000 low-income families would be evicted from their homes.


• 200,000 children would be thrown off Head Start and 180,000 kids would lose access to childcare.


• 2 million Americans would lose access to health care services through Community Health Centers.

In other words, while the top 1% owns more wealth than the bottom 90% of our population, and when 60% of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck, the Republican budget would cause massive suffering for the most vulnerable people in our country. 

The willingness of Republicans to hold the world's economy hostage to their Draconian and cruel demands has made it extremely difficult to enact a bipartisan budget deal at this time. 

So where do we go from here? 

In my view, there is only one option. President Biden has the authority and the responsibility under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution to avoid a default. 

The language in that amendment is quite clear. It says, "The validity of the public debt of the United States ... shall not be questioned." This is a constitutional guarantee that the U.S. will always pay all its debts, period. 

This is not a radical idea. Making sure that the United States continues to pay its bills regardless of whether the statutory increase in the debt ceiling is raised or not is an idea that has been supported by Republicans and Democrats. 

Back in 2016, then-President Donald Trump was correct when he said: "This is the United States government. First of all, you never have to default because you print the money." 

Using the 14th Amendment would allow the United States to continue to pay its bills on-time and without delay, prevent an economic catastrophe, and prevent huge cuts to health care, education, childcare, affordable housing, nutrition assistance and the needs of our veterans. 

It must be exercised. 

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Now is not the time to cave in to GOP hostage takers on the debt ceiling. Now is the time for President Biden to use the 14th Amendment to protect working families and prevent an economic catastrophe. 

Add your name if you agree:

Sign Bernie's petition to call on President Biden to exercise his authority under the 14th Amendment to protect crucial programs for working families, allow the U.S. to pay our bills on time, and prevent a global economic catastrophe. 

ADD YOUR NAME

Wealth and Power

<h1>Inside the “Private and Confidential” Conservative Group That Promises to “Crush Liberal Dominance”</h1>

<p>by Andy Kroll and Andrea Bernstein, ProPublica, and Nick Surgey, Documented</p><p><em>ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom.

A few months ago, Leonard Leo laid out his next audacious project.</p><p>Ever since the longtime Federalist Society leader helped create a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court, and then received more than a billion dollars from a wealthy Chicago business owner to disburse to conservative causes, Leo’s next moves had been the subject of speculation.</p>

<p>Now, Leo declared in a slick but private video to potential donors, he planned to “crush liberal dominance” across American life. The country was plagued by “woke-ism” in corporations and education, “one-sided journalism” and “entertainment that’s really corrupting our youth,” said Leo amid snippets of cheery music and shots of sunsets and American flags.</p>

<p>Sitting tucked into a couch, with wire-rimmed glasses and hair gone to gray, Leo conveyed his inspiration and intentions: “I just said to myself, ‘Well, if this can work for law, why can’t it work for lots of other areas of American culture and American life where things are really messed up right now?’”</p><p>Leo revealed his latest battle plan in the previously unreported video for the Teneo Network, a little-known group he called “a tremendously important resource for the future of our country.”</p>

<p>Teneo is building what Leo called in the video “networks of conservatives that can roll back” liberal influence in Wall Street and Silicon Valley, among authors and academics, with pro athletes and Hollywood producers. A Federalist Society for everything.</p>

<p>Despite its linchpin role in Leo’s plans, Teneo (which is not the <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/teneo-final-221807">similarly named consulting firm</a> associated with former officials in the Bill Clinton administration) has kept a low public profile. It's <a href="https://www.teneonetwork.com/">one-page website</a> includes bland slogans — “Timeless ideas. Fresh approach” — and scant details. Its co-founder described Teneo as “private and confidential” in one presentation, and the group doesn’t disclose the vast majority of its members or its funders.</p>

<p>But ProPublica and Documented have obtained more than 50 hours of internal Teneo videos and hundreds of pages of documents that reveal the organization’s ambitious agenda, influential membership and burgeoning clout. We have also interviewed Teneo members and people familiar with the group’s activities. The videos, documents and interviews provide an unfiltered look at the lens through which the group views the power of the left — and how it plans to combat it.</p>

<p>In response to questions for this story, Leo said in a statement: “Teneo’s young membership proves that the conservative movement is poised to be even more talented, driven, and successful in the future. This is a group that knows how to build winning teams.”</p>

<p>The records show Teneo’s members have included a host of prominent names from the conservative vanguard, including such elected officials as U.S. Sens. <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/V000137-jd-vance">J.D. Vance</a> of Ohio and Missouri’s <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/H001089-joshua-hawley">Josh Hawley</a>, a co-founder of the group. Other members have included Rep. <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/S001196-elise-stefanik">Elise Stefanik</a> of New York, now the fourth-ranking House Republican, as well as Nebraska’s attorney general and Virginia’s solicitor general. 

Three senior aides to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, are members. Another is the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/04/19/1093566982/florida-mask-mandate-judge-kathryn-mizelle">federal judge who struck down</a> a Biden administration mask mandate. The heads of the Republican Attorneys General Association, Republican State Leadership Committee and Turning Point USA — all key cogs in the world of national conservative politics — have been listed as Teneo members.</p>

<p>Conservative media figures like Ben Shapiro of the Daily Wire, several pro athletes and dozens of executives and senior figures in the worlds of finance, energy and beyond have also been members.</p><p>Leo joined Teneo’s board of directors as chairman in 2021 and has since become a driving force.</p><p>Teneo co-founder Evan Baehr, a tech entrepreneur and veteran of conservative activism, said in a 2019 video for new members that Teneo had “many, many, many dozens” of members working in the Trump administration, including in the White House, State Department, Justice Department and Pentagon. “They’re everywhere.”</p><p>The goal, Baehr said in another video, was “a world in which Teneans serve in the House and the Senate, as governors — one might be elected president.”</p>

IRS and the New Republican Congress

I.R.S. Backlogs Continue as Republicans Mount Offensive

The National Taxpayer Advocate expressed hope that better days were ahead for the tax collection agency.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/business/irs-tax-returns-backlog.html?

 

very Single House Republican Voted Against Investigating Neo-Nazis in the Military

  

Every Single House Republican Voted Against Investigating Neo-Nazis in the Military

The amendment still passed, but the vote shows how a genuine national security threat has been turned into partisan football. 

By Tess Owen July, 2022 

“We just voted to combat neo-Nazis in our military and every single Republican voted no,” tweeted New Jersey Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. 

The stark divide between Democrat and Republican support for the amendment is a reminder of how the genuine national security problem of white supremacist infiltration of government agencies has instead been turned into a partisan football. 

There’s no question that white supremacists have infiltrated the ranks of the armed forces. In recent years, violent neo-Nazis and preppy white supremacists alike have been exposed as active-duty members of the military. A Pentagon report last year, obtained by Roll Call, described the inroads that white supremacists were building into the military in an effort to recruit “highly prized” active-duty personnel. 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkgbny/republicans-investigate-neo-nazis-military

 

Vice News.

 

Partisan Gerrymandering

 

Partisan Gerrymandering Is Rampant this Cycle. Congress Needs to Act.

A misleading narrative has emerged that the gerrymandering hasn’t been all that bad and distribution of seats between the parties might not change much — this story misses the full, much grimmer picture.

January 16, 2022 Michael Li The Brennan Center for Justice 

This piece was originally published in theWashington Post.

With redistricting now finished in just over half the states, a misleading narrative has emerged that the gerrymandering hasn’t been all that bad. By focusing on one narrow fact — that the overall distribution of seats between the parties might not change much — this story misses the full, much grimmer picture.

To be sure, new maps might not significantly increase seats in the near term for Republicans (who already enjoy a large advantage as a result of aggressive gerrymanders of the 2010 maps). But the maps remain deeply pernicious gerrymanders — and, in many ways, are even worse than before. By shoring up last decade’s gerrymanders, line drawers have breathed new life into distorted maps and ensured that elections in 2022 and beyond will be skewed, uncompetitive and deeply biased against voters of color.

With a showdown on the Freedom to Vote Act and John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act coming this month, it has never been more urgent that Congress act. Just ask voters in North Carolina and Texas. Under the congressional map passed by North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature, Republicans could win 71 percent of the state’s congressional seats with only 48 percent of the statewide vote. Republicans in Texas have engineered similar advantages. Texas Democrats would have to win 58 percent of the vote to be favored to carry more than 37 percent of the state’s congressional seats. In other words, Texas could turn a dark shade of blue and Republicans would still have a two-to-one seat advantage. That hardly looks “not so bad” for Democrats.

It’s important to remember that gerrymandering isn’t just about gaining new seats — it can also be about insulating the seats you already have from competition. And one of the biggest redistricting stories this decade is how competition is being sucked out of our elections, especially in Republican-controlled states.

Again, consider Texas. Under the old Texas congressional map, there were 11 districts that Donald Trump won by 15 points or more in 2020. Under the new map, 21 of 24 Republican districts will be such super-Trump districts. Overall, in four of the most gerrymandered Republican states (Ohio, Texas, North Carolina and Georgia), the number of heavily pro-Trump districts will go from 27 to 39 after redistricting, an increase of 44 percent. (The number of super-safe Biden districts also goes up by three in these states as a result of Republican packing of Democratic voters.)