Daily Dems Doing the Work, Making Noise and Fighting Back Day 279
The least progressive Dem is still a Dem.
All Dems, from the most progressive to the least are talking about the Republican Shutdown, from ACA to Snap. Even the most moderate Democrat is still a Democrat, and I am excited to show that all week. You wanted a united message? Here it is.
Repping the Rep: Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Held a press conference with Laredo Mayor Victor Traviño all about the Republican Shutdown.
And, shocking to many, I’m sure, he uses all the typical Dem talking points from ACA, with the fact that undocumented immigrants are not getting federal healthcare to SNAP and the letter he sent along with all other Dems (-Golden) demanding the Republicans use the contingency fund.
But I was most interested in his portion on Argentina. He began with the fact that Trump cares more about bailing Argentina out than giving Americans food or keeping them alive, but then he started talking about farmers:
They give $40b to Argentina, and then, they allow, by four times imports from Argentina come into the United States, so all these things are coming in, so while our cattle people are suffering, our folks are suffering through SNAP and all this, they’re allowing more imports from Argentina. They sent over $200m of meats into the US and we only send $2m of meats into Argentina and they’ve got tariffs on those goods.
It’s truly a wonder how any farmer can be a Republican right now. I mean, I knew many ways in which they are being fucked over, but I didn’t know this one. And I think that’s one reason that Cuellar keeps getting elected in his district, and even why Nancy Pelosi put her support behind him in 2022, he gets his district. He knows what they care about and focuses on that. It’s a good reminder of why Mamdani cannot be the blueprint, because there can’t be a blueprint, each district is unique and needs different things.
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Rep (IL-02)
Is one of many Reps who helped hand out food at food banks this week. She was with Trinity Church at the Greater Chicago Food Depository just helping people get food into their cars:
As you know today, SNAP ran out. Absolutely ridiculous, since we have five to six billion dollars in contingency funds. Judge said yesterday, release the money so people can eat. And we’re here to make sure that people do have some food tonight, and this is going on in all parts of the city. So proud of the people making this happen, and just doing my little part, putting food in people’s cars.
Our Dems aren’t just talking, they are walking the walk, they are going themselves to foodbanks in their districts and doing the physical manual labor of it all. They’re not behind their desks, they are on the ground. I feel like that fact gets lost way too frequently.
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Sen Jacky Rosen (NV)
Explains how ACA premium tax credits are not, in fact, hand outs. And she explains it using a concept every Republican can understand “lower taxes”:
And let’s be clear, this is not a handout, not welfare. It’s a tax cut that helps lower the cost of health care for nearly 95,000 Nevadans. So we’re talking about hardworking families, small business owners, workers who don’t have health care through their job. So, for example, a family of four in Reno making $90,000 will have to pay over $9,000 more for their health care next year. $9,000 more. That amount of money is almost enough to pay for a year’s worth of groceries, several months of child care, even put money towards buying a car.
It’s hard to argue with that logic. Every time I see these numbers, over 1/10th of their yearly earnings, that’s such a massive number to increase anything ever.
And then how she puts it into perspective by going through groceries, childcare and a car. I just think it’s a very compelling argument and that she argued it well.
(MA)
Joined La Colaborativa, a Latinx (their word) nonprofit, based in Chelsea, MA for their food drive in response to the SNAP cuts. He spoke with president Gladys Vega who said:
This is an indication of what hunger looks like in communities, in poor communities, communities of color but hunger doesn’t discriminate so we yesterday we spent a long time providing food to elders in our in many neighborhoods of Chelsea so please I urge you to continue to sort of like open your cabinet give me two cans of food until the federal government releases those funds we need to continue to make sure that children have something to eat at their table and not one elder goes to sleep without food.
I love that they’re not just one thing, this is an organization that does all kinds of mutual aid and activist work, and right now, this is just where they’re most needed.
Imagine how many organizations we’d all learn about if we followed what our Dems were doing as much as possible. Just a suggestion…
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So those are some of today’s fighters. If you see anyone say that Dems aren’t talking about the shutdown, please just show them this. I fear there are quite a few people who feel that way for some unfathomable reason.
If you made it to the end of this post comment 🥩 (meat) because what is happening with Argentina?
And if you watched or read any of these stories comment 📦 (box) because the more we can fill with food for those who lost SNAP, the better.
Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!
🥩📦