Daily Dems Doing the Work, Making Noise and Fighting Back Day 229
It's not all messaging, but don't count the messaging out.
I know a lot of my wins feel like messaging. First off, that is what we can succeed at, and a lot of things, like introducing bills, become messaging when we don’t have the votes to pass them. Remember that next time you vote.
Repping the Rep: Brad Schneider (IL-10)
Posted the most wonderful video breaking down several things that have happened this week:
Charlie Kirk (but it’s much more about gun reform and YES he talks about Colorado)
The Chicago ICE Raids. It’s similar to what he’s been saying in interviews, but more geared towards an online audience rather than a TV audience
The NDAA vote, which I thought I understood, turns out, I absolutely did not. Turns out the bill was more or less fine in the Armed Services Committee, then it got to Rules, and they turned it into a transphobic trash heap.
The importance of vaccines and the absolute incompetence of RFK Jr.
He explains what TrumpCare will do, specifically the loss of ACA premium tax credits, which is coming Jan 1 if Congress doesn’t do something.
The video is 12 minutes, but it’s worth every second. I watched it in 2x speed, so it was only six minutes. It’s thoughtful and easy to follow and I learned a lot.
Today is my last day of repping Brad Schneider, and I have learned so much, namely, the moderate and progressive messaging isn’t so different in a time of crisis like the loss of democracy. I’m aligned with him on far more than I ever expected to be. This week I’ve seen a strong focus against gun violence and for gun reform, which is one of his issues all the time, an unwavering support for immigrants and even a solid support of trans lives a safety, something we’re trained to think the moderates don’t care about.
I will DEFINITELY be including him in this series on a regular basis from now on. This is why I do this segment, to find out about the quiet fighters who you didn’t even know were fighting.
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Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) and Juan Vargas (CA-52)
Introduced two bills that aim to stop ICE from using certain data to stalk immigrants.
Rep Kamlager Dove introduced Limiting ICE’s Nationwide Encroachment (LINE) Act, which stops Medicare and Medicaid data from being shared with ICE:
To prohibit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services from disclosing Medicaid data for law enforcement purposes related to immigration, and for other purposes
And Rep Vargas introduced Home Together Act:
To prohibit the disclosure of records by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of individuals for the purposes of immigration enforcement, and for other purposes.
They held a press conference to announce both bills
And after the press conference they both spoke with Spectrum 1 SoCal. When asked if she thought this bill would pass the House, Rep Kamlager Dove said:
If you do not want your friends, if you don’t want your neighbors, if you don’t want your clients, if you don’t want your patients to be racially, profiled detained, potentially separated from their families and deported, just because of the color of their skin, or because someone wants to profile them, you should want to stand up and say protect these communities.
And she’s right. This doesn’t just affect Democrats. And maybe if enough of their people are taken, that will get through to them (I am very strongly reminded of the Pesach [Passover] story right now)
BlueSky | Facebook | Threads | YouTube
Rep Frederica Wilson (FL-24)
Had the displeasure of attending a hearing in the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Education and Workforce Subcommittee entitled: “Unmasking Union Antisemitism.”
It doesn’t take a press release to figure out what this hearing is about and how it’s utter bullshit. But, given that the people who called it didn’t get it, she made sure they knew:
So right across the street we have the Department of Education in shambles. It has been reduced to shambles. And the president is asking them to pull together whatever skeleton staff they have to come up with a plan to determine how we can institute prayer in schools, so that we can hurt little Jewish students feelings, break their hearts and bring them to tears.
BlueSky | Instagram | Facebook | Threads
Rep Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) and Sen Angela Alsobrooks (MD)
Introduced the Affordable Inhalers and Nebulizers Act, which is pretty self explanatory. Asthma inhalers and nebulizers must cost no more than $15 per month. That goes for if you’re on Medicare, or Medicaid or private insurance or no insurance at all.
Will it pass this year, probably not, but now that it’s introduced, the kinks can be worked out before we take back congress and can pass it quickly and efficiently, maybe as part of Rep Maxwell Frost’s (FL-10) allergy package he wants to create, which would include the ADINA Act and the EPIPEN Act, but this is just my wishful thinking and speculation, at this point.
BlueSky | Instagram | Facebook
Rep Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25)
Offered an amendment with Reps Lois Frankel (FL-22), Mark Alford (R-MO-04), and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25) to keep NOAA running:
The Committee recognizes the critical mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the important contributions of its laboratories and cooperative institutes. The Committee directs NOAA to maintain these capabilities and to avoid closures, consolidations, or eliminations, given their essential role in advancing weather forecasting, climate science, and oceanographic research.
The amendment was for the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2026, which one of many budget bills making their way through the House committee right now. And it passed on a bipartisan vote. Now the next step is the Rules committee, as as we discussed above, they’re not willing to just let bipartisan things stand, but, there is still a chance it stays in. And, the fact that it got in at all is a huge deal.
You can watch the full markup below.
BlueSky | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | YouTube
Senator Ron Wyden (OR)
wrote a letter with Rep Mike Flood (R-NE-01) back in January to YouTube, Hulu and Fubo TV to get all 3 C-SPAN channels available on their services. The letter ends:
While carrying C-SPAN may not dramatically grow your companies’ subscriber numbers, it will provide your current subscribers an essential resource for understanding what their government is doing. As innovative American companies, such an investment in civic education benefits your company, your subscribers, and the broader public interest. We urge you to consider carrying C-SPAN.
I love this argument and so did the services, well, two of them.
Last week, C-SPAN announced it will coming to YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.
This is a bipartisan win, so much so that Sen Chuck Grassley (IA) gave the speech on the floor.
Sen Wyden released a statement:
I’m glad YouTube and Hulu decided to do the right thing and support C-SPAN, one of the most reliable and non-partisan sources of information about what the government is up to. C-SPAN is a refreshing antidote to the poisonous partisanship that has come to dominate much of the news. I urge more media companies to support greater news literacy and access to the government, to inform the public and strengthen our democracy.
Maybe we can save media literacy, and, oh look, another letter THAT WORKED!
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So those are some of today’s fighters. I hope it inspired you and showed you, once and for all, that our Dems are absolutely “DOING SOMETHING!”
If you made it to the end of this post, comment 🫁 (lungs) because asthma meds should absolutely be $15 (I mean they should be free, but baby steps).
And if you watched or read any of these stories, comment 📺 (TV) because the more available the media literacy is, the better!
Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!
🫁📺 Thank you Ariella!
🫁📺always enlightening and informative!