Daily Dems Doing the Work, Making Noise and Fighting Back Day 290
The quiet creativity.
The Shutdown is over, but the healthcare fight has just begun (wow, that sounded horrifically cheesy), but it’s true. Our next big fight starts right now. Thune promised to bring the ACA tax credits up to a vote in December, and not it’s our job (and or electeds) to hold him to that.
So here are a couple creative healthcare conversations and other things.
Sen Jon Ossoff (GA)
is bringing attention to the fact that the Eisenhower Army Medical Center is also being affected by these healthcare cuts. It’s not just civilian hospitals or VA centers. He’s heard they are closing several of their departments, including their emergency room, and cutting staff as well:
I write with deep concern over reports that the Defense Health Agency (DHA) is imminently planning to “descope,” or reduce services, at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center (DDEAMC) at Fort Gordon. Reported reductions could include closing inpatient, emergency room, and operating room services, all of which would reduce access to life-saving care for Georgia servicemembers, veterans, and their families.
Yes, this a letter, but Sen Ossoff has had a pretty great track record when it comes to letters.
I hope he has just as much support with this one.
Rep Greg Stanton (AZ-04)
Attended the ground breaking of the Mary Rose Wilcox Center, named after a beloved former city council woman. The center will provide healthcare for low income and uninsured patients.
I know, I know, you don’t care about a ground breaking. But here’s the thing, caring about healthcare comes in many shapes and sizes and one of the best ways to show it, especially for constituents, is by being part of events like this.
It shows that not only is he fighting for healthcare back in Washington, but he’s doing something about the current situation here and now.
Rep Frank Mrvan (IN-01)
was one of the Dems who was whipped into voting against the CR yesterday by Hakeem Jeffries and Katherine Clark. And he’s another one who the whipping worked on. But it wasn’t just the whipping that got him there, his consituents played a huge role too.
He said in his statement:
I voted against the Republican Majority’s Continuing Resolution after serious deliberation with my colleagues and with input from constituents who participated in my Community Conversations and contacted my office. I am deeply grateful for the civic engagement and passion that so many constituents demonstrated to myself and my office throughout this difficult period.
It’s a really good reminder of the power of our calls. This is how it’s supposed to be. Our Representitives are supposed to listen to us and act accordingly. That’s why I find the idea that Reps should just do what we want ridiculous. They’re meant to do what they’re district wants, and we need to tell them that.
Rep Mrvan is yet another example of it working.
And finally,
Rep Bill Foster (IL-11)
is making sure we don’t stop talking about Ukraine, which, I bet you haven’t thought about in a while. He led a “bipartisan” letter, with 24 Dems and Don Bacon, to stop DHS from ending the U4U program.
As he explains in the letter:
Established in 2022, the U4U program allows vetted Ukrainian families to temporarily shelter in the United States while their countrymen battle against Russia’s unprovoked aggression. By forcing unreasonable fees and legal uncertainty onto these families, which will likely result in many being forced to return to their war-torn homes, we are abdicating our responsibility to support our allies in their fight for autonomy and democracy. For these reasons, we urge you to apply the fee only to individuals who submitted their applications on or after July 4, 2025, so that all families, including those participating in U4U, are fairly adjudicated under the rules that were in place when they applied.
Abdicating our responsibility to support our allies sounds like the tagline of this presidency, but I really hope they succeed.
I mainly bring this up because, we can’t stop talking about Ukraine, but it also brings light to the much hated concept of “bipartisanship.”
No one would argue this is actually a bipartisan letter, but one Republican signed on, so it is. Nine times out of ten, when a Dem talks about something being bipartisan, it means a Republican or two broke ranks. And, isn’t that a good thing? I certainly think so. Maybe the word isn’t so evil after all…
So those are some of today’s more quiet fighters. It’s not screaming, but they’re absolutely doing the work.
If you made it to the end of this post, comment 📲 (phone) because calling DOES make a diffference.
And if you watched or read any of these stories, comment (shovel) because a new healthcare center for low income and the uninsured is so important.
Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!
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