DC is not for SALE
Daily Dems Doing the Work, Making Noise and Fighting Back Day 197
Never ever let anyone convince you that Dems aren’t doing the work. But it’s also important to remember that we didn’t vote for them to be in the majority, so they have to be creative and focus on the things they can do. A lot of that is going to be at the local level.
Here are some of their stories today!
Repping the Rep: Deborah Ross (NC-02)
Was on In Focus North Carolina to discuss just that. How she has been able to make a difference, and lamenting that she’s not able to do nearly as much as she wishes she could.
But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t had any successes.
She was involved in getting the Trump Administration to continue funding women’s health research, and, guess what, it was thanks to a letter she led along with Rep Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) and Rep Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03).
And then a couple weeks ago, she and Rep Valerie Foushee (NC-04) sent a letter about funding for education and afterschool programs. And it was restored.
This is why I have such a problem with people making fun of the “strongly worded letters” sometimes, strong wording is all it takes to reverse something horrific. As we all know, Trump doesn’t like being held accountable for the bad shit he does.
BlueSky | Instagram | Facebook | Threads
DNC ( The Blue Print)
Daily Blueprint was all about how Republican messaging is massively failing. Which is certainly hopeful, since, typically, Republicans win on the messaging front.
And host, Hannah Muldavin, also highlighted a couple Dem fighters who actually do care about listening to their constituents:
Sen Mark Kelly (AZ) held a town hall with People’s Cabinet Social Security Secretary Martin O'Malley, it was of course all about Social Security and Medicaid with constituents sharing their stories and fears.
And Sen Tammy Baldwin (WI) just finished the first week of her “Fighting For Wisconsin Families Tour.” She went to several small businesses, medical centers and held a round table all about childcare.
I wish more people understood the importance of events like these, even if they don’t seem like loudly fighting back, they are, focusing on the needs of constituents is absolutely fighting back, especially when Republicans refuse to do just that.
Reps Jason Crow (CO-6), Joe Neguse (CO-2), Diana Degette (CO-1), and Brittany Pettersen (CO-7)
Got into the Aurora ICE facility. This is a huge win since Rep Crow has gone a few times and been refused entry every single time. Since this is his district, he led the entire Dem CO delegation on the visit.
And mostly, they learned that they didn’t learn a lot. Most of their questions were left unanswered and that’s more concerning than anything. But they will be following up immediately and won’t stop till they get answers. Including to questions like why were all the abductees on lock down to they couldn’t talk to them? What don’t they want the abductees to say?
BlueSky | Instagram | Facebook | Threads
Rep. Kelly Morrison (MN-03)
Sat down with me a week ago. I set up the interview because she introduced the Adina Act in June, and as a Celiac, I need that bill to pass.
Since 2011 there has been some sort of Gluten in Medicine Modernization Act introduced almost every year, but this bill isn’t just about gluten, it’s about all top nine allergies. This is only the second year of the Adina Act, and I can only hope that because there is a face and named attached to it, it becomes more of a priority than it ever has been, and I will be doing everything in my power to make that happen.
But we also discussed other bills she’s introduced, especially ones that were brought to her by constituents. I learned more about the Doctor’s Caucus, and the best ways we can make a difference.
I’ve done half a dozen interviews, at this point. This one is in my top two.
®You can watch the full interview below!
BlueSky | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | YouTube | Full Interview | TikTok
Del. Elizabeth Holmes Norton (DC) and Sen Chris Van Hollen (MD)
Reintroduced a bill that would give DC the autonomy it so rightfully deserves. Trump should never have been able to take over the city and with this bill he never will be able to again. In a statement, Del. Norton said:
Until we get the full protections that statehood would provide, our bills repealing the president's authority to federalize the local D.C. police department and to give D.C.'s mayor control over the D.C. National Guard, like governors of states have over their National Guards, places D.C. closer to having control over some of its most vital affairs. Thank you to Senator Van Hollen for being my determined partner on these bills in the Senate and a vigorous advocate for D.C. home rule.
I hope Trump’s bullshit decision to militarize the city comes back to bite him in the form of a renewed and successful fight for DC statehood.
I have every faith in the people of DC that Trump’s decision will be just as embarrassing, if not more so than what he did in LA.
Also, I am only posting this in regards to the takeover, but don’t think for a second that means everyone else is silent. I especially recommend checking out the Oversight Dem socials.
And finally…
Sen Mark Kelly (AZ)
wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about the importance of NASA and what the Trump administration is doing to destroy it.
I’m worried that President Trump is about to slow that engine down — and with it decades of American progress. That includes progress made during his own first term. Mr. Trump’s ongoing attempts to slash NASA’s work force and gut its budget send a message that America’s leadership in space is optional. It isn’t.
He also posted this conversation he had in the comment section of the article. Which just enhanced what I learned from the article itself.
Space exploration often feels like extra. Something we do cause we can, not because we have to, but NASA’s innovations go far beyond space travel, and space travel itself is important too.
Maybe you know more than I do, but if not, you’ll also learn a lot from the op-ed. We need to keep sounding the alarm about every single agency he’s trying to dismantle. They’re all important.
BlueSky | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | TikTok
I am so excited that I got to use this Substack article to give more detail on all these stories. I hope you enjoyed this format too.
Remember, just because it’s not flashy doesn’t mean it’s not important or not crucial for fighting fascism.
If you made it to the end of this post, comment 🫀(heart) because DC is the heart of this nation and they deserve autonomy!
And if you watched or read any of these stories, comment 🚀 (rocket) because today I learned how important NASA really is.
Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!
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