Fighting Back

Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Our country’s budget is a reflection of who we are and what we care about.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan discussing the harmful Republican budget which targets seniors, children, college students and the poor.

(Following the release of the Trump administration’s harmful budget proposal, Senator Stabenow (D-MI) delivers this week’s Weekly Democratic Address.)

“Our country’s budget is a reflection of who we are and what we care about and who we care about. President Trump’s budget betrays American families and our seniors. Senate Democrats strongly oppose this budget. We understand that you and your family deserve a fair shot to work hard and get ahead. I want you to know that Democrats will continue putting the needs of hard-working families first.”

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Democrats are #ForThePeople including working people and their families.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Congressman Andy Levin from Michigan talking about the PRO Act and reminding people which party is on the side of working people and their families.

(In this week’s address, Congressman Andy Levin discussed H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which passed the House in a bipartisan vote.)

“I’ve spent most of my career helping workers form unions and bargain collectively, so I know first-hand the transformative power that comes with the ability to organize freely. The ability of workers from all walks of life to unite and demand fair wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions is truly awe inspiring. […]

“The Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, restores fairness to the economy by strengthening the laws that protect workers’ freedom to form and join unions.

“The American economy should reward hard work. But most Americans are working too hard for too little. Strong unions are the solution.[…]

“The PRO Act will help protect the basic right to join a union by creating meaningful, enforceable penalties when companies violate workers’ rights. It will expand workers’ collective bargaining rights and close loopholes that corporations use to exploit workers. And it will strengthen workers’ access to fair union elections, without fear of intimidation or suppression by their employers.

“House Democrats are taking action to level the playing field, rebuild the middle class and restore the dignity and value of work in America.

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “In America, right matters and truth matters.”

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Representative Adam Schiff, yesterday, in closing arguments in the Senate impeachment “trial”:

“Donald Trump must be convicted and removed from office. Because he will always choose his own personal interest over our national interest. Because in America, right matters. Truth matters. If not, no Constitution can protect us. If not, we are lost.”

(Congressman Adam Schiff, video posted by C-SPAN)
)

(The CSPAN video contains text from the closed captioning that works as a rough transcript. If a transcript becomes available, it will be added to the post).
(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Senators must choose to uphold our system of democracy.”

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Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) calls on the Senate to uphold the integrity of our democracy and our system of justice.

She also asked for Republican Senators to uphold the integrity of the Senate but, holy mackeral, has she not been paying attention!?!! The Senate is not the “saucer that cools the hot tea of the House” but a bunch of craven cowards wearing their underwear on their head and drooling.

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Democrats will push back against the science-denying Republican Party’s assault on our environment.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell reminding people of the damage being done to the environment by the science-deniers in the Republican Party.

(Congresswoman Debbie Dingell discussed the need for the Trump Administration to work with Congress to de-escalate tension with Iran and the House-passed bipartisan PFAS Action Act, to protect Americans from hazardous PFAS “forever chemicals.” )

This week, the House took significant action to address a problem that is a threat to all Americans: PFAS contamination and its effects to human health and the environment.

“The Dingell PFAS Action Act properly designates these forever chemicals as hazardous substances to accelerate the cleanup process at military facilities and in communities all across this country.

“People are being poisoned by these chemicals every single day and it’s our job to protect them. […]

“[This week’s Trump Administration] proposal to rollback NEPA is one more action by this Administration to ignore scientific-based environmental standards that protect our water, air and lands.

“This is a serious assault that will result in significant costs to American taxpayers because President Trump refuses to accept the effects and the challenges of climate change.

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Senate Republicans should serve the American people, not their party’s political leader.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland urging his Republican colleagues to serve the American people not their party’s political leader.

(Senator Van Hollen delivers the Weekly Democratic Address on the importance of holding a fair and honest bipartisan impeachment trial in the Senate while also getting work done for the American people.)

“In both previous impeachment trials, the Senate had witnesses testify. In the upcoming trial of President Trump, Democrats have proposed that the Senate hear from four witnesses with knowledge of President Trump’s actions. We are also asking the Senate to request key documents that the President has refused to provide. So far, Senator McConnell has rejected these reasonable requests for witnesses and documents, despite the fact that just this week new information has come to light showing that these witnesses and documents are directly relevant to the impeachment trial.

“Senator McConnell has not only blocked consideration of [the 300 bills sent from the House of Representatives, including critical bipartisan legislation], he has bragged about his obstruction, nicknaming himself the “Grim Reaper.” So let’s not fall for his claim that he suddenly wants to get to work on these initiatives that are important to the American people. To date, he has made no commitment to take up any of these bills whether or not there is an impeachment trial.

“As the Senate discharges its Constitutional duties – whether by conducting an impeachment trial or passing legislation – it should never be an instrument of a president, regardless of party. We should never outsource our judgement and our votes to any White House. We serve the American people, and must render justice fairly and honorably at this critical time in our history.

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “In 2020, House Democrats will continue to fight #ForThePeople.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Congressman Jimmy Gomez of California reminding everyone of the work done by the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives in 2019 and looking ahead to 2020.

(Congressman Jimmy Gomez of California delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. In this week’s address, the Congressman discussed the historic progress made by House Democrats For The People, including vital improvements to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which passed through the House of Representatives on a bipartisan 385 – 41 vote. )

“As we approach 2020, it’s important to take a look back at this past year with the Democratic Majority.

“We stood up for our Constitution and held President Trump accountable for abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress to cover it up.

“We also passed nearly 300 bipartisan bills, including: the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act — our transformational legislation to negotiate lower drug prices so millions of Americans can afford the life-saving medicine they need. […]

“[Regarding the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement], as a former labor organizer, I knew we had the opportunity to finally begin to right the wrongs of NAFTA. After six months of negotiations, meetings, phone calls, proposals and counter-proposals, the USMCA Working Group – under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi – brokered a new agreement that not only recognized the value of America’s workers, but also secured measurable and profound progress in the areas of enforcement, prescription drugs and environmental protection. [The new trade deal] sets the floor — not the ceiling – for future trade agreements.

“The new consensus on trade was only made possible because of the new Democratic House Majority.

“As we enter 2020, House Democrats will continue to deliver results For The People.

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back, Good Government

Preserving and Protecting: “This is a question of duty – we will honor our oath of office and defend the Constitution”

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December 10, 2019 – The House of Representatives releases Articles of Impeachment.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary Jerry Nadler, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Adam Schiff, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Richard Neal, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel, Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters and Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney.

Chairman Schiff has the last word:

Chairman Adam Schiff: The Framers of the Constitution recognized that someday, a president might come to office who would abuse that office, betray the public trust and undermine national security to secure foreign help in his re-election and who would seek to abrogate of the power of Congress to hold him accountable. They recognize this danger and they prescribed a remedy and that remedy is impeachment.

It is an extraordinary remedy and one that I have been reluctant to recommend until the actions of President Trump gave Congress no alternative. We stand here today because the President’s continuing abuse of power left us no choice. To do nothing would make ourselves complicit in the President’s abuse of his high office, the public trust, and our national security.

The President’s misconduct is as simple and as terrible as this: President Trump solicited a foreign nation, Ukraine, to publicly announce investigations into his opponent and a baseless theory promoted by Russia, to help his re-election campaign. President Trump abused the power of his office by conditioning two official acts to get Ukraine to help his re-election: the release of hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid that nation desperately needed and a White House meeting with an ally trying to fend off Russian aggression. […]

The argument, ‘Why don’t you just wait?’ amounts to this: Why don’t you just let him cheat in one more election? Why not let him cheat just one more time? Why not let him have foreign help just one more time? That is what that argument amounts to. […]

Ben Franklin said we have a republic, if we can keep it. The President and his men say you can’t keep it and Americans should just get over it. Americans don’t get to decide American elections any more, not by themselves, not without foreign help.

For the Members of Congress, this is not a question of fact because the facts are not seriously contested; it is rather a question of duty. The President’s oath of office appears to mean very little to him, but the articles put forward today give us a chance to show that we will defend the Constitution, and that our oath means something to us.

Bolding added. Full transcript below.

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “We have the moral obligation to lead on climate change.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois speaking about our moral obligation to lead on climate change and how Democrats are prepared to do so.

(Congressman Sean Casten discussed the upcoming Congressional Delegation to the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid and the importance of the United States’ leadership in addressing the climate crisis.)

[Under Republicans control], the United States has failed to bring that leadership to greenhouse gas emissions. Even worse, we have walked away from the international agreements that would do so.

“And while House Democrats joined together to pass H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, sending a clear message that just like the thousands of localities, cities and U.S. companies, we are still in on the Paris Agreement, Senate Republicans and the President have met this historic effort with inaction and a resounding silence. That is not leadership. It is cowardice. […]

“The greatness of the United States – and our greatest gift to the world – is our leadership. We are not perfect, but since World War II there has been no greater advocate for equality, for the rule of law and for international peace than the United States.

“We have the ability – no, we have the moral obligation – to lead in this moment as well.

“The times have found us, and we will not shirk from our responsibilities. That will be our message to our allies in Madrid, and that is our charge moving forward. […]

“House Democrats will continue leading For The People: to lower health costs and prescription drug prices; to raise wages by rebuilding the infrastructure of America in a green, resilient, transformative way; and to clean up corruption to make Washington work for you.

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Democrats will always do right by veterans and their families.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Jon Tester calling out the Republican administration for their withholding of health care for veterans harmed by Agent Orange.

(Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) delivers this week’s Weekly Democratic Address calling out the Republicans for blocking benefits for over 83,000 veterans exposed to Agent Orange.)

Our nation’s veterans have made many sacrifices for the freedoms that we enjoy. And in return for their service, we have an obligation to ensure that these men and women receive the quality benefits that they have earned. But the Trump Administration— while claiming to support our veterans, has turned their backs on them, blocking benefits for those who suffered from illnesses related to the exposure to Agent Orange. […]

Veterans are dying and their families are not getting the benefits that they have earned.

Let’s do right by these veterans and their families. End the wait for those who have already sacrificed greatly.”

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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