#jan schakowsky

[charring58]

Morton Grove, IL – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky released the following statement after the World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library announced that Morton Grove’s Doughboy Statue was recognized as a “WWI Centennial Memorial” as part of the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials initiative.

[padowski109]

You can sometimes learn about people based on what they say. But you can learn far more based upon what they do. In the case of Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9th IL District) some disturbing patterns have come to light merely from looking at bills she voted against in Congress.

When it comes to keeping Americans safer, Schakowsky has a ‘peculiar’ approach. This includes her positions on border security and responding to the invasion of our Southern border. She voted against …

[prcg]

Principales demócratas amenazan con no certificar una victoria electoral de Trump

A pesar de menospreciar continuamente a cualquiera que cuestione los resultados de las elecciones, el representante Jamie Raskin y algunos de sus colegas le dijeron a Axios que no pueden decir con certeza si certificarán los resultados si el expresidente Donald Trump gana las elecciones de 2024. Raskin dijo axios en una entrevista que “obviamente aceptaría” los resultados de las elecciones si…

[plitnick]

How Democrats learned to defend Israel’s ethnocracy

For a very long time, the United States worked diligently to stay away from the tense debate over Israel’s ability to be both a Jewish and democratic state. Even as Palestinians cried out about their lack of freedom and basic rights and their lives proved that a state having an ethno-religious character was mutually exclusive with it being a democracy for anyone not of that ethnicity, and even as…

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Momentum grows behind Democratic boycott of Netanyahu speech | The Hill

A growing chorus of House Democrats say they’re planning to steer clear of next month’s speech by Benjamin Netanyahu before a joint meeting of Congress, arguing that the Israeli prime minister’s handling of the Hamas war — and his repeated snubbing of President Biden’s preferred approach to the conflict — demand a show of protest from liberals on Capitol Hill.

Some Democrats had foreshadowed the boycott earlier in the year amid speculation that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was poised to invite Netanyahu to the Capitol to push back against Democratic criticisms of the conservative Israeli leader. With the invitation now official, and the speech set for July 24, more and more progressive Democrats are emerging with a formal declaration of their own: We won’t be there.

“I won’t attend and turn my back towards him,” Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said. “So I’m just gonna stay away.”

The bad blood between Netanyahu and liberals on Capitol Hill is hardly new. Progressive Democrats have long denounced Netanyahu’s conservative policies, including his sharp criticisms of the Iran nuclear deal under former President Obama, which led to a boycott of the prime minister’s last speech to Congress almost a decade ago. Those old hostilities are still lingering, even as Democrats have found new reason to revile Netanyahu over his military campaign in Gaza.

“He imported a little bit of controversy the last time he was here,” Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.) said. “I thought it was disrespectful to the president, so I’m inclined not to attend.”

A boycott may not be the only way lawmakers showcase their opposition to Netanyahu when he visits Washington next month. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), a deputy whip for the Congressional Progressive Caucus who has served in the House since 1995, said conversations are underway about the best method for protesting the controversial speech.

“There’s still some debate about the best way to respond to his coming,” Doggett told The Hill.

“I’m not planning on attending, and/or I’ll be participating in whatever events there are to express that we want this war to end and we want both him and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire,” said Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), a first-term member.

The boycotting liberals will cut a sharp contrast with other Democrats who are vowing to attend the speech to demonstrate a degree of solidarity with a democratic ally in a time of war.

“They’re our strongest ally in the Middle East. He’s obviously the leader that they’ve chosen. And I respect the country very much, and I will be there,” Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) said.

Top House Democrats are already bracing for the internal divisions that will accompany the Israeli leader’s visit to the Capitol. Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said “it is their right and an ability” if members want to skip the event, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who will attend, said each lawmaker will have to make their own determination ahead of the speech.

“All of us recognize that every individual member has to make that decision to participate on their own based on what they believe is consistent with the district that they represent,” Jeffries said last week.

There is some precedent for the current situation. Netanyahu faced a sizable boycott during his last address to Congress in 2015, when he used his time in the House chamber to vilify Obama and the administration’s Iran nuclear deal, marking an unprecedented attack by a foreign leader on U.S. soil. Fueling the controversy, then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) coordinated Netanyahu’s speech without consulting the White House.

At least 58 lawmakers skipped that speech, according to CNN, some of whom are planning to avoid the event again, including Doggett and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.), a Jewish Democrat.

“The role that the prime minister is playing is very negative, and I don’t want to be there,” Schakowsky told The Hill.

“He needs to be staying in Israel and working for the peace that he has been unwilling to support in the past,” Doggett echoed. “Despite the Hamas atrocities and all the wrong that exists there, the indiscriminate bombing that he has encouraged that has led to loss of lives that should never have happened. He has not prioritized the hostages; he ought to be doing that instead of coming here.”

The Israeli military announced Saturday that it rescued four hostages during an operation in central Gaza, in a win for the embattled prime minister. That raid, however, also led to the deaths of at least 274 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, increasing the pressure on Netanyahu.

Another notable absence in 2015 was then-Vice President Joe Biden who, instead of sitting at the dais behind Netanyahu, was traveling abroad.

This year, some Democrats are predicting an even larger show of opposition.

“I’ve spoken to several members in the House and the Senate, actually, who had gone to the last speech, the last time he was here, even though they had a lot of misgivings about it, and have been clear that they’re not planning to go this time,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who noted that she will not attend the address.

One exception to that trend is Rep. Steve Cohen (Tenn.), a Jewish Democrat who skipped the 2015 speech but plans to attend this year.

“It was more controversial [then] because Obama wasn’t included. It was kind of a breach in protocol,” Cohen said. “But I think I’ll go, because, you know, it’s a war. It’s a different situation.”

Netanyahu’s address marks the latest flash point in the long-simmering tensions within the Democratic caucus over Israel, with staunchly pro-Israel Democrats finding themselves at odds time and time again with pro-Palestinian progressives outraged at the large and growing number of civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.

That friction was on full display Thursday evening, when Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) officially announced that Netanyahu’s address would take place July 24 — a statement that notably omitted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Jeffries. Last week, all four congressional leaders signed the letter inviting Netanyahu to the Capitol.

In a statement shortly after the announcement, Schumer — who drew headlines in March after calling for new elections in Israel and declaring that Netanyahu had “lost his way” — alluded to the bitter tensions that are accompanying the Israeli leader’s visit to the Capitol.

“I have clear and profound disagreements with the Prime Minister, which I have voiced both privately and publicly and will continue to do so,” Schumer said. “But because America’s relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends one person or prime minister I joined the request for him to speak.”

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who led House Democrats for nearly two decades, said she would not have invited Netanyahu to address Congress were she still steering the caucus, telling CNN, “Absolutely no. I think this is wrong.”

She also took a jab at Schumer’s handling of the situation, but made sure to emphasize that the Senate leader — who is the highest-ranking Jewish official in U.S. history — is a close friend of Israel.

“I respect his view. I don’t necessarily share it,” Pelosi said of Schumer.

In contrast, some of Israel’s most stalwart supporters in Congress are making the case for why the speech — which they plan to attend — is important for the relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv.

“I will and I would say to my colleagues, this is about the United States and Israel, not about any individual leaders, and a key relationship as you know, a key ally for us in the fight against terror, including Iran and other Iranian-backed proxies like Hamas or Hezbollah or Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) said on MSNBC when asked if he will attend Netanyahu’s speech.

“I think hearing from a key foreign ally like Israel is critically important.”

[iww-gnv]

More than 150 flight attendants, joined by U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill), picketed outside O’Hare Airport on Tuesday to protest the lack of contract negotiations and demand better wages and working conditions. The flight attendants in Chicago were joined by thousands of other flight attendants across major cities such as New York City, Los Angeles and Boston, as part of the Worldwide Flight Attendant Day of Action. More than two-thirds of U.S. flight attendants across 24 airlines are in contract negotiations, including with Chicago-based United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. “We are the faces of our carriers. We deserve better work rules, we deserve shorter work days and we also deserve longer rest periods,” said Dray Howard, Chicago-based president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, during a news conference. Flight attendants at American Airlines haven’t seen a salary or cost-of-living increase in five years, Howard said, and some new hires can barely survive, even when picking up trips on their days off, she said.

[jadeseadragon]

@jewishvoiceforpeace

@jewishvoiceforpeace

jewishvoiceforpeace JEWS SAY: STOP THE GENOCIDE OF PALESTINIANS! Over two-thousand Jews protested in front of the offices and homes of elected officials in NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Indiana, Florida, and LA to demand action to prevent the genocide of Palestinians. The protestors ranged in age from 20-85 and included elected state officials, descendants of Holocaust survivors, students, and rabbis. 80 protesters were arrested across five cities as they blockaded the pathways to the homes and offices of elected officials while thousands more supported them singing Jewish songs of resistance and peace. In New York City, thousands gathered at Grand Army Plaza and marched to Sen. Schumer’s house. Approximately 60 people blocked the road outside Sen. Schumer’s house until they were dragged away by police. In San Francisco, police arrested 15 people who locked themselves to each other in front of Rep. Pelosi’s office as 200 more protesters sang and chanted around them. In Seattle, 150 people gathered outside of Sen. Patty Murray’s office with signs that said, “Jews against genocide of Palestinians.” 15 people occupied Sen. Murray’s office and six people were arrested. In Los Angeles, 60 people including members of Jewish Voice for Peace, UCLA students, and members of If Not Now LA gathered outside the office of Rep. Brad Sherman. In Chicago, 30 protestors demonstrated outside of Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s office. On Friday, the Israeli military called for civilians of Gaza City — 1.1. million people — to relocate within 24 hours, as it amassed tanks for an expected ground invasion. The UN said evacuating everyone was impossible with power supplies cut and food and water in the Palestinian enclave running short after Israel placed Gaza under total siege. Israel has openly stated an intention to commit mass atrocities and even genocide, with Prime Minister Netanyahu saying the Israeli response will “reverberate for generations.” President Biden has indicated his full support, sending additional weapons to the Israeli military. As U.S. Jews believe that never again means never again for anyone, and that includes Palestinians. Never again is now.

📷 @zacharyschulmanphotography

[girlactionfigure]

The 44 House members who voted to provide cover for Jew haters:

 Reps. Becca Balint (D-VT)

Don Beyer (D-VA)

Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)

Jamaal Bowman (D-NY)

Cori Bush (D-MO)

Andre Carson (D-IN)

Greg Casar (D-TX)

Judy Chu (D-CA)

Yvette Clarke (D-NY)

Danny Davis (D-IL)

Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)

Debbie Dingell (D-MI)

Veronica Escobar (D-TX)

Valerie Foushee (D-NC)

Maxwell Frost (D-FL)

Chuy Garcia (D-TX)

Robert Garcia (D-CA)

Al Green (D-TX)

Jared Huffman (D-CA)

Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)

Sara Jacobs (D-CA)

Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)

Hank Johnson (D-GA)

Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA)

Barbara Lee (D-CA)

Summer Lee (D-PA)

Jim McGovern (D-MA)

Gwen Moore (D-WI)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)

Ilhan Omar (D-MN)

Chellie Pingree (D-ME)

Mark Pocan (D-WI)

Katie Porter (D-CA)

Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)

Delia Ramirez (D-IL)

Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)

Rahsida Tlaib (D-MI)

Jill Tokuda (D-HI)

Lauren Underwood (D-IL)

Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)

Maxine Waters (D-CA) 

Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)

[odinsblog]

False Equivalence

Why does the mainstream media keep depicting lunatic-right Republicans and normal Democrats as equidistant from the center?

With the final passage of the debt ceiling deal, Democrats got off easier than one might have expected, given that it was a deal between a mainstream Democratic president and a Republican House in thrall to the lunatic far right. In drastic contrast to the scorched-earth budget bill initially passed by the Republican-controlled House, the cuts were about par for the course in a divided government; and they spare the country a repeat of this debt-hostage ordeal for two years.

However, much of the media played the agreement as a compromise between two equal extremes. The New York Times story about the House passage of the deal included this astonishing sentence: "With both far-right and hard-left lawmakers in revolt over the deal, it fell to a bipartisan coalition powered by Democrats to push the bill over the finish line, throwing their support behind the compromise in an effort to break the fiscal stalemate that had gripped Washington for weeks."

Think about that for a moment. There is no doubt that Matt Gaetz, Elise Stefanik, Lauren Boebert, Paul Gosar et al. are far-right by any definition, as white supremacists, Christian nationalists, election deniers, and nihilists on fiscal policy.

But no Democrats in the House can fairly be described as hard left. Those who voted against the deal included moderate liberals such as Joaquin Castro, mainstream progressives like Rosa DeLauro and Jan Schakowsky, as well as self-described democratic socialists including Cori Bush and AOC. But none of them are "hard left," which suggests anti-democratic, any more than Franklin Roosevelt was hard left.

The Times coverage reinforces a narrative of false equivalence that the media keeps repeating, with lazy catchphrases like "partisan bickering." It also plays into the hands of corrupt No Labels and Third Way types, who promote the idea that the best course for the republic is to split the difference between neofascists and a normal mainstream Democratic Party and president.

Big media, obsessed as it is with the appearance of fair and balanced coverage, took years to give itself permission to accurately describe Donald Trump with the impolite word "liar." But its treatment of the two parties as in any sense symmetrical is far more insidious than using euphemisms to characterize Trump’s lies.

Our friend Peter Dreier, whose observations inspired this post, points out that by any reasonable definition, "even the most left-oriented Democrats (AOC, Bush, Bowman, Raskin, Jayapal) are not extremists. They are shades of social democrats. They are pro-union, pro-choice, pro-affirmative action, pro-LGBT equality, pro-Green New Deal, pro-progressive taxation. But the most right-wing Republicans are extremists and reactionaries."

(continue reading)

[luulapants]

Where Illinois politicians stand on Palestine

I sent a letter to Senator Tammy Duckworth today. Illinois is a solidly blue state, and I've dutifully voted blue no matter who since I started voting. Droves of people here have been writing to her and our Congressional Representatives, begging them to support a ceasefire, and all we will get back is a canned party-line response about Israel's right to "self defense" and the need to eradicate Hamas.

They are able to do this, to disregard the outrage of their constituency, because they feel certain that no matter how many letters we send, we will show up and vote for them when the time comes. They are certain their actions have no consequences, and even if they did, they would tell us that it's all our fault for failing in our democratic duty to vote.

Senator Dick Durban received about $154.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He has publicly called for ceasefire anyway. Their money was not worth a genocide.

Senator Tammy Duckworth received over $212k from Israeli lobby groups. She refuses to call for ceasefire. This was her going rate to enable genocide.

In my letter, I told her that I could not see pictures of dead Palestinian babies and turn around and vote for someone, like her, who had their blood on her hands. I told her that "vote blue" cannot extend to genocide. My ethics do not stretch this far.

14/17 representatives for the state of Illinois are Democrats. Of these, only 5 have called for ceasefire.

Jonathan Jackson: $3k from Israeli lobby groups. He has publicly called for ceasefire anyway. Their money was not worth a genocide.

Robin Kelly: $21.5k from Israeli lobby groups. She refuses to call for ceasefire. This was her going rate to enable genocide.

Delia Ramirez: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. She has publicly called for ceasefire. They knew she could not be bought.

Jesus "Chuy" Garcia: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. He has publicly called for ceasefire. They knew he could not be bought.

Mike Quigley: $43.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Sean Casten: $61.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Danny Davis: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. Yet he refuses to call for ceasefire. You can have his cowardice for free.

Raja Krishnamoorthi: $61.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Jan Schakowsky: $58.5k from Israeli lobby groups. She has publicly called for ceasefire anyway. Their money was not worth a genocide.

Brad Schneider: $54k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Bill Foster: $65.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Mike Bost is a Republican. $14.5k and obviously no ceasefire talk. He will not be moved.

Nikki Budzinski: $25.5k from Israeli lobby groups. She refuses to call for ceasefire. This was her going rate to enable genocide.

Lauren Underwood: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. She has publicly called for ceasefire. They knew she could not be bought.

Mary Miller is a Republican. $0 - they don't even have to pay her to toe the party line. She will not be moved.

Darin LaHood is a Republican. $27.5k and obviously no ceasefire talk. He will not be moved.

Eric Sorenson: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. Yet he refuses to call for ceasefire. You can have his cowardice for free.

The Republicans will be trash regardless, but we cannot let our Democrats skate by thinking there are no consequences for supporting a genocide. They are slaughtering people with your tax dollars, Americans. It's time to get serious. It's time to tell these people that they cannot have our votes for free. It's time to start talking about primary opposition and third party voting. It's time to start exercising our power as voting citizens.

[itsbansheebitch]

Email Your Reps

The US is still the ONLY UN member state withholding funds from UNRWA during the worst humanitarian crisis of our era and in Palestinian history.

But there's hope! Last week, Reps. André Carson, Pramila Jayapal, and Jan Schakowsky officially introduced H.R. 9649, the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2024, with more than 60 original co-sponsors.

Today, UNRWA USA led a coalition of 105 civil society organizations and sent a letter to the Biden Administration urging for their support of bill.

Has your rep co-sponsored H.R. 9649? Click to check. If they have, thank them. If not, urge your rep to join

(Copied from UNRWA's email)

[logophile-18]

If you live in the USA.

North Carolina - Alma Adams, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velazquez, Valerie Foushee

New York - Jamaal Bowman

Missouri - Cori Bush, Emanuel Cleaver

Indiana- André Carson

Texas - Greg Casar, Joaquin Castro, Veronica Escobar, Al Green, Lloyd Doggett

Florida - Maxwell Alejandro Frost

Illinois - Jesús "Chuy" Garcia, Johnathon Jackson, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Lauren Underwood, Sen. Richard Dubin

Washington - Pramila Jayapal

California - Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, Mark DeSaulnier, John Garamendi, Robert Garcia, Sara Jacobs, Jared Huffman, Judy Chu, Ro Khanna, Tony Cárdenas

Pennsylvania - Summer Lee, Mary Gay Scanlan

Minnesota - Ilhan Omar, Betty McCollum, Dean Phillips

Massachusetts - Ayanna Pressley, James McGovern, Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Michigan - Rashida Tlaib, Debbie Dingell, Daniel Kildee

New Jersey - Bonnie Watson Coleman, Donald Payne Jr.

Wisconsin - Mark Pocan

Maryland - Kewisi Fume, Jamie Raskin

Virginia - Donald Beyer, Jennifer Weston

Arizona- Raul Grijalva

Georgia- Henry "Hank" Johnson, Nike Williams, Sanford Bishop Jr.

Vermont - Becca Balint, Sen. Peter Welch

New Mexico - Gabe Vasquez

Louisiana - Troy Carter

Mississippi - Bennie Thompson

Alabama - Terri Sewell

Colorado - Diana DeGette

Oregon - Sen. Jeffery Merkley

This is a list of all the senators and represenatives (61 as of December 7th) that have voted against Biden's campaign of giving the Israeli people more weapons to fight innocent Palestinians.

A big old thank you for these sensible people, doing what they can. A ceasefire is the bare minimum.

[faerie-hideaway]

U.S. users email your representatives this, and make sure to include your zip code:

I am your constituent. I am strongly in favor of defunding Israel. I want my opinion logged on every single one of these pieces of legislation. It is an atrocity that the USA is sending our taxpayer dollars, weaponry, and other support to Israel in order to aid in the genocide of the Palestinian people. It does not reflect the will of your constituents, and I demand that you correct this by voting for/against the following bills, resolutions, and legislation.

To be frank, I will be basing my vote for you in upcoming elections on this issue. I will be watching closely to see how you vote on issues regarding funding to Israel. I will not vote for you in the next election if you vote to send any money, support, or weaponry to Israel. I will be voting for you if you vote to block money, support, and weaponry to Israel.

This is the current legislation I am for, and the current legislation I am against. I would like your office to record my opinion for each bill, and I would like you to take this into consideration when you vote.

I am FOR the following, and expect you to vote for this and co-sponsor, either now or when matching legislation reaches your office.

H.Res. 786: by Rep. Cori Bush

H.Res. 388 by Rep. Rashida Tlaib

H.R. 3103 by Rep. Betty McCollum

I am against Joe Biden’s proposal to spend billions of dollars on Israel via a package for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and the US border. Biden is asking for $100 BILLION for this package and it is only 1 YEAR'S worth of funding. This is ABSOLUTELY unacceptable, and I am against you voting for ANY bill that spends even $1 on Israel. I do not care what else is in the bill. If it gives money to Israel, I am against it.

I am AGAINST the following, and expect you to vote against this and not co-sponsor, either now or when matching legislation reaches your office.

S. 3083 by Sen. Bill Hagerty [R-TN]

S.Res. 417 by Sen. Charles “Chuck” Schumer [D-NY]

H.Res. 797 by Rep. Cory Mills [R-FL7]

S. 3081 by Sen. Steve Daines [R-MT]

H.Res. 796 by Rep. Ernest “Tony” Gonzales [R-TX23]

S.Res. 413 by Sen. Marco Rubio

H.R. 552 by Rep. Lance Gooden

H.R. 5959 by Thomas Tiffany

S. 3081 by Sen. Steve Daines

H.Res. 789 by Rep. Jefferson Van Drew

H.Res. 771 by Rep. Michael McCaul

H.R. 5932 by Rep. David Schweikert

H.Res. 768 by Rep. Michael McCaul

H.Res. 770 by Rep. Zachary (Zach) Nunn

H.Res. 701 by Rep. Bradley “Brad” Schneider

H.Con.Res. 61 by Rep. Janice “Jan” Schakowsky

S. 2587 by Sen. Jon Tester

H.Res. 606 by Rep. Andrew Ogles

S. 2413 by Sen. Robert “Bob” Menendez

S. 2438 by Sen. Christopher Coons

H.R. 4709 by Rep. Josh Gottheimer

S.Con.Res. 14: by Sen. Tom Cotton

H.Con.Res. 57 by Rep. August Pfluger

H.R. 4665 by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart

S. 2265 by Sen. Dan Sullivan

S. 2226 by Sen. John F. “Jack” Reed

H.Res. 581 by Rep. Gregory Steube

S. 2240 by Sen. Christopher Coons

H.R. 4564 by Rep. Claudia Tenney

H.R. 4365 by Rep. Ken Calvert

H.R. 4076 by Rep. Chris Pappas

H.R. 3932 by Rep. Michael Turner

H.R. 3907 by Rep. Lois Frankel

S. 1802 by Sen. Gary Peters

H.R. 3792 by Rep. Joe Wilson

S. 1777 by Sen. Jacky Rosen

H.R. 3393 by Rep. Carlos Gimenez

H.Res. 409 by Rep. Carlos Gimenez

S. 1637 by Sen. Marco Rubio

H.R. 3266 by Rep. Brad Sherman

S. 1504 by Sen. Tom Cotton

H.R. 3099 by Rep. Michael Lawler

S.Res. 188 by Sen. Robert “Bob” Menendez

H.Res. 346 by Rep. Randy Weber

H.R. 2973 by Rep. Cathy Anne McMorris Rodgers

S. 1334: by Sen. Jacky Rosen

S. 1300 by Sen. Benjamin Cardin

H.Res. 311 by Rep. Ann Wagner

H.R. 2670 by Rep. Mike Rogers

H.R. 2531 by Rep. Bradley “Brad” Schneider

S. 1143 by Sen. Jerry Moran

H.R. 1777 by Rep. Joe Wilson

H.R. 1218 by Rep. August Pfluger

H.R. 1102 by Rep. Chip Roy

S. 510 by Sen. Tom Cotton

S. 489 by Sen. Rick Scott

S. 430 by Sen. James Risch

S. 431 by Sen. James Risch

H.R. 987 by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

H.Res. 92 by Rep. Josh Gottheimer

H.Res. 76 by Rep. Max Miller

H.R. 687 by Rep. Gregory Steube

H.R. 211 by Rep. Gregory Steube

S. 224 by Sen. Tom Cotton

S. 189 by Sen. Marco Rubio

I am against any legislation that allows troops to deploy to the Middle East in support roles for Israel, as proposed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

I am against Netanyahu’s ground invasion of Gaza, which will inevitably lead to mass killings of Palestinian civilians and escalate violence. If there are any future bills supporting this, you need to vote against them and not co-sponsor.

The U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Act stipulate that only Congress can authorize the president to use military force in a foreign war, except in cases of self-defense. Previous administrations from both parties have ignored this, with unauthorized strikes in places like Syria and Libya. I want you to stand against ANY use of military force that supports Israel or hurts Palestine.

And of course, I am against the usual funding of $3.8 billion PER YEAR to Israel. This 10-year agreement began in 2016. I do not want a renewal in 2026, and in the next election, I will vote for representatives who WILL NOT VOTE TO FUND ISRAEL. I will be keeping track of how you vote now, and I will not vote for you if you decide to fund Israel in any way.

I am a single-issue voter for this. I want you to defund Israel. I do not want a single dollar spent on supporting Israel. I will be paying attention to how you vote in the upcoming weeks and months, and if you vote to fund or provide weapons, troops, or intelligence to Israel, I will NOT vote for you in the next election.

We are paying attention to the budget. We know when you're giving aid to a country committing genocide instead of helping your constituents in the USA. Both myself and tens of thousands of other constituents have spent years saying that we don’t want our hard-earned taxpayer dollars going to Israel. The lack of willingness to fund anything for American citizens, but the quickness with which you take action for Israel is telling. It is unacceptable.

As an elected official, you have the opportunity to listen to the public and stand against genocide. Israel is currently committing war crimes against Palestine. You can stop this by defunding Israel. THOUSANDS of Palestinian people have been killed, 1/3 of them children, in just a couple of days. One child every 15 minutes is being killed. YOU can prevent this by refusing to send additional weapons and funding to Israel.

We are currently spending BILLIONS of dollars EVERY YEAR on Israel. I do not want my money going towards the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians. Not a dollar more.

[plitnick]

Smotrich receives a cold American welcome

While fringe American Jewish elements like the Orthodox Union, the far-right Zionit Organization of America and Israel Bonds are welcoming the racist Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, most of the American Jewish community is shunning him. Some of those publicly denouncing him are people who have heretofore hewn to the mantra of never criticizing Israel no matter how horrible its…

[dchan87]

I've called all three of my Democratic Party Congressional delegation (Jan Schakowsky, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth) and left messages telling them I stand by Joe Biden and don't want him to drop out. I suggest anyone else represented in DC by a Democrat should do the same with their representatives.

[beardedmrbean]

Last Wednesday, House Republicans passed the Born Alive Act—a piece of legislation that would require physicians to care for infants who are born alive following an attempted abortion. The bill passed the House 220-210. The overwhelming majority of House Democrats, many of whom support abortion on demand, voted against it, even though abortion itself wasn't at issue. Their extreme reaction to the bill showcased just how out of step they still are with the majority of Americans' views on protecting the most vulnerable members of society.

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would require that a health care professional who is present for a failed abortion perform life-saving "professional skill, care, and diligence," including by making sure the baby winds up at a hospital. This seems like a common-sense legal requirement to fulfill the Hippocratic Oath: "First do no harm." It likely won't go anywhere in the Senate, but Republicans' support for it relays a strong message about life; Democrats' response does the opposite.

The bill sparked bizarre, even ghoulish, reactions from multiple politicians.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) apparently thought it would be wrong to tell health care professionals to bring a baby who's just survived a botched abortion to the hospital. "The problem with this bill is that it endangers some infants [born alive] by stating that that infant must immediately be brought to the hospital," he said on the House floor.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) echoed Nadler's talking point. She said the bill "requires immediately taking a struggling baby to a hospital. That hospital could be hours away and could be detrimental to the life of that baby." So, following a botched abortion, the baby should be allowed to suffer and die because a hospital may be some distance away?

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Or.) said the bill was "extremist, dangerous and unnecessary."

House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said the bill was "deliberately misleading and offensive to the women who face pregnancy complications and the doctors and nurses who provide their care."

Opinion polling on abortion varies, but has consistently found that, while half of Americans identify as pro-choice, many who favor abortion also support numerous restrictions. Most Americans do not support abortion up to birth or partial-birth abortion, for example. One survey found 79 percent of adults did not support late-term abortion, and "80 percent opposed day-before-birth abortion." Thus, it's hard to imagine most Americans would reject a bill that favors saving—or trying to save—the life of a baby who survived an abortion, in states where late-term abortions are still legal. It's hardly a pro-life measure, just a humane one.

Whether Democrats can acknowledge it or not, a culture of life is taking hold in the United States. Abortions were steadily declining before Dobbs, from nearly 1.6 million in 1990 to just 620,327 in 2020. This decline cannot be credited to Democrats, who have partnered with behemoth organizations that not only market abortion as the best choice for scared women, but encourage women to brag about their abortions. Even so, the number of abortion providers has declined too. With the Dobbs decision, empowering women to have abortions, especially late-term ones, should be as unpopular as it is uncommon. Surely bashing a bill that guarantees proper medical care for babies who survive the heinous act of an abortion is even more outlandish than applauding women for their abortions.

A bill that demands such care for the most vulnerable in society is a litmus test for how willing an incoming House of Representatives is to support life. One would think Democrats would fall in line with their constituents' views and be quietly supportive, or at the very least, not so vocally opposed to the bill. But that isn't how they reacted. It's disappointing to see after all that's happened on the abortion issue, including a dramatic decline in abortions in many states since the Dobbs v. Jackson decision last June, some Democrats still don't support a culture of life, even when the babies are born alive.