Feel Like We Need A New Generation Of Progressive Congressional Leadership?

The House was back in session last week. There were 3 bills that were debated and voted on in particular that I want to mention this morning:

• The Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act on Wednesday

• The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act also on Wednesday

• The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act on Thursday

All three passed the House and will now face difficult-to-break Republican filibusters in the Senate. The Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act passed with some degree of bipartisanship. Although McCarthy and his cronies demanded that all Republicans vote no on all three bills, a dozen Republicans voted with all the Democrats to pass this one. Of the 12 yes votes, half of the Republicans are retiring so have a greater degree of independence to ignore McCarthy: Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN), Fred Upton (R-MI), David McKinley (R-WV), Anthony Gonzales (R-OH) and John Katko (R-NY). The rest of the Republicans-- 192 of them-- voted against providing $28 million in emergency supplemental appropriations to address the shortage of infant formula.

Kinzinger was the only Republican to join all 221 Democrats to vote to allow various departs of the government to work together on domestic terrorism and hate crimes. 203 Republicans voted against it. I wonder why!

And the price gauging bill... well price gauging is something that conservatives love. All 203 Republicans-- plus 4 conservative Democrats-- opposed that one. Price gauging at the gas pumps isn't something conservatives oppose; it's something they admire and respect.

The California primary is coming up June 7, two weeks from Tuesday. You know how Summer Lee, Jamie McLeod-Skinner and Chris Deluzio won their respective races this past week, races that pitted them against immense amounts of corporate cash? Strong ground games. And that's what our California candidates are all in need of help to fund right now-- not ads or mailers or consultants or anything else, just field, field, field. Please consider contributing here to any of our California candidates.

I asked some of our candidates for their own takes on this spurt of congressional activity last week. Shervin Aazami, who's running in the San Fernando Valley and on the west side of L.A. all the way to Malibu, told us that "The pain low-income and middle class families are feeling at the pump is severe, and it’s hitting our communities on top of skyrocketing costs for basic needs like housing, childcare, and prescription drugs. Corporate price gouging is driving that financial pain, and while I’m glad the Democrats passed a bill in response to it, I wish it actually had teeth. The bill bans 'excessive' price increases by fossil fuel companies without defining what that means or setting a threshold, so it’s largely symbolic. And if the excuse is that nothing would pass the Senate anyway (including this current bill), than why not actually muster a piece of comprehensive anti-trust legislation that tackles their unfettered greed?"

Santa Clarita Valley MAGA Republican Mike Garcia voted against the infant formula bill. He wants to outlaw abortion but then starve the children. He's facing a whole several Democrats in the jungle primary on the 7th, but just one progressive: school teacher and city council member Ruth Luevanos. Last night she told us that "What is on the line in the next two weeks for struggling workers and families is apparent in the bills Republicans tried to block last week. From baby formula for mothers to feed their infants to price gouging for gas that is over $6 a gallon in California, it is clear that Republicans do not care about struggling workers like me who still struggle to make ends meet with 2 jobs or families who cannot find the formula to feed their infants even after years of politicians taking bribes from infant formula companies to discourage breastfeeding. Progressive California congressional candidates who are living these struggles everyday need to be in Washington DC fighting for the vast majority of us who are financially drowning in stagnant wages while corporate CEO's and corporate profits soar. How much more greed will it take to break the working class in this country?"

Let us leave you with a question from Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, who's running for an open congressional seat in southeast L.A. County: "The fact that GOP members cannot even vote on a simple common sense bill to allow agencies to share information about home grown terrorists is appalling. They clearly have no problem with protecting white supremacists and allowing the crisis to grow. How many more Buffalo type shootings do we need before they value the lives of people of color?"