#U.S. congress

[remindertoclick]

Here's your daily reminder to click for Palestine!!!

U.S. residents, take 5 minutes and use this link to pressure your members of Congress to stop sending weapons to the Israeli military!!

(Letter variants you can copy/paste under the cut!!)

Original letter written by Jewish Voice for Peace:

I am writing as your constituent to ask that you do everything in your power to press the Biden administration to suspend all weapons shipments to the Israeli military, and oppose all future military funding to Israel. The Israeli government has vowed to push forward with a large-scale military operation in Rafah, even though President Biden has repeatedly said such an operation would be a "red line." On May 7, the Israeli military seized the Rafah border crossing, a crucial passage for humanitarian aid, and ordered 100,000 Palestinians in eastern Rafah to evacuate. The 1.3 million displaced Palestinians sheltering in Rafah will have nowhere to flee should a full invasion commence. Millions of Palestinian lives now hang in the balance. I urge you to do everything in your power to stop this unfolding catastrophe before it's too late. Thank you.

Slight variations I created (so that emails don't get marked as spam for being identical to each other)

Variation 1:

I'm writing to you as your constituent to ask you to do everything you can to pressure the Biden administration into suspending all weapons shipments to the Israeli military and opposing any and all future military funding to Israel! The Israeli government is pushing forward with a large-scale military operation in Rafah. President Biden has repeatedly said such an operation would be a "red line," yet his administration is still supporting this operation. On May 7th 2024, the Israeli military seized the Rafah border crossing, a crucial passage for humanitarian aid, and forced 100,000 Palestinians in eastern Rafah to abandon their homes. 1.3 million Palestinians have been displaced. Those sheltering in Rafah have nowhere to flee during a full invasion. Millions of Palestinian lives now hang in the balance. Their fate lies in the hands on Congress, in your hands. I urge you to do everything in your power to stop this unfolding catastrophe before it's too late. Thank you.

Variation 2:

I'm writing you today to ask that you do everything in your power to convince the Biden administration to stop funding Israel. We have to telk them to stop all shipments of weapons to the Israeli military and oppose all future military funding to Israel. The Israeli government has vowed to push forward with a large-scale military operation in Rafah... President Biden made it clear that such an operation would be a "red line," and yet he continues to fund them. On May 7th of this year, the Israeli military seized the Rafah border crossing, a crucial passage for humanitarian aid, and forced 100,000 Palestinians to flee their own home of Eastern Rafah. Should a full invasion commence, 1.3 million displaced Palestinians sheltering in Rafah will have nowhere safe to go. Millions of Palestinian lives now hang in the balance. I am begging you now, as your constituent, to do everything in your power to stop this unfolding catastrophe before it's too late... Thank you

[kateeorg]

Misinformation Watch: Matpat

There's been a recent misconception about Matthew Patrick/Matpat that I desperately have to correct.

NO. Matpat is not a politician now.

He is not in Congress.

He did not win any elections.

Matpat (and Stephanie Patrick, for that matter, let's not forget her) are actually working WITH a couple of actual Congressional reps as part of a bipartisan group called the Congressional Creators Caucus, or the Creator Economy Caucus.

They are trying to educate lawmakers about online content creators and their needs, as a couple of long-running creators themselves, as this is an economic space that affects a significant amount of Americans on all sides. They are aiming to influence policy, but are not actually creating policies themselves. Considering the mess that the TikTok "ban" created, this could be such an amazing help.

But NO. Matpat is not in Congress and is not running for an election anytime soon.

Please reblog, pass this around, because I don't want to spend hours correcting every single "Matpat is in Congress now?" posts, especially since I can't tell which ones are just jokes and which ones genuinely believe it.

[whenweallvote]

September 30th is the end of the fiscal year and the last day for Congress to fund the federal government. If funding isn’t passed, the government shuts down.

To date, the federal government has shut down 21 times, four times in the past 10 years. What does a government shutdown mean? Who’s impacted? What’s currently happening in Congress? Swipe through and remember, government shutdowns are impacted by your vote. 

Check your voter registration at weall.vote/check and remind a friend to do the same.

[saywhat-politics]

Trump’s return to the White House with an enduring number of loyalists in Congress underscores just how politically trivial the ‘election denier’ label has become.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Politicians love the 4th of July, and Vito Marcantonio, seen here in 1943, was no exception. He was a socialist who represented his native East Harlem in the House and advocated for marginalized groups. He championed black civil rights in the 1930s, and in 1946 sponsored a bill, which passed, to restore Spanish as the language of instruction in Puerto Rican schools. His collection of speeches, I Vote My Conscience, posthumously published in 1956, influenced the next generation of leftists.

Photo: John Albok via the Amon Carter Museum

[artistintherough]

Shirley Chisholm.

[deadpresidents]

"He was remarkable in the House [of Representatives]. He came [to Congress] winning a Republican seat. So he was a red to blue candidate. He came as the longest-serving noncommissioned officer in the military ever to serve in the Congress. So he was on a path of veterans affairs and the rest. He came having worked in farming as a child and so rural America was a big priority for him.

He's very popular in the House. Members are so excited about him because he's a wonderful person. He called me right after this, shall we say, opportunity arose. Told me: 'I know how to make this case. I know how to differentiate. I can get this done. I'm putting myself out there.' And, you know, here he is, governor of Minnesota, and he's putting himself out there.

And then he comes up with 'weird,' which becomes viral, and here he is. So, I have to give him a lot of credit for not only being a great governor, and values-based, and visionary, and all that,, but being quite an adept politician."

-- Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on presumptive Democratic Vice Presidential nominee and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in an interview with the New York Times.

I haven't done the research to confirm what Speaker Pelosi said, but that's a pretty fascinating historical tibdbit if Tim Walz really was the longest-serving noncommissioned officer in the military to serve in the 235-year history of the United States Congress! I've reached out to the Office of the Historian of the House of Representatives to see if they can confirm that fact.

[thenewdemocratus]

CBS News: Kristi Noem Says She Doesn't Know Senator Alex Padilla After He's Removed From Her News Conference

“A news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday in Los Angeles was interrupted by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), who was then forcibly removed from the room. CBS News correspondent Carter Evans has more.” Source:CBS News with a look at U.S. Senator Alex Padilla in Los Angeles. From CBS News Secretary Kristi Noem: “I don’t even know the Senator. He did not even…

[thosemotivationalquotes]

If you are a resident of Florida, please read this!

Florida is going to be having 2 special elections in April of 2025, and here’s what you need to know.

There will be special elections for FL congressional districts 1 and 6. If you you live in FL but don’t know your congressional district, you can check here.

If you are a resident of district 1 or 6, are a U.S citizen, and will be 18 or older by April 1st of 2025, you will be able to vote in the special election.

For FL District 1:

This spot is open due to the resignation of Matt Gaetz

There will be no democratic candidate, and republican primary will be held on 1/28/2025

General election will be 4/1/2025

For FL district 6:

This spot is open because the current representative was appointed to be the national security advisor

There will be a primary on 1/28/2025 for both parties

General election will be 4/1/2025

Florida voter registration deadline is 29 days before the Election Day, so for the primaries you must be registered by 12/31/2024 and for the general election you must be registered by 3/2/2025!

You can click here to register to vote in Florida

You can click here to check if you are registered already in Florida

[themoderatespeaks]

Okay, this is exactly what I was afraid of the first time Trump was in office. His ultimatum to Iran last night and his mysterious "much bigger" agenda that is "better than a ceasefire" makes it crystal clear that he has already committed the US to war.

Because going to war was always the trump card he was willing to play if public opinion started to really go against him. He will absolutely do this for the sole purpose of being a wartime president—a time-honored way for any wannabe dictator to swing more public opinion and grant himself more emergency powers and really crack down on dissent. And Trump is a man who runs headfirst into gambles like this. And I hate it say this, but it's a smart play.

To be clear, Netanyahu has stated that the bombings have already set Iran's nuclear program back by years. A declaration of war is not necessary at this time.

So yeah, this scares me more than anything else he's done so far.

God have mercy on us, and on the people of Iran.

[ivygorgon]

An open letter to the U.S. Congress

Stop Elon Musk from stealing our personal information!

6,399 so far! Help us get to 10,000 signers!

I am writing to urge you to stop Elon Musk from stealing our personal information.

It appears Musk has hacked into millions of Americans’ personal information and now has access to their taxes, Social Security, student debt and financial aid filings. Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency was not created by Congress—it is operating with zero transparency and in clear violation of federal law.

This violation of our privacy is causing American families across the country to fear for our privacy, safety and dignity. If this goes unchecked, Musk could steal our private data to help in making cuts to vital government programs that our families depend on—and to make it easier to cut taxes for himself and other billionaires.

We must have guardrails to stop this unlawful invasion of privacy.

Congress and the Trump administration must stop Elon Musk from stealing Americans' tax and other private data.

▶ Created on February 10 by Jess Craven · 6,398 signers in the past 7 days

📱 Text SIGN PUTWGR to 50409

🤯 Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409

[remindertoclick]

This is your reminder to Click for Palestine today!

And donate directly to UNRWA you have the means!

[moodringsformushrooms]

https://represent.us/ethics-act/

https://act.represent.us/letter/ethics-act

[firstoccupier]

The Texas Nazi in Congress

Well, folks, here we are again, watching our elected officials trip over their tongues and grasp at the most disastrous of historical references as if they were pulling the best card from a stacked deck. This time, it’s Texas Republican Representative Keith Self, who recently decided to channel his inner schoolyard bully by quoting none other than Joseph Goebbels—the Nazi propaganda minister…

[liesmyteachertoldme]

Tariffs are a tax by another name. All taxes must originate in the House of Representatives according to the U.S. Constitution. The President has no authority to enact tariffs or taxes.

[politicalprism]

Man Accused of Assaulting Rep. Nancy Mace Released with Restrictions

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Capitol Police arrested James McIntyre, 33, of Illinois, on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., inside the Rayburn House Office Building. McIntyre has been charged with assaulting a government official and pleaded not guilty during a virtual hearing on Wednesday.

As part of his release conditions, McIntyre has been ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Mace, avoid any communication with her, and refrain from entering Washington, D.C. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 27.

The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. in a building open to the public. According to court documents, McIntyre approached Mace to shake her hand but allegedly grabbed it with both hands and shook her arm aggressively for 3 to 5 seconds, causing her arm to flail. Witnesses reported that McIntyre said, “Trans youth deserve advocacy” during the encounter.

Mace later told police she experienced pain in her wrist, arm, and shoulder but declined medical assistance.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Mace attributed the incident to her stance on transgender rights, writing, “I was physically accosted at the Capitol tonight by a pro-trans man. One new brace for my wrist and some ice for my arm and it’ll heal just fine.”

The incident follows Mace’s introduction of a controversial measure in November to ban transgender women from using restrooms aligned with their gender identity on Capitol Hill. The proposal has drawn criticism and protests from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.

Mace’s measure, if passed, would fall under the jurisdiction of the House sergeant-at-arms, responsible for enforcing the rules of the chamber.

This debate arises as Rep.-elect Sarah McBride prepares to make history as the first transgender member of Congress, intensifying discussions around LGBTQ+ rights on Capitol Hill