17
PRIORITIES for the NEW CONGRESS
The Nov. 6, 2018, General Election was historic by any measure. Tireless
grassroots efforts by Democratic Party organizations, as well as Indivisi-
ble, Swing Left, Brand New Congress and many other groups, were
extremely successful in giving the Democrats a 40-seat gain in the House
of Representatives. This was the biggest Democratic Party gain in
Congress since November 1974 in the first post-Watergate election.
The complexion of the House is far more diverse than it has ever
been, with more women and people of color in the chamber. Despite a
minor and lackluster effort to prevent it, Rep. Nancy Pelosi now wields the
Speaker’s gavel for the second time, making history. In her short first
month in her second Speakership, she has reminded everyone about her
considerable clout and influence.
Democrats now control all committees in the House, giving
them considerable influence. Democrats in our region need to make sure
the 116th Congress works for the people and not themselves.
To that end, the Fresno County Democratic Party lists seven
issues that it would like to see the new Congress prioritize (in no particular
order).
Comprehensive Immigration Reform
The U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill during
President Barack Obama’s second term in 2013. However, under Republi-
can Speaker John Boehner’s leadership, or lack thereof (Note: Boehner is
now cashing in on the cannabis industry), the bill was never considered in
the House. Now that Democrats control this chamber, it’s time to consider
that bill.
Voting Rights
In June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to gut key provisions of
the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Since that time, many states—mainly those
with Republican control of the legislature—have purposely passed mea-
sures making it more difficult for people to vote with onerous ID laws and
other provisions. Some of these heinous laws have been thrown out by
courts, but many remain.
Right after being sworn into the 116th Congress on Jan. 3, 2019,
Democrat John Sarbanes introduced HR-1, designed to restore and renew
all provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, to revamp the oversight
of the Office of Government Ethics and to repeal the SCOTUS Citizens
United decision, among other things. We must urge the House to pass this
bill.
Universal Healthcare
The Affordable Care Act, while giving access to health insurance for
about 20 million Americans, has many flaws. On a personal level, we all
know people who still can’t afford health insurance, or who have lost their
subsidy because their marital status changed, or who have gone bankrupt
paying medical bills.
Last month, a school superintendent was cited for claiming that
a student with strep throat was her own child to ensure that the child was
treated by a doctor because the child’s grandmother (his guardian) could
not properly care for him. These things should not happen in the richest
country in the world. We must urge the 116th Congress to pass universal
healthcare for all.
Clean Drinking Water for Everyone
After alarming levels of DDT in U.S. rivers were reported in 1968, after Democratic Party can be reached at 559-495-0606 or
the Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969 and after the Santa Barbara oil spill fresnocountydemocrats@yahoo.com.
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FEBRUARY 2019
in 1969, the public demanded federal action. A bill creating the Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) was passed in 1970 and was signed by
Republican President Richard Nixon. This paved the way for the passage
by Congress, and signing by Nixon, of the Clean Water Act in 1972, which
can be argued was the most aggressive legislation ever passed at the feder-
al level to ensure clean, safe drinking water for Americans, and to reduce
the pollution of our waterways.
In the last 20 years, the Supreme Court has eroded the enforce-
ment power of the Clean Water Act. Now, POTUS 45 has appointed
former lobbyists of polluting industries to head the EPA and other natural
resource agencies. Regulations protecting our waterways have been
stripped away. We must urge the 116th Congress to restore all regulatory
provisions of the Clean Water Act.
Increased Funding for Education
It’s true that throwing money at a problem doesn’t always solve the
problem. However, it is deplorable to note that at every level—K-12 and
post-secondary—the federal government, and many state governments,
have disinvested in education over the past three decades. This must stop.
Federal investment in all levels of education means a stronger
economic future. Making public colleges and universities much more
affordable, like they were four or five decades ago, means that graduating
students won’t be saddled with hundreds of thousands of dollars of student
loan debt. We must urge the 116th Congress to pass bills that establish
universal preschool and to make post-secondary education either free or
much more affordable.
Repeal Tax Cut for the Rich
The previous Congress passed a sweeping “tax reform bill” in December
2017, which was a lump of coal for the lower and middle class and a huge
gift that keeps on giving for the already rich. The $1.5 trillion package
slashed tax rates for corporations, provided new tax breaks for businesses
and reorganized the individual tax code in ways that favors the wealthy.
This bill, along with the fake tariff wars that POTUS 45 started, has caused
the national debt to balloon exponentially out of control.
So much for fiscally responsible Republicans! We must urge
the Democratically controlled House to pass a bill reversing this obscene
upward redistribution of wealth.
Gun Safety
Mass shootings are so common now that many people hardly notice them.
Late last month, yet another mass shooting occurred—this time, in
Sebring, Fla., when a man with a handgun murdered five women in a bank.
At this writing, there is no known motive for this shooting.
Most of these shootings, according to USA Today, are carried
out by angry White men. Why did they have these guns? Did they acquire
them legally or illegally? Is it right for Americans to have such easy access
to guns, which can be used by people in a fit of anger or to carry out a
grudge?
We must urge the 116th Congress to pass sensible gun safety
and background check laws—much stronger than the ones on the books
today.
People have the power. Vote. Join fellow Democrats in addressing
solutions for the problems that ail our country. The Fresno County
Volunteer now to start planning for
the election in 2020.
Sign up now at
www.VoteBlueFresno.com