January 11, 2023

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DEMAND DETAILS OF MCCARTHY’S BACKROOM DEAL:While we know some of the concessions Kevin McCarthy made to the MAGA people, there is reportedly a three-page secret addendum that has yet to be revealed to the public. https://punchbowl.news/archive/1923-punchbowl-news-am/. Let’s tell our MoCs to call out the GOP Republicans for denying the American people the right to know exactly how our government is operating.

NEW HOUSE SUB-COMMITTEE ON THE “WEAPONIZATION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT”:The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives is on the verge of bringing a resolution to the whole body for the formation of a subcommittee on the “weaponization of the federal government,” to be headed by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH and chair of the Judiciary Committee) and to potentially include members beyond the 13—8 of them Republicans—on the panel. The Republicans invoke the “Church Committee,” which revealed bipartisan intelligence and civil rights abuses in the 1970s, as its precursor; others, like Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), liken the new subcommittee–which would have “open-ended jurisdiction to scrutinize any issue related to civil liberties or to examine how any agency of the federal government has collected, analyzed and used information about Americans” —as more like that headed by Rep. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-gop-eyes-new-committee-probe-weaponization-federal-government-rcna64727 It could examine anything from Hunter Biden and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to the origins of the coronavirus and the conduct of Dr. Anthony Fauci to current criminal investigations. We must call our Representatives and tell them what we think about such subcommittee—especially if they are Republicans.

ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATION IN OKLAHOMA:State Senator David Bullard of Oklahoma has proposed legislation that is a terrible attack on gender-affirming care for young transgender adults. He has named it the Millstone Act of 2023 which is a reference to a Bible verse: “that a person would be better off tying a large boulder around their neck to ‘be drowned in the depths of the sea.’” Transgender and non-binary youth have a much greater suicide risk than cisgender youth because of lack of acceptance by family and society. Let’s contact Senator Bullard to decry his immense and deadly cruelty: https://oksenate.gov/senators/david-bullard

DEMAND GEORGE SANTOS’s RESIGNATION:The instances of newly elected GOP representative George Santos’s illegal and unethical behavior keep getting worse. In addition to lying on his resume, one of Santos’s top aides made fundraising calls pretending he was Speaker McCarthy’s chief of staff. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook-pm/2023/01/09/what-the-three-amigos-are-looking-for-00077044. This is a clear violation of campaign finance laws, and Santos should immediately be forced to resign. Two House members have already filed ethics complaints. Let’s tell our MoCs that the integrity of the House depends on a loud voice calling for Santos’s resignation.

TAXES AND AMERICANS ABROAD:Are you feeling lost or overwhelmed about filing your IRS tax return this year? Join Democrats Abroad for a Zoom webinar on How to Survive Tax Day as an American Abroad on Wednesday, January 11th at 1:30pm EST to have all your questions answered. Click here to RSVP now $10 General Admission / $5 Concessions suggested donation. Recording available. All proceeds go to Democrats Abroad