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- The Gov Hub Newsletter: May 21, 2024
The Gov Hub Newsletter: May 21, 2024
Gov Hub
May 21, 2024
Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov®. This weekly pop of politics is designed to share action items, resources, & quick links to civic engagement tools & topics. Find a typo? Congrats, today is your lucky day.
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THE ACTION ITEMS
Get ‘em done from your phone
ACTION 1 – SPONSORED BY NEW DEMOCRACY – BANKING ACCESS & DEBIT CARDS
The Ask: Tell Congress to say no to a proposal from the Federal Reserve that would make debit card transactions more expensive to process.
The Background: A new proposal that’s hitting the books is set to make the average consumer’s life even harder [and that of small businesses too]. The Federal Reserve wants to make debit card transactions MORE expensive for banks to process. Similar policies in the past were a failure for consumers and small businesses alike: The last time we went through this, in fact, more Americans were left without a bank, and banks were forced to slash popular perks and programs. This meant no debit card rewards, reduced free account offerings, and higher minimum account balances!
THE ACTION
ACTION 2 – SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF AGING – MEDICAL ACCESSIBILITY
The Ask: Tell Congress to ensure FDA-approved anti-obesity medicines are covered for those over 65 on Medicare Part-D.
The Background: Turning 65 and going on Medicare should not mean not being able to access life-saving, game-changing anti-obesity medications. Right now, that’s the case if you’re going the Medicare route. Simply put, accessible, affordable treatment = preventing premature deaths, and more time with loved ones, an equation that needs to be made possible by Congress and the Biden-Harris Admin.
THE ACTION
ACTION 3 – BIRTH CONTROL
The Ask: Tell the Senate to vote on the Right to Contraception Act.
The Background: The GOP has its eyes on restricting birth control, and so does Donald Trump. Their attacks on birth control aren’t new, but they’re ramping up [catch up with this explainer]. With this in mind, circa 2022, the Right to Contraception Act was brought to the table in the House, and passed with that set of members. However, GOP members of the Senate blocked it from being voted on in the half of the leg with six-year terms. Time to put the bill back in action.
THE ACTION
Looking for more action items? Check our library of past Gov Hub’s.
FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND
Just about guaranteed to make it to the group chat
There’s no lesson plan we’d rather follow than this one on Bad Bitch Sociology from Alicia Luncheon on bad bitches [queen/legend/icon Rep. Crockett] and non-bad bitches [MTG – enough said]. We’ll also be bumpin’ this remix of the moment described all summer long. Oh, and did we mention that Rep. Crockett filed a trademark application for “bleach blonde bad built butch body?” YEP.
In WTF but of course news, America’s washed up mayor of years’ past, Rudy Giuliani launched ‘Rudy’s Coffee.’ This is what he said the coffee brand is ‘all about.’
Also in the ‘is it Bravo or is it Congress category,’ these two GOP reps allegedly are having an affair, causing one to divorce their wife of double digit years. YAY for family values!
The best follow for Threads fans goes to… RFK Jr’s brain worm, which is workin’ extra time on these Threads of gold.
What would happen with the balance of power on SCOTUS if Trump wins? And how long will they keep power/control of the court? This will get you up to speed. And if it gives you nightmare fuel palpitations, send this register to vote link to the group chat.
Over at the RNC, scandal stays the name of the game, with its new-to-the-job of “election integrity lawyer” Christina Bobb being arrested and booked for her apparent role in trying to overturn the 2020 election. Big yikes.
BOOKMARK IT
Don’t lose the link
GOV CLUB MERCH SHOP: Don’t fear, new Girl and the Gov® gear is here with a new sweatshirt launch. Featuring five color options, the Gov Club sweatshirt is perfect for summer nights at the beach, the lake, and everywhere in between.
Two of the five color options.
HGW LISTENS
Hit play on these pods
Protecting access to abortion in PA may come down to this state house race, with this candidate who just so happens to have joined Girl and the Gov, The Podcast for a chat.
With abortion access on the mind, this episode of NPR’s Consider This looks at states where abortion is on the ballot this year.
If you end up in the ‘Wait, wait update me section’ of this newsletter, you’ll know about the Trump campaign social video featuring a shoutout to a ‘unified reich.’ This episode of The Bulwark Podcast gets into the intentionality.
P.S. fan of Girl and the Gov, The Podcast? Get political POVs, tea, recs, and more with the Yapper’s Digest, droppin’ like it’s hot every Thursday to inboxes.
GOOD NEWS BEARS
Positive political wins [yes, those do exist]
ABORTION RIGHTS AMENDMENT MAKES BALLOT IN COLORADO: Late last week it became official – voters will be deciding whether or not abortion rights will be protected in Colorado’s state constitution come November 2024. Initiative 89, as it's called, received enough verified signatures to make the ballot. For it to pass, it will require 55% of Colorado voters to say ‘yes please’ at the ballot box. Should it pass, it will further protect abortion access in the state, and also override an existing constitutional limit preventing state money being used to fund abortions. Read the ballot measure language here.
SOUTH DAKOTA’S ABORTION RIGHTS AMENDMENT WILL BE ON THE BALLOT: More abortion ballot measure news with this tidbit out of South Dakota, where the Secretary of State verified enough signatures for a BM to make the ballot this fall. In order for this ballot measure to pass, it’ll need to win a simple majority. The ballot measure language differs from that of Colorado’s, and can be read here.
NEVADA REPRO RIGHTS ORGANIZERS COLLECT 200K SIGNATURES FOR BALLOT MEASURE: We know – the theme of this issue of Gov Hub should just be called ‘good abortion ballot measure news’ this week. But seriously, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. In Nevada, reproductive rights organizers have brought in over 200,000 signatures in all 17 counties to get an abortion rights ballot measure in front of voters. The signatures will have to be verified in order for the BM to make the ballot. So, all eyes on the Secretary of State in the meantime. Should the ballot measure be able to move ahead, it will need to be voted on [approved by voters] in 2024 and then again in 2026 because every state likes to keep things just a bit different.
WAIT, WAIT UPDATE ME
ICYMI, political ongoings of note
SCOTUS JUSTICE ALITO & THE CASE OF THE UPSIDE DOWN FLAG: None other than Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is under fire for pics that came out showing that in 2021 he hung an upside down American flag outside of his home. Now why is that controversial? Because flying the flag as such is a symbol used by supporters of 2020 election deniers. And why that gets even more suss is because the guy – who clearly has some thoughts on the 2020 election – has not recused himself from any January 6/insurrection cases. If Webster’s Dictionary is looking for a new example to share explaining the phrase ‘conflict of interest,’ this is it to a T. Oh, and did we mention he blamed his wife for the whole ordeal? Classic.
TRUMP SOCIAL POST INCLUDES REFERENCE TO A ‘UNIFIED REICH:’ In case Trump’s prior language about immigrants, Jewish people, disabled people, and more had not hinted to the man’s adoration of authoritarian psychopaths, his campaign’s social media video referencing a ‘unified reich’ “when” he wins, should do the trick. The video, all of 30 seconds up for more than 19 hours before being deleted, speaks volumes, something the Biden-Harris campaign underscored in their response – a sentiment also shared on The View.
LOUISIANA HOUSE PASSES BILL TO CRIMINALIZE ABORTION PILLS: An absolutely horrifying bill has passed the Louisiana state House and is expected to pass the state Senate, and then get signed into law. That bill criminalizes both abortion medications – Mifepristone and Misoprostol. Of the two, Misoprostol, like many medications, is used for several things, including labor induction and treatment of postpartum hemorrhaging. The bill i.e. ban will qualify the medications under Louisiana’s Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law, a law that allows for regulation of highly addictive prescription drugs [ex: opioids]. And since the state requires doctors to get a special license to dispense/prescribe drugs regulated by that law, you can probably see where they’re going with this… Overall, should the bill turn to law, it would: “would criminalize possession for anyone who doesn’t have a prescription or is a licensed provider, and subject violators to up to five years in prison. It would exempt from prosecution pregnant women who possess the pills “for her own consumption,” but anyone who helps her get the pills would be at risk, even if they never perform an abortion.”
KEY READS
Important stories from around the USA
ATLAS
Stories from around the globe
BEFORE YOU GO
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