The Gov Hub Newsletter: April 14, 2025

Two good news bears stories to get you through the rest of the sh*tshow

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Gov Hub
April 14, 2025

Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov® – a Dem tent weekly that shares action items you can do from your phone, good political news, civic engagement tools and topics, and a little dose of political goss too, right to your inbox.  

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GOOD NEWS BEARS

Positive political wins [yes, those do exist]

COLORADO GOV. POLIS SIGNS BILL REPEALING STATE’S SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN: Governor Polis of Colorado signed SB25-014 into law, which repealed the language written in the state’s Constitution that had banned same-sex marriage. The signing of the Freedom to Marry Act, follows a 2024 ballot measure that passed with 63% of voter support to overturn the state’s same-sex marriage ban. The law is viewed as a proactive measure to codify marriage rights and protections in the state at-large and in the case that the SCOTUS overturns the legal precedent set by Obergefell v. Hodges.

MARYLAND GOV. WES MOORE SIGNS THREE JOB CREATION BILLS: Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed three bills into law that are aimed at enhancing job training and employment opportunities, as well as bolstering the state’s economy. The first bill, the RAISE Act, is focused on increasing apprenticeship opportunities through the creation of two new programs inclusive of the aerospace and cybersecurity industries. The second bill, the Model Employer Act, gives the Department of Disabilities the green light to support new policies that train Marylanders with disabilities for good-paying jobs and sets up the Office of Disability Employment Advancement and Policy. The third bill in the bunch directs the Maryland Department of Health to expedite the license approval of fired federal health care workers who are licensed in other states and now wish to work in Maryland.

CHRONICALLY ONLINE

Politics meets social media

  • Would you rather give thumbs up or a peace sign at the end of every floor speech or time that you speak in a hearing? Congressman Suhas Subramanyan gave us his choice while demonstrating his thumbs up versus peace sign (versus also finger guns).

  • Senator Ruben Gallego [a veteran] called out “uhh Secretary Noem” for not knowing how to hold her gun properly or run the Department of Homeland Security, after she did a weird cosplay as an agent photoshoot.

  • Congressman Don Beyer called Social Security to check in on the wait times on the day that according to the Admin is the “best day to call.” These are the results.

  • Governor Shapiro and two of PA’s favorite foodie influencers made Matzo bark for Passover, and ranked how much they love other Jewish holiday treats.

  • Jason Kelce was spotted testifying at a local board meeting about installing a new fence on his home’s property. In other words, who is on your local town board can be make or break, even for the Kelce’s.

EXTREMISM

…that’s the tweet [or the x]

  • A Pennsylvania man (Cody Balmer) is alleged to have broken into Governor Shapiro’s house, lighting it on fire just hours after the Governor's Passover dinner. The Shapiro family was able to escape the flames, but the damage to the home is extensive. The arsonist, who has been detained after turning himself in, said that he “would’ve beaten the governor with a hammer had he encountered him in the home.” Governor Shapiro responded to the horrifying incident with this message on political violence.

  • In LA, DHS agents went to two elementary schools under the guise of “wellness checks for kids” that were approved by their parents - a claim that was later debunked and found to be a lie. The agents were turned away after not providing proper identification. This is how LA Unified School District Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, a former undocumented migrant himself, responded to the incident.

  • Two members of Trump’s first admin [Miles Taylor and Christopher Krebs], who critiqued and/or resisted Trump’s agenda from the inside, are the target of Trump’s current ire. Specifically, Trump signed a targeted memoranda asking the DOJ to investigate these two men, giving legs to his desires to go after people he dubs as political enemies.  

  • The Trump Admin is also not following a court order issued by a Trump appointed judge that declared the Admin’s ban on AP in the press pool, unconstitutional. Following the order to allow AP to re-enter the press pool today, however, they were denied access. 

CRASHING OUT 101…

Like the economy

  • Despite Trump campaigning on a made in America future and making claims that his current tariff plan will enable that, reporting shows that his merch – like the super heinous flags – are made in China.

  • In more tariff whiplash news, an announcement over the weekend shared that there was going to be an exemption for certain smart phones and electronics, which was then followed by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick sharing that while these items are perhaps exempt from the “reciprocal” tariffs, they will be taxed via a semi-conductor-focused tariff to come in the next month or two. 

  • Trump has threatened to tariff pharmaceuticals. Not only is the concern the fact that it will further raise prices on medicines, but it will also exacerbate existing shortages in the market.

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

Stories that are guaranteed to make it to the group chat

  • FEMA under the current Trump Admin has denied North Carolina’s request to continue matching 100% of the state’s recovery spending on Hurricane Helene clean-up efforts. For reference, the deadliest hurricane in the state’s history caused over an estimated $9.8 billion in damage to transportation infrastructure alone. The state has 30 days to appeal the decision.

  • While on the tarmac at Reagan, a plane carrying five members of Congress was clipped by another plane. The members live tweeted the close call sitch, discussed getting more snacks, and used the moment to argue for the return of FAA jobs that keep passengers and crews safe.

  • Trump went after another groundbreaking issue that voters care so much about – shower heads – to “make America’s showers great again.” He signed an executive order for the Sec. of Energy to handle, that allows them to rescind an Obama-era rule that restricted multi-nozzle showers from dispersing over 2.5 gallons of water per minute.

CATACLYSMIC CORRUPTION

Mostly stories that involve Elon and his besties

  • On the topic of insider trading, it’s been reported that NASDAQ call volume spiked just minutes before Trump announced a 90-day tariff pause. Earlier that exact day, Trump posted on Truth Social that it was a “great time to buy.” Trump then went on to brag about how much his billionaire besties made, like Charles Schwab who made $2.5 billion.

  • The Trump Admin is being sued for taking down a public spending tracker that was mandated by Congress to share how public money is dispersed to various agencies. Translation: transparency has gone on a permanent vacation so it seems.

TOP OF THE EARBUDS

Listen, watch, learn

  • Men were apparently at work on this podcast dubbed Men at Work Podcast, which hosted PA Governor Josh Shapiro to talk about what he does for work, the Sixers, and legalizing weed.

  • Everyone’s favorite Pete [Buttigieg] joined Jon Stewart on this episode of his pod to chat about tariffs, why the policy debate and discussion is no where to be found in Trump world, and how we build going forward. 

→ Considering starting a pod? Looking to be booked ON podcasts? Have a pod and are not sure how to get it in front of your target audience? Girl and the Gov® can help with all of that and beyond. Explore options here.

BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T

Bills, bills, bills

FEDERAL, POULTRY INDUSTRY: A bipartisan bill has been introduced by freshman Congresswoman Sarah McBride and GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, with the aim of protecting and helping poultry farmers contending with avian flu. The bill – dubbed the SAVE Our Poultry Act – would: green light USDA research grants to study the avian flu, analyze the impact of poultry vaccination and its impact on trade, and fund “enhanced biosecurity practices and disinfection methods for poultry producers.”

BOOKMARK IT

Save it, send it

TRUMP GOLF TRACKER → How much time is the president spending on the course? More than your average grandpa that’s for sure. The Trump Golf Tracker lets you keep tabs on just how much time he spends golfing and using taxpayer dollars to ensure that he can. Check out the tracker here.

NC JOB BOARD → For federal workers that have been impacted by jobs cuts or have been displaced by Hurricane Helene, North Caroline Governor Josh Stein’s office has launched a job board to help. Take a peruse through the opportunities and tools available here.

THE ACTION ITEMS

Get ‘em done from your phone

ACTION 1- JUDICIAL POWER

The Ask: Tell the Senate to reject H.R. 1526, which would undermine  judges’ injunctive power.

The Background: The bill, introduced and passed by Republicans in the House, would limit the ability for judges to issue injunctions, a critical check on executive and legislative powers.

ACTION 2- VOTING RIGHTS

The Ask: Tell the Senate to reject the voter suppression bill, the SAVE Act.

The Background: Last week, Republicans and four Democrats voted for the SAVE Act, which would vastly limit voting rights, especially for married women that have changed their last names. 

UPGRADE YOUR INBOX

…with the Repro Ready: An Activist Newsletter

Pari and Eve, the women behind the popular @GEMMA_Talks Instagram and TikTok accounts and the “Women in America” series, have expanded their social media success to the digital newsletter world with Repro Ready: An Activist Newsletter. With their proven track record of crafting engaging feminist content, Repro Ready is a pro-science, pro-choice, pro-woman tool that fuels the movement to protect reproductive health and rights. Each edition offers practical tactics to combat misinformation, amplify marginalized voices, and stay updated on policy shifts. 

KEY READS

Important stories from around the USA

  • Politico: White House outlines plans to gut NOAA, smother climate research

  • The Hill: Trump says he’s open to sending violent criminals who are US citizens to El Salvador prison

  • USA Today: Latest twist in tariff turmoil: China cuts off flow of critical minerals

  • AP:  State Department wants staff to report instances of alleged anti-Christian bias during Biden’s term

BEFORE YOU GO…

…find more from Girl and the Gov®