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  • The Gov Hub Newsletter: February 10, 2024

The Gov Hub Newsletter: February 10, 2024

Sean Duffy mooning people, a Faith Office led by an accused embezzler, and Dem governors keeping the world on its axis

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Gov Hub
February 10, 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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2025 SPECIAL ELECTION WATCH

Add to cal, tell a friend

  • MAINE: Sean Faircloth is running in a special election on February 25, 2025 for a state House seat [HD-24], which could increase the current small Dem majority.

  • PENNSYLVANIA: Dan Goughnour is running in a special election to fill a vacant state House seat in the Pittsburgh area, HD-35. The race will determine which party has the majority in the state House. The election is on March 25, 2025.

  • PENNSYLVANIA: James Malone is running to flip a state Senate seat in the 36th Senatorial District. The election is on March 25, 2025.

  • FLORIDA: Gay Valimont is running in a special election to fill the vacant Congressional District one seat formerly held by Matt Gaetz. The election is on April 1, 2025.

  • FLORIDA: Josh Weil is running in a special election to fill the now vacant District Six Congressional seat. The election is on April 1, 2025.

CHRONICALLY ONLINE

Politics meets social media

  • Sec. of Transportation Sean Duffy’s past of him mooning people and wearing tighty wighties has come back to the forefront of our consciousness thanks to the Daily Mail. That same dude has now given DOGE and Elon the thumbs up to “plug into our aviation system to give it some upgrades.”

  • The White House has decided to go after “anti-Christian bias” and has brought on televangelist Paula White to lead the “Faith Office.” Her name may ring a bell because the “devout” Christian’s THIRD husband is a member of the band Journey, and she’s been accused of embezzling from the band.

  • This Missouri farmer who voted for Trump ended up on the political side of TikTok after he shared that the gov program he was using to keep his family farm moving – one funded by Biden’s Infrastructure Law – had been paused due to Trump’s executive order. The comments were flooded with FAFO, while this rural political strategist and farmer took the opportunity to open the doors to a convo with the farmer.

  • IL Gov. Pritzker trolled Trump with a Reel on his “plans” to rename a Great Lake, make moves on Green Bay, and make proclamations-to-come on the Mississippi River.

  • Sec. of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem told CNN’s Dana Bash in this exchange, that “people can’t trust the government anymore”… to which Dana Bash reminded her that she [Kristi Noem] is the government.

  • PA State Rep. Smith-Wade-El shared his excitement via mini mic about Gov. Shapiro’s budget address, which included an ask to the state leg to pass legislation that would remove wrongful evictions from a tenant’s permanent record in the state.

  • Rep. Frost asked Gov. Reynolds [Iowa] what would happen if Medicaid, which a third of children in Iowa use, went away. This was her response.

  • Rep. Subramanyam is offish on TikTok and sharing things he does and doesn’t do as a House Democrat – the big hitters.

GOOD NEWS BEARS

Positive political wins [yes, those do exist]

Editor’s Note: For almost daily updates on what the Dems are doing to fight back against Trump 2.0, this account is posting recaps like this. Also, keep calling your representatives' offices on both sides of the aisle – you’re not breaking the internet, but you are breaking the phone lines.

KY GOV. BESHEAR LOWERS STATE INCOME TAX: The Dem Gov. of Kentucky signed HB1 into law, a bipartisan tax cut. The legislation lowers the individual income tax from 4% to 3.5%, with the rate change set to take effect in 2026. According to reporting from ABC affiliate WHAS11, state lawmakers have estimated that the tax cut will save taxpayers around $718 million annually. 

CA GOV. NEWSOM SIGNS ALLOCATION OF $50M IN “TRUMP-PROOFING” FUNDS: The Gov. of California has signed a bill package that originates from a special sesh he called following Trump’s election. The legislation allocates $50 mill total for protecting Californians from the policy wrath of the Trump Admin. Per Politico, half of the funds have been allocated for court battles against the Admin. The second half of funds, or $25 million, have been allocated to nonprofits that are working to protect immigrants from deportation and related threats made by the Trump Admin’s directives.

NY GOV. HOCHUL ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR TWO RURAL MENTAL HEALTHCARE PROGRAMS: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced $9.6 million in total funds to be distributed across two programs dedicated to building out mental health services in rural areas of the state. The funds have been awarded through the State Office of Mental Health, and will be divided as follows:

  • $7.6 million over five years to create two new Critical Time Intervention Teams in Western NY that will be tasked with supporting those living with mental illness during periods of transition.

  • $2 million over five years for a service provider to implement the Farmers Supporting Farmers program statewide. The program at-large is designed to support the mental stress load that’s taken on by agricultural workers.

CATACLYSMIC CORRUPTION

Mostly stories that involve Elon

  • The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which operates to do as its name suggests – protect consumers [esp from corporate BS like price gouging], has been ordered to cease all work by its acting director, the architect of Project 2025, Russell Vought.

  • Trump’s AG, Pam Bondi has nixed the Foreign Influence Task Force – a task force that had been put together to combat foreign influence in elections. In the same bing-bang-boom, Bondi also disbanded Task Force KleptoCapture, which had its eyes on Russian Oligarchs, their influence, and their piggybanks.

  • Rep. Yassamin Ansari joined Senator Ed Markey in trying to enter the EPA – spoiler alert: they were denied entry by DOGE – unelected private citizens or rather mostly teenage dudes and a few that are just old enough to legally drink [barely], that are taking your data.

  • Dem Senators Heinrich and Booker are putting a spotlight on a Trump Admin official - Stephen Miller - who admitted on live TV that the Trump Admin has been spying on federal workers and purging those that didn’t vote Red from their jobs.

  • CT AG William Tong took to TikTok and Reels to share that the state is suing the Trump Admin and Sec. of the Treasury to block DOGE’s access to confidential records, sensitive data, and critical payment systems. ATM: A federal judge temporarily blocked Elon’s DOGE access and required the destruction of all materials obtained thus far [Feb 8.] This block will go through Friday the 14th, when a different federal judge will hear the case brought by 19 Dem state AGs.

BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T

Bills, bills, bills

WASHINGTON STATE, JOURNALISM: A bipartisan bill has been introduced to invest $20 million into journalism organizations in Washington state, aiming to support critical local reporting needs. If passed, the grant funding would run through what would be called the Washington Local News Journalism Corps Program and managed through the state’s Department of Commerce. Funds for the program would be made possible by taxing big tech companies that yield more than $25 billion a year through a “workforce education investment surcharge.”

NORTH DAKOTA, CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM: Running afoul of the whole constitutional concept of separation of church and state, a resolution was brought up in the North Dakota state House that urges the state to “acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus Christ.” One of the Christian Nationalist bill’s sponsors is a Republican whose reputation is built on him drunkenly harassing a cop and now making anti-semitic comments about the possibility of the CIA taking a hit out on Mexico’s Jewish president. 

OHIO, FOSTER CARE: In Ohio, state Rep. Dontavius Jarrells has intro’d bipartisan legislation [HB 25] that would foster [pun intended] a college and career pipeline for students in the state’s foster care system. Per this reporting, if passed, the bill would establish a scholarship program that would help to fund education expenses for this group. It would also hire “foster care student navigators” that would be tasked with helping students with college apps and career counseling.

FEDERAL, MENTAL HEALTH: Congresswoman Andrea Salinas [D-OR] has reintroduced legislation to improve access to mental health services. The bill – the HOPE and Mental Wellbeing Act – if passed, would enable those that utilize either Medicare or Medicaid to receive three behavioral health visits per year for free. 

THE ACTION ITEMS

Get ‘em done from your phone

ACTION 1 – SOUTH CAROLINA, ABORTION & FREE SPEECH

The Ask: SC residents only – tell your state senator to say no to bill 323.

The Background: The state senate bill would make receiving an abortion punishable as homicide – take a guess what the possible punishment for homicide is in SC. If you guessed the death penalty, you’d be correct. In addition to that piece of the insane puzzle, the bill as outlined by WREN, would:

  • Make it a felony to refer a patient for an abortion

  • Make it a felony to tell a pregnant person about abortion

  • End abortion acceptions for rape, incest, and fetal abnormalities

  • Allow for private individuals to sue over abortion

  • Require anti-abortion propaganda videos to be shown in public schools

  • Make pro-choice websites illegal in South Carolina

  • Require critically ill women to be forced into c-sections or induced labor rather than having an abortion

ACTION 2 – CONNECTICUT, CHILD TAX CREDIT

The Ask: CT residents only – tell your state reps to pass the CT Child Tax Credit.

The Background: The Connecticut Child Tax Credit has been reintroduced via HB 5986. If passed, it would provide CT families with a tax credit of $600 per child. Per reporting, the credit would be fully refundable, enabling families with little to no tax liability to take advantage of the benefit. It’s estimated that the tax credit would help 75% of the state’s households.

ACTION 3 – KASH PATEL, FBI

The Ask: Tell your Senators to vote no on Kash Patel to lead the FBI.

The Background: Dems on the Senate Judiciary Committee punted on Patel, delaying the consideration of a man with an enemies list who has also reposted a cartoon video of his enemies being decapitated. The Dems have also requested a second hearing with Patel, an ask that doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. When they do get to voting though, remind them it’s a no from your dawg.

PS & BTW, CALL YOUR REPS TOO. XOXO TYSM

EXTREMISM

…that’s the tweet [or the x]

  • In the Cincinnati area, neo-Nazi’s took to an overpass to fly their Nazi flags. The hate group tried to haul ass out of there in a u-haul when they were confronted by area residents that said not in my neighborhood, thank you very much.

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

News that’s just about guaranteed to make it to the group chat

  • Republicans in Utah took up and passed a bill that bans labor unions that serve public employees from collective bargaining, or rather being able to negotiate on behalf of its members for better pay, benefits, etc. The bill will impact all public employees in unions should the governor sign it, but originated as a strategy to hamper the power of the state’s teachers unions. 

  • Ex-Southern Charm OG cast member and convicted felon, Thomas Ravenel has decided to run for elected office again – this time his eyes are on the role of Governor of South Carolina.

  • DEI – stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and it’s about this, not that. Examples of DEI in practice long before it had an acronym include: changing tables being required in public restrooms, closed captioning on TV, required access to lactation rooms for moms, health studies including women, and so much more.

  • Congressional Republicans are considering taxing college scholarships as a way to reduce taxes for its billionaire besties – no this is not a drill.

TOP OF THE EARBUDS

Listen, watch, learn

  • Lisa Rinna of RHOBH fame joined the ladies at I’ve Had It Podcast to discuss fighting back against the Trump Administration and its cult members. Tune into the eppy here.

  • House Dem Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined John Stewart on this episode of The Weekly Show to chat about resistance in the age of Trump 2.0, House edition. Listen to the eppy here.

ELECTION SZN

The szn that never ends

2025 Dem Campaign Launches:

  • BOSTON, MA: Josh Kraft, the son of notorious football bro, Robert Kraft, has launched his campaign for mayor of Boston, MA.

2026 Dem Campaign Launches:

  • ARIZONA:  Marine veteran JoAnna Mendoza has thrown her hat in the ring in the race for AZ-06 with the goal of unseating Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani.

KEY READS

Important stories from around the USA

  • USA Today: ‘We haven’t seen anything quite like Musk.’ Here’s what’s behind his government blitz.

  • AP: The Trump administration is throwing more Pentagon reporters of their workspaces

  • The Hill: Musk calls for annual firing of judges after blocked DOGE access at Treasury

BEFORE YOU GO…

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