Three enormous victories this week
We had three enormous victories in the Senate this week! It's time to stop for a moment to recognize what's possible when Democrats draw a clear line and fight back.
FIRST, we blocked Trump's attempt to pour more funding into ICE and Border Patrol.
Trump has made ICE into America's secret police. And CBP agents are often worse than ICE agents. Masks. No IDs. Unidentified vans. Breaking down doors without warrants. Ripping citizens out of their cars based on the color of their skin. Detaining folks with no access to attorneys or family — shredding the 4th Amendment that protects us from tyranny.
All that has to end. And we will keep fighting for reforms. But we said HELL NO to more ICE funding, and we won.
SECOND, we won the release of the other priorities at DHS that were being held hostage. For six weeks, Republicans blocked funding for TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the Cybersecurity Agency.
A dozen times, Senate Democrats went to the floor and asked for Unanimous Consent for a bill to fund those four agencies and get paychecks into the employees' hands. And 12 times — including blocking my UC request only two days ago — the Republicans said no.
But the bill that passed last night funds all four agencies just as the Senate Democrats have been demanding.
THIRD, we stopped the SAVE Act from moving forward. This bill is not about stopping noncitizens from voting, it's about stopping CITIZENS from voting — particularly groups that lean blue — women, students, and Tribal members.
In short, this bill is Trump's top strategy for rigging the November election.
For sure, these victories are not the end of this fight. In two weeks, Congress will reconvene, and the Republicans' top goal will be a special type of budget bill — called "reconciliation" — that they can pass in the Senate by simple majority.
They will seek to put as much of the SAVE ACT into it as they can — but we will have a good chance to stop many of its most dangerous elements.
And of course, they will seek to use that bill to get more funding for Trump's war in Iran, as well as money for ICE and CBP. But we will fight like hell to stop it.
Maybe $3 or $30 for the three victories last night.
I'm doing all I can to prepare to defend against the dark money groups that write mega-million-dollar campaign donations on a moment's notice.
They have their mega-checks. But I have all of you.
Let's save our Republic!
Jeff
