Hi friends,
Well, the manufactured debt ceiling crisis was averted and we have achieved Friday. There was some collateral damage to the environment, the IRS, and folks who depend on SNAP benefits.
Paul Krugman colorfully derided the Republicans:
they barely scratched Biden’s paint.
Krugman points out that the Democrats are no longer afraid of running a deficit and that even the Republicans are disingenuous when they profess to care about debt. Further, he expects some political blowback against Republicans for the concessions they did get.
Coming next: The realization that even white, rural, very MAGA areas like, say, Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District have become deeply dependent on food stamps.
Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor, agrees that the deficit is not an authentic concern of the right. He describes the various “fake crises” — wokeness, CRT, trans kids — that are the center of Republican attention. A palate cleanser:
It’s Pride Month. Check out StoryCorp’s Voices of Pride stories.
Reich offers a clear answer about why the right is focused on fake crises:
Why? To deflect attention from the near record share of the nation’s income and wealth now going to the richest Americans.
As the super-wealthy and big corporations pour money into politics – especially into the Republican party – they don’t want the rest of America to notice they’re rigging the economy for their own benefit, that their unrestrained greed is worsening the climate crisis and that they’re also undermining democracy.
See below for democracy- and climate-protecting actions!
The darkest assessment I’ve seen of the debt ceiling agreement notes that it
cannibalized Manchin’s [permitting reform] bill, enacting primarily the elements attractive to conservatives and pro-fossil fuel interests, while leaving the key ask for clean-energy advocates behind. This leaves environmental justice groups and progressives without leverage for future permitting reform negotiations.
Permits for clean energy projects will still be subject to the longer permitting process, delaying the work of connecting renewable energy to the grid. I’m not sure what our play is except for huge electoral wins 2024.
Manchin has also blocked environmental action by promising to oppose all EPA nominees until the Biden administration trims back its "radical climate agenda."
We will use the power we have. It’s public comment time!
In April, the Environmental Protection Agency introduced new regulations for cars and trucks to reduce tailpipe emissions. The concern is that the regulations for trucks and buses are not sufficiently stringent.
Heavy-duty trucks make up only 10% of vehicles on the road, but produce 45% of nitrogen oxides and 57% of fine particulates in the US. Nitrogen oxides are especially linked to breathing problems and reduced lung function in children and adults, while fine particulates cross the blood-brain barrier and trigger heart and cognitive problems.
Ironically, the proposed regulation for trucks reflects the Administration’s climate agenda to reduce global warming emissions, but falls short on curtailing particulate pollution. There are two actions here for the same purpose. Do both for extra credit!
Tell the EPA we need stronger rules for heavy-duty trucks to prevent air pollution. This quick action is from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Make a public comment on new regulations to limit pollution from trucks and buses. This action is from Public Citizen.
New York State’s legislative session ends in less than a week. It’s an important time to focus on voting reforms and climate.
Tell NYS legislators to prioritize democratic reforms before June 8! This quick action is from Public Citizen.
including building efficiency retrofits, green energy infrastructure, mass transit, affordability rebates, and more.
This will pay for the infrastructure that effective climate action depends on.
Tell NYS leaders that passing the Climate and Community Protection Fund legislation will create 90,000 jobs! This action is from NY Renews.
[T]he pandemic has spurred a rapid rise in unionization among residents, the term for recent medical school graduates working at a hospital under other doctors’ supervision.
If residents at Mass General Brigham in Boston vote to unionize, a record 20 percent of all resident physicians in the US would have union representation, said Sunyata Altenor, a spokesperson for the Committee of Interns and Residents.
Eight thousand doctors have joined the Committee of Interns and Residents since 2019, representing unprecedented growth.
It’s time to buckle up for a nursing strike, because more than 99 percent of nurses at New York Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital voted to authorize a strike. Their contract expired at the end of April and they began this week by giving notice of a strike to begin on June 12.
Contribute to NYS Nurses Association strike support!
Thanks for taking action!
with love,
L