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gerry connolly
Is US House 'Only Hope' for Blocking Worst of Trump's Return?
"How much damage is done at the federal level to the progress we have made will... depend on the election outcomes inthe House of Representatives and the role it will play," said one climate expert.
Nov 06, 2024
While Republicans have won the White House and U.S. Senate as of early Wednesday afternoon, control of the House of Representatives remains too close to call—and may be the only governmental firewall against the GOP's fascist federal agenda.
Democrats went into the Tuesday election hoping to flip the House, which is now narrowly controlled by Republicans. There are 435 seats in the lower chamber, so the party to secure 218 of them will have the majority.
Various decision desks have called 179 to 193 House seats for Democrats and 200 to 210 for Republicans. The Associated Pressnoted that "vote-counting can take weeks in California, where most voters use mail-in ballots."
Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who won his ninth term on Tuesday, toldThe Hill early Wednesday that "in terms of the power trifecta, the House is the only hope for Democrats to maintain a check on our out-of-control Donald Trump," now the president-elect.
"The House is the only hope for Democrats to maintain a check on our out-of-control Donald Trump."
"The results tonight are grim... for the country, and Democrats offer those who believe in constitutional democracy the only hope of presence in the White House and an enabling Republican Senate," Connolly said. "So a lot is hinging on district-by-district results tonight."
The AP has called flips in New York's 19th and 22nd Congressional Districts, with Democrats Josh Riley and John Mannion ousting Republican Congressmen Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams, respectively. Democrat Laura Gillen is also on track to beat GOP Rep. Anthony D'Esposito in the state's 4th District; she has declared victory.
"Our livable future was on the ballot this year, and New York's climate movement delivered," declared Food & Water Action New York state director Laura Shindell, whose group endorsed Gillen and Riley. "New Yorkers voted like our lives depended on it, rebuking the dangerous pro-corporate Project 2025 interests seeking to boost climate-killing fossil fuels, dismantle clean air and water safeguards, and spread misinformation and distrust about the reality of the crisis we face."
"New York's newest congressional representatives have the backing of the state's grassroots climate movement—now, it's time to get to work fighting for our livable future against all odds, and delivering the climate wins that won them their seats," Shindell said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) similarly welcomed the "critically important" wins in his state on social media. Redistricting also helped Democrats pick up seats in Alabama, where Shomari Figures won the state's 2nd Congressional District, and Lousiaina, where former Congressman Cleo Fields claimed victory in the newly drawn 6th District.
However, the GOP has picked up two seats in Pennsylvania—with Republicans Ryan Mackenzie and Rob Bresnahan beating Democratic Reps. Susan Wild and Matt Cartwright, respectively—plus three in North Carolina, thanks to redistricting. Republican Tom Barrett also flipped an open seat in Michigan's 7th Congressional District.
As Bloombergreported Wednesday:
Democratic House control would force Republicans to negotiate on trillions of dollars worth of provisions in the 2017 tax law that expire at the end of next year. It also would provide a check on Trump's "America First" foreign policy agenda, providing perhaps some hope to Ukraine and other allies of continued support.
The House under Democratic control also impeached Trump twice during his first term in office. He was never convicted by the Senate.
Key issues on the minds of progressive lawmakers and advocates across the country on Wednesday included reproductive freedom and the climate emergency.
"How much damage is done at the federal level to the progress we have made will... depend on the election outcomes inthe House of Representatives and the role it will play," Chitra Kumar, managing director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, wrote Wednesday.
Food & Water Action executive director Wenonah Hauter said in a statement that "control of the House is still undetermined, and it's critical that every vote be counted."
"If Democrats retake the House, it will be essential that they stand strong against Trump's reactionary agenda," Hauter stressed. "We've seen Trump's playbook before and we're prepared to confront him head-on—through the courts, in Congress, and through determined grassroots organizing that has been responsible for great progress in the face of adversity for generations."
Even if Democrats don't win a House majority, progressive organizers remain determined to combat the far-right agenda.
"Our story does not end with this election result; we have a lot of work ahead of us. The future we are dreaming of is worth fighting for."
"Despite the deeply disappointing results of the election yesterday, our work to build a better future for our families and our nation does not end here," said MoveOn Political Action executive director Rahna Epting in a statement. "Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans will continue to try and divide us in hopes we give up and clear the path for them to dismantle our democracy and take away our freedoms."
"As exhausted and defeated as we all may feel right now, giving up is not an option. The organizers, change-makers, and heroes before us have sacrificed far too much for us to drop the baton and surrender now," she continued. "Our story does not end with this election result; we have a lot of work ahead of us. The future we are dreaming of is worth fighting for."
Acknowledging the tens of millions of people who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris and a Democratic Congress, Epting added that "together, we can defeat the far right by staying engaged, mobilizing our communities, and remaining defiant guardrails against their fascist vision for our country."
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Funding GOP Wants to Cut Helped IRS Collect $500 Million From Rich Tax Cheats
"This is why we fought for a fully funded IRS, and why it's so reckless for Republicans to try to slash its budget again," said Rep. Gerry Connolly.
Jan 12, 2024
The Internal Revenue Service said Friday that it has collected more than $500 million from wealthy tax dodgers since 2022, thanks to a funding boost that is now in jeopardy as Republican lawmakers work to claw back tens of billions of dollars from the agency.
The IRS has used a budget increase approved under the Inflation Reduction Act to ramp up enforcement efforts, targeting millionaires over significant sums of unpaid taxes. The agency announced Friday that it has retrieved $520 million through its new initiatives.
"This is why we fought for a fully funded IRS, and why it's so reckless for Republicans to try to slash its budget again," Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) wrote in response to the agency's announcement.
The congressional GOP, which has long worked to starve the IRS of funding in service to rich tax cheats, is aiming to more quickly implement $20 billion in cuts that they secured as part of last year's bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling, potentially compromising tax enforcement. The $20 billion represents a quarter of the $80 billion IRS funding boost in the Inflation Reduction Act, which Republicans unanimously opposed.
Under a spending tentative agreement that congressional leaders announced this past weekend, the $20 billion in IRS cuts would be frontloaded to 2024 instead of being spread out over two years. The deal still must pass Congress—hardly a forgone conclusion as far-right Republicans push House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to back out of the agreement, complaining that government spending is too high overall.
Johnson is also aiming to slash an additional $10 billion from the tax agency's 2025 funding.
Democratic leaders have faced backlash from progressive advocacy groups for accepting the GOP's push to expedite the $20 billion in cuts.
"Appeasing Republican extremists with cuts to the IRS is both fiscally and morally irresponsible," Groundwork Action wrote on social media earlier this week.
According to IRS data released last year, around 1.4 million wealthy Americans owe nearly $66 billion in federal taxes for 2017 through 2020. The wealthiest 2,000 nonfilers from that period collectively owe $923 million.
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Tlaib Asks USPS IG to Probe Impacts of Postmaster General DeJoy's Overhaul
"DeJoy's 10-year plan appears to put the USPS on a fast track towards privatization, job cuts, negatively impacted service operations, and a culture of general dysfunction at one of our country's bedrock institutions."
Oct 05, 2023
Citing the concerns of postal employees in her district, U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Thursday asked the head of the United States Postal Service's accountability unit to launch an investigation into the impacts of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year plan, an austerity overhaul critics warn could eviscerate one of the federal government's most venerable—and popular—agencies.
"DeJoy's 10-year plan appears to put the USPS on a fast track towards privatization, job cuts, negatively impacted service operations, and a culture of general dysfunction at one of our country's bedrock institutions," Tlaib (D-Mich.) wrote in a letter to U.S. Postal Service Inspector General Tammy Hull.
DeJoy, a major donor to then-President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee, was installed as postmaster general in May 2020 by Trump-appointed members of the USPS Board of Governors. His appointment came after Trump's Office of Management and Budget recommended that the USPS—a constitutionally sanctioned agency with more than 600,000 employees—be privatized.
"I have spoken with countless USPS employees and managers in my area, all of whom are highly concerned that the 10-year plan poses a serious risk to the fundamental capabilities of the USPS."
The following March, DeJoy unveiled a 58-page 10-year-plan, Delivering for America, that contained austerity measures like reduced hours at some post offices, longer delivery times, consolidation of mail processing operations, and elimination of extra delivery trips. DeJoy said the plan would save the agency $160 billion over 10 years while making the postal service more efficient in the face of stiff competition from private-sector delivery services.
Critics, however, contended that the plan was part of a scheme whose ultimate objective was privatizing the postal service. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who at the time chaired the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, warned that the "draconian" proposal "guarantees the death spiral" of the USPS.
DeJoy has enjoyed a surprising second act during the Biden administration, as he has embraced policies including fleet electrification—although opponents argue he should still be fired for "dragging his feet" on the EV rollout and for his ongoing efforts to cut tens of thousands of jobs, consolidate operations, and hike customer prices.
In her letter, Tlaib asks Hull's office to find the answers to questions including:
- How will the 10-year plan affect coordination among essential local and regional operations of the USPS?
- How will moving to a region-led structure from a local-led structure affect local USPS jobs?
- Are there any protections in place to prevent USPS employees from being faced with a choice of commuting hours to work at a regional office or leaving their job entirely?
- What, if any, input from local district employees and managers was considered when the decision was made by DeJoy?
- Does this plan propose to limit existing or proposed new services overseen by USPS, such as postal banking, bill payment services, WiFi in parking lots, and public electric vehicle charging stations?
"Just as I have a responsibility to advocate for my residents at the federal level, USPS has a responsibility to ensure the highest level of service is provided to the public," Tlaib wrote in her letter. "I have spoken with countless USPS employees and managers in my area, all of whom are highly concerned that the 10-year plan poses a serious risk to the fundamental capabilities of the USPS."
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