New Democrat Coalition Weekly Wrap 01/14/2022
NDC Chair: “New Dems believe that any final Build Back Better Act should include the expanded Child Tax Credit”
New Dem Climate Leaders Call for Strong Agreement on Build Back Better Act to Tackle Climate Change
New Dems join the President and former Attorney General Eric Holder to Call for Action on Voting Rights
Happy New Year, New Dems!
- NDC Chair DelBene Urges Final Agreement on a Strong Build Back Better Act that Extends the Lapsed Child Tax Credit: This week, as families miss out on critical middle class tax cut payments for the first time since last July, NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) renewed the Coalition’s call for swift action to reach an agreement on a Build Back Better Act that extends the lapsed Child Tax Credit
The statement reads in part, “New Dems believe that any final Build Back Better Act should include the expanded Child Tax Credit. For months, this crucial tax cut has been a lifeline for middle-class and low-income families, but given the expiration of the expanded Child Tax Credit at the end of last year, taxes will go up for millions of American families. We cannot allow this to happen.” Read more.
- New Dem Climate Change Task Force Leaders Call for Swift Action to Tackle the Existential Climate Crisis by Negotiating a Strong Build Back Better Act: Yesterday, the New Democrat Coalition, led by Climate Change Task Force Co-Chairs Sean Casten (IL-06) and Susan Wild (PA-07), Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Vice Chair Scott Peters (CA-52), Leadership Member Brad Schneider (IL-10), and Chair Emeritus Derek Kilmer (WA-06), called for continued action to combat the climate crisis and protect our planet for future generations.
New Dems made going big on climate one of our top priorities for the Build Back Better Act and secured comprehensive climate policies in the House-passed bill to significantly cut emissions, invest in resilience efforts, create green jobs, and ensure the U.S. leads the global fight against climate change. Now, Congress must reach an agreement that includes critical climate provisions. Failure is not an option. Read more.
- New Dem Members Join President Biden in Georgia and Meet with Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to Call for Senate Action on Critical Voting Rights Legislation: New Dems took action on voting rights this week, joining President Biden in Georgia, hosting Attorney General Holder for a meeting with the full Coalition, and calling for the Senate to act on legislation to preserve Americans’ fundamental right to vote and strengthen our democracy.
New Dems Terri Sewell (AL-07), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), Carolyn Bordeaux (GA-07), Lucy McBath (GA-06), and Nikema Williams (GA-05) joined President Biden in Georgia as he delivered a historic voting rights speech. The Coalition also hosted a meeting with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the importance of advancing voting rights legislation to the President’s desk. Last year, the NDC endorsed and advanced H.R. 1, the For the People Act and H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which was authored by Rep. Sewell. Read more. See photos here and here.
- NDC Chair DelBene Statement on the Anniversary of January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol: Last week, on the first anniversary of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, Chair DelBene released a statement, which reads in part:
“While our democracy proved stronger than those who carried out the assault, January 6, 2021 remains a stain on our nation, and the threat to our sacred institutions persists. We must never take our democracy for granted, and it is Congress’ obligation to preserve it.”
“Following the insurrection, the New Democrat Coalition worked with our colleagues to establish an independent commission to investigate the events of January 6th. When that effort was blocked by Senate Republicans, our members supported the creation of the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the House. New Dems are dedicated to uncovering the truth, holding accountable those responsible for this horrible day, and ensuring a deadly event like this never happens again.” Read here.
More on what New Dems have been up to below.
New Dems in the News
Following her visit to Atlanta with President Biden and Vice President Harris to call for action on voting rights, Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05) spoke with Lawrence O’Donnell on The Last Word about the work ahead of us on voting rights legislation.
Chair DelBene Discusses the Path Forward for Build Back Better on PBS NewsHour
NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) appeared on PBS NewsHour with Judy Woodruff to discuss the path forward to reach an agreement on Build Back Better Act that does fewer things better for longer, as the NDC has called from the start.
Chair DelBene Urges for Extension of Child Tax Credit in Build Back Better Act on MSNBC’s Last Word
NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) appeared on The Last Word with Jonathan Capehart to discuss the path forward for the Build Back Better Act.
On the Last Word she said, “As the Chair of the New Dems, most of us represent purple districts across the country and folks on both sides of the aisle want governance to work...We made it happen with the infrastructure bill, we can show them it can happen with Build Back Better.”
Chair DelBene Discusses Build Back Better on MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson Reports
NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) spoke with Hallie Jackson on MSNBC to discuss the path forward for the Build Back Better Act, and how the legislation must provide certainty for families and businesses.
New Dems Push for Elimination of Harmful 232 Tariffs via Politico
The NDC’s push to eliminate steel and aluminum 232 tariffs on our allies and close trading partners as soon as possible to allow the U.S. and allies to better coordinate and address China’s overcapacity and trade abuses, and help lower costs for domestic manufacturers and consumers was featured in Politico’s Weekly Trade.
“Members of the New Democrat Coalition have pressed U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to eliminate steel and aluminum tariffs on U.S. allies. Doing so would ‘help the U.S. compete and ease inflationary pressures,’ the lawmakers wrote in a Dec. 21 letter.”
NDC Highlights: New Member Legislation
- Reps. Cindy Axne (IA-03), Andre Carson (IN-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Kathy Manning (NC-06), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), and Susan Wild (PA-07) introduced the Student Veteran Work Study Modernization Act. This legislation would allow part-time student veterans to access VA Work Study programs. Currently, work-study programs are available through the Department of Veterans Affairs for student veterans enrolled in secondary education programs full-time. But many veterans have difficulty enrolling full-time while balancing their work, family, and oftentimes a VA-rated disability.
Schneider and Sewell Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Aid Survivors of Human Trafficking
- During Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Reps. Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Terri Sewell (AL-07)introduced the Human Trafficking Survivors Tax Relief Act. This bipartisan legislation would exempt restitution payments to victims of human trafficking from federal income tax.
- Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03) introduced the bicameral and bipartisan Terms-of-service Labeling, Design, and Readability (TLDR) Act. This legislation requires that online companies make their terms of service contracts more transparent and understandable for consumers. Rep. Trahan is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.
Wexton Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Support Agritourism Businesses
- Rep. Jennifer Wexton (VA-10) introduced the bipartisan AGRITOURISM Act this week. This legislation would create an Office of Agritourism at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to serve as a dedicated voice for agritourism businesses in the federal government and to consolidate information on federal resources available to agritourism business owners. Small farmers across the country have turned to agritourism to expand their businesses and increase profits, which boosts local economies while maintaining the rural character of the community.
NDC Member Actions
- Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Lucy McBath (GA-06), and Carolyn Bordeaux (GA-07) joined President Biden and Vice President Harris in Georgia as the President gave a speech on the importance of acting on voting rights legislation to protect the right to vote for all Americans.
- Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04) penned an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer on the anniversary of the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol about the work Congress must do to protect our democracy. The essay reads in part, “I am sad to see the slow pace of commitment to the truth — and a recommitment to democracy and the rule of law – but I am I buoyed by the tireless work of the House’s Jan. 6 committee, which will reveal the roles of those involved. Its members will bring justice to the men and women who sought to desecrate our democracy.”
Jacobs Leads Bipartisan Letter to Administration to Address Corruption in Equatorial Guinea
- Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-53) led a bipartisan letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland highlighting kleptocracy in Equatorial Guinea and urging the Administration to promptly share their plan to distribute assets seized in 2014 from corrupt government officials back to the people of Equatorial Guinea.
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