🏛️ An update from Washington DC
The election year is behind us and a new Congress will be seated in early January.
But before the year is out, we're still busy in the nation's capitol, and I thought I'd share with you a brief update.
Last week, President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law. This law ensures that marriages performed in any state are respected in every state and by the federal government, guaranteeing marriage equality for LGBTQ+ and interracial couples across the country.
While the Supreme Court has previously guaranteed a constitutional right to same-sex marriage in Obergefell and interracial marriage in Loving, the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade taught us that precedents may not be respected with the new right-wing Supreme Court majority. So, Congress took action to defend marriage rights in federal law.
Of course, I won't stop fighting until the Equality Act is law too, protecting LGBTQ+ Americans from discrimination in every walk of life, including housing, places of accommodations, financial contracts and jury duty.
This week, we saw the final report from the January 6th Committee, making criminal referrals for Donald Trump, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, and others. The violent insurrection and attempted coup on that terrible day demands accountability.
It also demands that we take action to ensure it never happens again. This week, we will pass the Electoral Count Reform Act on a bipartisan basis as part of the year-end funding deal. This law will protect the popular vote, raise the threshold for objections to the electoral college votes, and clarify that the Vice President's role is a ceremonial one. By passing this law, we'll close ambiguities in the law that Donald Trump attempted to exploit on January 6, 2021.
And with the PUMP Act, a high priority of mine, we're extending and protecting the rights of nursing mothers to have a safe and clean place to pump at work.
Finally, as we close out the year, we're investing in more funding for the National Labor Relations Board so they can hire more staff and ensure that unions can organize without interference, increases to the Pell Grant, and a 30% increase for child care funding.
These accomplishments are the product of lots of hard work both inside and outside the halls of Congress. Nothing that happens on Capitol Hill is possible without the grassroots work of millions of people like you insisting on change and progress.
Thank you for your partnership this year and always!
Jeff
