Ken Mitchell on The Look Ahead For Preserving Our Democracy

Democracy issues will “not go gentle into that good night.” Too many of us are ready to “rage, rage, against the dying of the light” of our democracy, even if it feels feeble at times and meager for the task of illuminating an uncertain path into the future. A path increasingly obscured by trends toward disenfranchisement and authoritarianism. 

Preserving our democracy remains a political and legislative priority in the face of curtailed voting rights, increased voter suppression, gerrymandering, dark money in politics, and other significant threats. Federal courts continue to weaken democracy as they roll back established laws. 

Congress will be even more divided with control split between the two parties -- the Republican Party’s paper-thin majority in the House and the Democratic Party’s nominal majority in the Senate. We can expect further gridlock. However, control of the Senate may allow some items to proceed and provide a better chance for bilateral agreements than in the House of Representatives, where compromise seems remote unless centrist Republicans leverage the opportunity they have.

[Read More].

Ken Mitchell

Kennith Mitchell (he/him/his) is a former UUSJ Trustee who served through July 2021. Ken is an active member of First Unitarian Baltimore, Maryland, and launched their inaugural get-out-the-vote effort in 2022.  Ken is also a former professor of public policy and politics. He is passionate and personally invested in advocacy for the blind and visually impaired in addition to his commitment to advocacy as a Unitarian Universalist.

Tammy Johnson

Equity Mapping: Charting Liberation Pathways 

Tuesdays in January 17, 24, 31
7:30pm ET • 6:30pm CT • 5:30pm MT • 4:30pm PT
Free RSVP  https://bit.ly/UUSJ-Equity
Limited seating, an exclusive offering
Recordings will not be distributed; you must attend to learn these essential skills

This exclusive anti-racism training comes in response to requests from UUSJ members for more training and educational programming on racial justice work and how it shapes our policy efforts.

The series will be of particular interest to active congregational social justice committee members and those engaging in solidarity with impacted communities, frontline communities, Sacrifice Zones, and generally, Widening the Circle of Concern for their social justice work or UU community.

Using Culture Shift Guideposts is a means of intentionally shifting away from the oppressive norms in our organizations, strategies, collaborations, and personal development. The Guideposts address structural, institutional, and interpersonal power dynamics in the areas of storytelling, context setting, role validation, and practice.

Workshop facilitator Tammy Johnson is a writer and equity consultant living in Oakland, California; she has written for the Christian Science Monitor, The Huffington Post, and Colorlines.com. Tammy has directed electoral and issue campaigns around living wage ordinances, public education, welfare, and electoral reform and spent a decade advancing racial equity as a trainer, writer, and public speaker.

New Congregational Partner In New Mexico

UUSJ proudly welcomes UU Church of Las Cruces, NM, as a partner congregation. We celebrate and welcome them as new collaborators into our circle of members, friends, and supporters. We cherish the vital participation of all our Congregations.

UU Las Cruces is eager to benefit from UUSJ programming, such as our Equity Mapping workshop series, and connect its engagement at the southern border for immigrants and refugees with our engagement in the U.S. Capital. They happily join the movement for UU federal advocacy.

If you would like to explore how your Congregation, Church, or Fellowship can become a partner and deepen your federal engagement, review the details HERE.

January Board Meeting
Friday, January 20
1pmET • 12pm CT • 11am MT • 10am PT 

UUSJ’s winter Board of Trustees meeting will be via Zoom on Friday, January 20, from 1pm to 4pm ET. The agenda and related materials will be sent to Board members in advance. Board meetings are open to UUSJ members, who may request in advance an opportunity to speak briefly. For more information, contact: info@UUSJ.org

Join Us in February

Mark your calendars early so as not to double-book your time accidentally. President Reverend Susan Fredrick-Gray, Unitarian Universalist Association, will share her thoughts about federal matters with UUSJ members and friends.

Do not miss her exclusive and focused comments. Stay tuned for RSVP details later in January 2023

Results as of 6th Vote

The Hunt For A Speaker Of The House

At the moment, we do not have a Congress even though its members have been negotiating since Tuesday.  With no Speaker selected, new members can not be sworn in (CNN)(Insider). On the second day, the House adjourned after 8:00pmET and will resume negotiations at 12pmNoonET Thursday, January 5th. Negotiations and voting may go into the weekend, and some say perhaps beyond that.

This January it is all about the power politics of Speaker selection, Leadership votes, and Committee assignments; the horsetrading and concessions for support, the pledges, the formal votes, and the game theory on expected big votes further down the line. 

Thin vote margins really matter, the Speaker fight is showcasing the dynamics: “McCarthy needs 218 votes to become speaker. Republicans have a slim majority of 222 lawmakers, so McCarthy can leave only four GOP minds unchanged.” (Fox News) It appears a committed 20 person vote block is driving the process and a smaller cabal within that of 7 is anchoring the effort.

• Live Vote Count: Tracking the House Speaker Votes, NYT
• House Speaker election coverage: Chamber narrowly votes to adjourn for day, The Hill
• Who are the House Republicans voting against Kevin McCarthy for speaker?, PBS
• GOP’s McCarthy voted down time after time for House speaker, AP
• Kevin McCarthy’s Speaker Bid Falls Short on Second Day of Voting: Live Updates, WSJ

For some topline notes on rule changes being negotiated, see a Daily Deduction piece by Renu Zaretsky of the Tax Policy Center, “Scoring, Settlements, Windfalls, And Gains.”

118th House of Representatives
Freshmen Class

The 118^th Congress, Begins Its Shuffle

Legislators of the 117th Session may have worked up until Christmas, but Senators will spend big chunks of January away from the Capitol, for in-state work periods. They convened on Jan. 3 for the start of the 118th Congress, but their first work period begins Monday, Jan. 23, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tries to avoid sessions of five weeks at a time.

In contrast, the House returned on Jan. 3 and is scheduled to be in session for a total of 117 days. But it will not have even one scheduled day in D.C. during August. The House adjourns on July 28, and returns on Sept. 12, with a target adjournment date of Dec. 14

Topline Helpful Links:

• White House
• U.S. Senate 
• U.S. House of Representatives 
• Agency Contacts

The Margins Matter

Republicans took control of the House with 222 seats to the Democrats’ 213; this small difference means vote counts will get very close, giving single actors and small cabals outsized influence. The current and ongoing Speaker fight is giving us a dramatic showcase in these dynamics. For an interesting piece on the partisan party dynamic, see “GOP learns the hard way: Turning the base up too high blows out your Speaker,” by Lee Drutman, Ph.D. Lee spoke to UUSJ back in September 2022 about the State of Our Democracy: Reforms to Renew and Strengthen it Going Forward (video).

The “Freedom Caucus,” a group of ultra-conservative House members, is the group to watch. At least everybody says so. Can they successfully leverage the razor-thin margins in the lower Chamber?  What of the influential Republican Study Committee? What role will it play? Alternatively, will a group of moderates, such as the Republican Governance Group, step to the fore and more successfully sway larger vote blocs? (The Hill) Would such a group find collaborators across the aisle?

All eyes are watching the new committee assignments in each chamber. How will these changes shift the legislative landscape? Our UUSJ volunteers are gleaning what legislation is viable and supported by impacted communities. They are evaluating what deep issue advocacy and member education are needed and where UUSJ’s small-but-mighty energies might be most productive and impactful.

Portfolio Review 

During January and February, our teams, like many advocacy collectives, will be reviewing and adjusting their portfolios.  Some of this depends on what Congress is doing and what activists and advocates hear from staff contacts. And some come from our teams’ visions, which include hearing from our moral owners.

For UUSJ, this constitutes issue monitoring, assessment of what is probable legislatively, and determination of what the politics indicate is required. UUSJ volunteers especially listen for what impacted communities and the organizations that represent them are suggesting as prudent and needed. Our teams try to blend and balance pragmatism with idealism. To distinguish between what is possible for justice from what is the currently palatable compromise as the final word on federal matters. To focus on the prospect of incremental change without giving up the aspiration for systems change and paradigm shifts. 

Items to watch are:

• Voting Rights
• The Farm Bill
• Dreamers and DACA
• Afghan Adjustment Act
• Tax equity
• Energy Infrastructure Permit Reform

Get Involved With The Policy Engagement

At UUSJ, agency is situated among our priority issue teams or smaller groups of volunteers helping with a policy area. They are connected to our moral owners and have the passion and expertise to act as volunteer experts. 

Our best-established are the Immigration Action Team and Democracy Action Team. Our Economic Justice and Environmental Action Team are rebuilding and seeking new members passionate about these important issues. This is an excellent opportunity for those looking for ways to advocate for federal legislation and policies that put our UU values into practice in the world.  Now is an excellent time to help determine where UUSJ’s energy will be focused during 2023 and the 118thI Congress.

If you would like to learn more about joining one of our teams, email Pablo DeJesus pdejesus@uusj.org.

30 Days of Love 2023 — Spiritual Nourishment for the Long Haul
January 16 - February 14

This year’s 30 Days of Love is a gift to our whole community: a love letter, a warm hug, and a spiritual balm for all of the individuals, families, religious professionals, partners, and communities that embody our values and work for justice and liberation year round. 

• WEEK 1 (January 16-22): Interdependence :: Democracy & Electoral Justice
• WEEK 2 (January 23-29): Embodiment :: LGBTQIA+, Gender & Reproductive Justice
• WEEK 3 (January 30 - February 5): Resilience :: Climate Justice
• WEEK 4 (February 6-12): Healing :: Decriminalization
• BONUS DAYS (February 13-14): Blessings :: Liberatory Intersections

Find more information here

Interfaith Vigil for Insurrection
Thursday, January 5 
6pm ET • 5pm CT • 4pm MT • 3pm PT (online)
In-person on US Capitol grounds
Register Here

The events of January 6, 2021, continue to divide Americans and create concern about the health of our democracy as well as our ability to resolve political differences without violence. Join Faithful Democracy friends to underscore the importance of the insurrection for the new incoming members of Congress. More details.

Hosted by Franciscan Action Network & Light4America, the interfaith vigil will commemorate the January 6 anniversary by reflecting together and praying for peace, featuring prayerful songs by Anthony “Wordsmith” Parker. The event will be hybrid, held in person on the Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C., and online for those across the country.

Brookings Event
The Future of Liberalism
Co-hosted by the Project on Constitutional Originalism and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition
Wednesday, January 18
2pmET •  1pmCT • 12pmMT • 11amPT (Online)
RSVP options

Liberalism is facing renewed criticism from politicians and intellectuals around the world who span the ideological spectrum. Some criticism comes from those on the political right, often operating within the natural-law tradition. Others are from those on the political left, often motivated by concerns about inequality and discrimination. As the debate intensifies, practices associated with liberalism—such as free speech, religious freedom, nonviolent political action, and treating all persons with equal respect – are strained. Join thinkers across the intellectual and political spectrum to discuss the prospects for the long-term viability of pluralist liberal societies.

Victory! Electoral Count Act Reform Passed

Victory! Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform Act as part of the Omnibus appropriations package in late December. This reform will update the Electoral Count Act of 1887 and correct its ambiguities and vulnerabilities that led to the instability and insurrection linked to the 2020 election.

Volunteers in our Democracy Action Team worked hard, and smartly to make this outcome happen. The team began its work after the failed vote on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. They rolled up their sleeves and said, "What is next? Where can we make a difference?" As with most legislation, the answer did not come immediately, but they persisted along with other groups until the passage was achieved.

CREW Releases a Report on Constitutional Disqualification

Recently Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) published an important piece on the case for investigating state legislators who participated in the January 6th Insurrection. Constitutional Disqualification

CREW are members and collaborators with UUSJ in Faithful Democracy –  an interfaith coalition and working group, and last year offered training to UUSJ about using ethics in our federal advocacy and engagement.

Save the Date
Congregation Action Network
Immigration: Transforming Trauma into Hope + Action
Wednesday, January 18
Evening Hours ET, Specific Time TBD
Free Online Webinar
Registration forthcoming (check alientoAZ.org or stay tuned to UUSJ emails)

Join Reyna Montoya and José Patiño, DACA leaders of AlientoAZ, to learn about their inspiring approach to Dreamer successes by integrating trauma healing with leadership development and legislative advocacy at the local, state, and national levels. Aliento in Spanish means breath. What do their successes, including AZ Proposition 308 just passed, teach us about immigration advocacy? Q&A follows.

Reyna is a 2016 Soros Justice Fellow, a 2017 Echoing Green Fellow, a Forbes: 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, the Muhammad Ali Center 2018 Humanitarian Recipient for Spirituality and an ATHENA 2019 recipient by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, among many other recognitions.  José, is known for his leadership in education, policy, and direct action, and is regularly featured in national media and documentaries.  He serves on numerous advisory boards and task forces including for Teach for America and the Arizona State Dept of Education.

Talk followed by Q&A simultaneous interpretation per language indications on registrations (Spanish may be the primary language of the event.)

Commentary:
Federal Leaders Falter On Immigration

It is a gloomy, bitter time for immigrants and their allies. While many election-denier candidates lost their bids to join Congress, the deeply anti-immigrant sentiment during the midterms seems to persist. The 2022 campaign rhetoric will likely metastasize as governing rhetoric this year and perhaps beyond. Gone seem the days when the vision of compassionate conservatism appeared to overlap with a vision of progressive dignity. A full decade of legal and legislative assaults on  DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) since the Dreamers willed that program into being with their activism has taken its toll on the thinking and attitudes of federal decision-makers.

In some ways, the entire 117th Congress might be characterized as disappointing, with regard to the rights of immigrants – migrants and asylum seekers – and continuing a trend signaling hard times ahead. The Immigration Action team sees this in…

• The recent ruling in Texas – backed by the U.S. Supreme Court – put MPP (Migrant Protection Protocols) and Title 42 again in the hands of an increasingly anti-migrant court system. Title 42 has been used to quickly expel prospective asylum seekers to limit the spread of Covid-19. 
• DACA has been hobbled and is in danger of being totally removed for the Dreamers. See a moving opinion piece in the New York Times on the need for permanent protections by Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director, United We Dream.
• Senate Leadership, both Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, did not allow an amendment for the Afghan Adjustment Act during the Omnibus vote. So neither Afghans nor Veterans gained an adjustment for evacuees and those allies remaining in Afghanistan. Voice for Refuge offers a scorecard on support for relocated Afghans.
• While the Biden Administration did remove some of the worst abuses of the previous president (the “Muslim ban” on refugees, family separation, policies that made benefits and protections for migrants hard to access, etc.), it has not been able (or in some cases, willing) to fix the larger problems, the systemic challenges – what Rev. Dr. William Barber, II calls the “interlocking injustices” and “policy violence” of federal matters.

Two Immigration Wins To Celebrate

While the $1.7 Trillion Omnibus bill failed to deliver for Dreamers and Afghans, there were two elements of a silver lining.

• Immigration champions in the Senate led the middle against amendment proposals by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) that sought to codify Title 42. The challenge will be to confront similar proposals coming out of the House and make sure they gain no traction in the Senate under the banner of bi-partisanship.
• House and Senate Appropriators included $800 million to provide shelter, food, and supportive services to individuals and families experiencing hunger or homelessness and allow humanitarian assistance to migrant families and individuals encountered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This pivots from Congress funding militarized interactions to Congress funding welcoming interactions, at least in part. A change long sought by Detention Watch Network (of which UUSJ is a member), Welcome With Dignity, and many other immigrant coalitions. The future challenge will be to convert this into a preface on further reforms rather than an epilogue.

Green Is The Color Of Victory 

This past year, UUSJ was able to put several victories on the board. We helped stop the Manchin Permit Side Deal three times. While we expect to continue defending against energy infrastructure permit reform driven by oil and gas lobbyists, we are proud of the work we did in solidarity with frontline folks, impacted communities, and Sacrifice Zones.

We also celebrate the historic nature of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). We were engaged in Build Back Better in 2021 and early 2022 and were pleased to see elements in the IRA. By most accounts, the IRA is the most significant investment in green infrastructure in U.S. history. We worry about what rollbacks the new House might propose, as they are doing with IRS funding.

And, we helped pass the Water Resources Development Act, pressuring for a greener approach, looking for equity, and endorsing more nature-based solutions. We pressured Congress to account better for ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, and environmental justice in communities.

In addition, we collaborated better and to good effect, playing an essential role in the reconstitution of UU work on climate justice and the development of the UU Statement on Climate-forced Displacement, Human Rights, and Community Resilience (which your congregation can join). 

And we did all of this while partnering to advocate for the Green Climate Fund, taking timely actions in defense of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and providing educational opportunities, as with Citizens Climate Lobby. 

Advocacy Event
Food Not Feed Summit
Co-hosted by UUSJ and many others
Tuesday, February 7
9am - 12pmET
In-person advocacy, Washington D.C.
RSVP

We need to gain increased financial and technical resources in the Farm Bill for farmers transitioning away from industrial agriculture and toward conservation and regenerative practices. Over time, a more climate-smart agriculture system would be more resilient and less costly for taxpayers. Combined with a shift in government subsidies from feed grains for industrial livestock production toward vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, mushrooms, and cereal grains, it allows farmers to grow healthy and nutritious food for their communities profitably. Americans would see nutritional and biodiversity benefits as well.

A broad coalition of stakeholders – including farmers, workers, rural communities, animal advocates, environmentalists, faith organizations, and public health advocates – are joining together to fight for a food system that prioritizes growing healthy and nutritious food for people over commodity crops that feed animals on industrial farms. The coalition wants to shift federal farm subsidies to fiber-rich foods and non-industrial, regeneratively-raised livestock and poultry within a system that’s fair and equitable from seed to fork. The Food Not Feed Summit is a project of Farm Action’s Fair Farm Bill Campaign.

UUSJ members are invited to join the advocacy and add our voices. Learn more about how the Farm Bill impacts our food choices and the prospect of a climate-smart agriculture system.

Step Forward For A Better Greener, More Sustainable Farm Bill

UUSJ will be driving for a Farm Bill that is more reflective of its intersectional import for the environment and climate justice, as well as economic justice and immigration dynamics. A key question will be –  How well can we hold the agricultural sector or farming cluster, especially the large and corporate players, to bold environmental commitments? 

If you would like to get involved, email Pablo DeJesus at pdejesus@uusj.org.

Poor People's State Of The State

New York State has UUs in leadership as part of the Poor People's Campaign NCMR. They are taking the opportunity of the 2023 "State of the State" address to issue their own well-researched, fact-filled Poor People's State of the State report on January 9th. 

They are also organizing a petition to Governor Hochul to End Poverty in New York State as well as 3 events during Martin Luther King weekend (Albany, Long Island, and Rochester) to showcase the forthcoming report. For information see the New York State Poor Peoples Campaign | Linktree.

If you are in leadership with the PPC, please email Pablo DeJesus at pdejesus@uusj.org, so the UUA's PPC Leadership Council is aware of your volunteerism.

Attacks On Taxation Capacity

At the outset of the 118th Session of Congress, House Republicans are looking to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act's new funding for tax enforcement, IRS operations, the Inspector General, direct file, and more by reprising a bill that Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) introduced in September 2022 and described as an effort to "rescind tens of billions of dollars allocated to the IRS for 87,000 new IRS agents in the Inflation Reduction Act." 

For some background on the issue, see:

• The IRS Finally Got Some Funding. Now Republicans Want It Back, Mother Jones
• Success of the IRS Rebuilding and Tax Gap Reduction Effort Depends on Sufficient
• Funding Through Annual Appropriations, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• The case for more IRS funding, The Hill
• Fact sheet on IRS funding and the Tax Gap, Americans for Tax Fairness

The Senate Disappoints On Taxes and Equity

A recent post by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth characterizes the Omnibus negotiations as “A missed opportunity to expand the Child Tax Credit will affect U.S. families and the broader economy now and for years to come.” A piece for The Hill, by its Director of Government and External Relations, argues, “Official budget scores concealed lame duck bills’ effect on inequality,” and focuses on how the $1.7 Trillion dollar top line obfuscates real policy challenges.

Another matter that was hot in the Omnibus negotiations was centered on retirement taxation; for some background on the issue, see:

• Retirement Tax Benefits Exacerbate Racial Inequities, The Tax Policy Center
• Senate Retirement Saving Bill Makes Small Improvements But Retains Basic Flaws of House Version, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Tax Breaks for Retirement Savings Do Not Help the Workers Who Need Them Most, Center for American Progress

Root Causes And Harms On Tax Dynamics In The U.S.

In December 2022, Vanessa Williamson, Ph.D. spoke to UUSJ about the State of Our Democracy: Racial Oligarchy and Fiscal Conservatism, Ending the Anti-Tax Era (video). The connecting strategy around tax avoidance to racism and rejection of multi-racial legislative and governance strategies proposed during the Reconstruction Era. For more on this, see two of her articles:

• Radical Taxation, Dissent Magazine
• The Austerity Politics of White Supremacy, Dissent

Brookings Event
Examining racial bias in home appraisals: Screening of ‘Our America: Lowballed’
Co-hosted by Brookings and the National Fair Housing Alliance
Thursday, January 12
1pmET • 12pmCT • 11amMT • 10amPT (Online)
In Person at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC  (1pm ET)
2hr screening program

RSVP options

Recent Brookings analysis from Senior Fellow Andre M. Perry and Nonresident Senior Fellow Jonathan Rothwell found that about 10% of homes in majority-Black neighborhoods are affected by appraisal bias compared to homes in neighborhoods with few Black residents. This devaluation, powerfully illustrated in the ABC Owned Television Stations documentary “Our America: Lowballed,” results in limiting wealth accumulation and intergenerational wealth for homeowners in majority-Black neighborhoods.