MORE POWER for Sep. 16th

1000 MORE's weekly nonpartisan roundup of the most important happenings in federal government, written in a way that doesn't require a law degree to understand, with tools to take action

September 16, 2022

This week in MORE POWER, we review the abortion bills in Congress and the continuing resolution that must pass Congress by September 30th to prevent a government shutdown, an update on the Respect for Marriage Act and Biden's judicial nominees in the Senate, how to use 1000 MORE to donate to advocacy orgs to disrupt the big lobby, bills Congress passed this week and those they could vote on this month, as well as this week's FAQ on our social media.

HAPPENINGS ON THE HILL

Another day, another abortion bill...

Congress has introduced the first federal anti-abortion bill since Roe was overturned

This week, Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-SC, introduced the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act.

This bill would ban abortions after 15 weeks across the country. Senator Graham's bill is not expected to get much traction in Congress, but we will keep you updated on its movement.

The Senate still has two bills that would protect abortion access that they can vote on:

Women's Health Protection Act: This bill would bring back the abortion protections outlined in Roe v Wade. It provides the most abortion protection of the bills in Congress.

Ensuring Access to Abortion Act: This bill would protect people who need to travel to a different state for an abortion. If this bill passes, States cannot punish someone who gets an out-of-state abortion that would be illegal in their home state.

Unlike Senator Graham's bill, both of these abortion protection bills have passed the House.

Abortion will be a key issue in mid-term election campaigns across the country. Will the Senate take action and hold a vote on these bills?

You can use 1000 MORE to learn about the bills and contact your Senators about how you want them to move forward. We even have scripts for you to use in case you’re nervous about what to say.

Sign In To Contact Your Senators on these bills

Respect for Marriage Act Update

The Respect for Marriage Act passed the House in July with bipartisan support. All 220 House Democrats and 47 House Republicans voted yes. This bill protecting marriage equality is less certain to pass the Senate.

After debating whether or not to include the Respect for Marriage Act in the continuing resolution that Congress must pass by September 30 to avoid a government shutdown, Senate Leader Schumer stated he intends to move the bill forward on its own.

On Thursday, key bipartisan backers of the bill indicated that they prefer to wait until after the election to vote on the bill, so that enough Republican 'yes' votes can be secured to ensure that the bill gets the 60 votes it needs to pass, and Leader Schumer has agreed to this timeline.

Click here to use 1000 MORE to read about the bill, let your Senators know how and when you want them to vote on it, and share with friends:

Take Action on the Respect for Marriage Act

Avoiding a Government Shutdown

Congress must pass a "continuing resolution" by September 30th to keep the federal government open.

A continuing resolution is a particular type of budget bill that temporarily extends, and modifies, the existing annual funding bill. The bill currently funding the federal government will expire on September 30th. If Congress cannot pass a continuing resolution before the 30th, the federal government will shut down on Monday, October 3rd.

Talks are currently underway between the White House and both chambers of Congress to discuss what to include in the bill. Because of special rules, a lot of newsworthy projects have a chance to be included in this funding bill. Some topics being debated include: additional funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), assistance for Ukraine, permitting reform for federalenergyand infrastructure projects, inclusion of the Respect for Marriage Act, and funding to combat COVID-19 and monkeypox.

You can use 1000MOREto contact your reps and let them know what you want to see them do on this bill!

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Us, thinking about court vacancies and case backlogs.

Update: More of Biden's Nominees Approved

The Senate continues to vote on President Biden's Judicial nominees.

President Biden's judicial nominees are the most diverse set of candidates in history. Nominees include the first out, queer woman to serve on a court of appeals, the first Muslim American to serve as a federal judge, and the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
This week we can report the confirmation of three more nominees:

Salvador Mendoza Jr., of Washington, to be Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit

Jennifer H. Rearden, of New York, to be District Judge for the Southern District of New York

Lara E. Montecalvo, of Rhode Island, to be United States Circuit Judge for the First Circuit

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DISRUPT THE BIG LOBBY

Why, yes. Yes it does, Rev.

In 2017, nearly 12,000 lobbyists in America spent about $3.4 billion influencing the votes of our elected officials.That same year 50 million people donated more than $5 billion through GoFundMe and Change.org collected millions of signatures to influence thousands of policy and social justice outcomes.

With our collective power, we are bigger than the big lobby. With every call, email, tweet, and small-dollar donation, we can have a greater influence on our elected officials than corporations do.

That's why we made donating to advocacy organizations easy in our platform. Once you click on whether you are for or against a bill, you can click on the dollar sign button to donate to an organization working toward the result you want to see.