By Diana DeGette
The President’s NATO meeting and his performance in Helsinki last week with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin were shocking. He has, indeed, become Putin’s puppet. It is dangerous, disingenuous and absurd for a U.S. president to take this dictator’s word over our intelligence community. Further, his statements undermining the FBI and shifting blame for Russian misdeeds are outrageous.
The next day, Trump unsuccessfully tried to walk back his statements. His remarks last week were the latest in a long pattern of behavior that shows an uncomfortably close relationship between Trump and the Kremlin. I’ve called for this President to be taken to task for his words and actions, as well as the Russians for meddling in our elections. It’s shocking that House Republicans last week refused to increase funds for election security in light of the interference that intelligence experts across the board have confirmed took place in 2016.
I will continue to do everything in my power to hold him and his administration to account for these and the myriad other abuses perpetrated by the administration since January of last year. I welcome your thoughts on what steps to take next.
I will continue to do everything in my power to hold him and his administration to account for these and the myriad other abuses perpetrated by the administration since January of last year. I welcome your thoughts on what steps to take next.
I’m also aggressively engaged in the effort to warn Americans about the dangers of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s possible confirmation to the Supreme Court. As co-chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus, I’m extremely concerned about how he would rule on cases related to women’s health — especially abortion rights — and Americans’ access to health care in general. On July 17th, I joined Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, fellow caucus members and reproductive rights advocates in reaffirming our opposition to this grave threat. Make no mistake, from the bench of the Supreme Court, Judge Kavanaugh would try to overturn Roe v. Wade and gut the Affordable Care Act’s provisions on women’s health. We can’t let the highest court in the land be dragged back into the last century when it comes to our health care and reproductive rights, which is why we must stop his confirmation. This August, our members will take the fight to our districts, where we’ll help amplify the voices of people across America who know how dangerous his confirmation would be for these hard-fought protections.
I spoke at length about these two ongoing priorities on July 18th Morning Briefing, on SiriusXM Politics’ P.O.T.U.S. channel. Listen to the full interview: www.facebook.com/DianaDeGette/videos/10156639833028489/.
Amid a week that saw threats to our democracy, our rights, our environment and more, we were still able to make progress on some important goals.
On July 16th, the House passed my bill, the Over the Counter Monograph Safety, Innovation, and Reform Act, which makes long-overdue changes to the way the FDA reviews over-the-counter medicines. Despite widespread use of these drugs, the FDA is forced to follow a cumbersome pathway to their approval that hasn’t been updated since the 1970s. This bipartisan legislation provides new tools to protect kids and families, and represents a rare triple-win for regulators, consumers and industry. I now urge my Senate colleagues to make the same investment in Americans’ health by also voting in favor of it, bringing it a big step closer to becoming law.
On July 20th, back home in Colorado, I convened a meeting with Jeffrey Lynch, the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Denver field office, and local immigration advocates to determine the best ways to reunite families in Colorado separated under the “zero-tolerance” policy. The court-mandated date of July 26 to achieve this nationwide is fast approaching, and it’s clear the administration must step up its efforts, while also improving communication with other stakeholders working to end this shameful chapter. This discussion is an important step forward in bringing these families together
As always, you can visit my website: https://degette.house.gov/, where you can read my positions on issues and learn about the different ways my staff can assist you. While you’re there, be sure to visit the “Contact” page and send me an email about what matters most to you and your family. Finally, please share this email with your friends, family, and neighbors so that they too can be a part of this important dialogue.
Congresswoman Diana DeGette, Chief Deputy Whip is serving her 11th term in Congress as Representative for the First District of Colorado.
