cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/58562989
The House of Representatives is set to vote Wednesday on renewing a spy power that grants the Trump administration warrantless access to thousands of Americans’ communications.
While uniting against President Donald Trump on many fronts, Democrats are split on what to do over the domestic spying power — and the party’s leadership isn’t giving much guidance, according to a congressional notice obtained by The Intercept.
In the notice laying out leadership’s advice on bills up for a vote this week, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark simply explained that the relevant top committee leaders were split. House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Jim Himes supports a clean reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, while Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin wants further reforms.
Clark gave straight up-or-down recommendations on many other pieces of legislation, but not the spying law.
With leadership silent, progressive activists are trying to step into the void to pressure members. They say Trump’s disregard for the rule of law in his second term means that representatives should only vote for the law with reforms. Government officials have engaged a pattern of abuses at the Justice Department.
Centrists on two key committees, on the other hand, say that modest changes enacted in 2024 went far enough and Congress should give Trump the so-called “clean” reauthorization he has requested.
With Republicans themselves divided, the margin within the Democratic caucus could prove crucial.
Rather than advising members how to vote, however, Democratic leaders is stepping aside. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has said that he personally supports reforms but has not signaled that he will pressure his caucus. (Jeffries’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
The list of people currently against the owners of the US is much smaller than the list of democrats that support the republicans. Over 88% of congress is controlled by AIPAC; including many ‘progressives’ Like Hakem Jefferies. Voting them in makes absolutely zero difference in most things; especially when it comes to whatever the owners of the US want.
That being said vote if you want to, but know you can’t get out of a fascist empire by voting.
AIPAC does have a hold on Congress and just voting won’t work. You need pressure in primaries for progressive candidates and you need to organize.
However, If voting didn’t matter then why does AIPAC spend over $100 million per cycle to primary anyone who steps out of line? Why did they bury Andy Levin? Why did they prop up Haley Stevens?
They’re not stupid. They spend that money because voting works just not always in the direction we want. The goal isn’t to give up on voting. It’s to make sure the votes that happen are for people who aren’t owned.
You can’t vote your way out of a fascist empire. But you also can’t organize your way out either if you’ve ceded every lever of power to the other side. You need both.