Last night in Georgia, Democrats cemented a 51-vote Senate majority with the runoff re-election victory of Senator Raphael Warnock, who is also pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church once led by Martin Luther King, Jr. The news comes as Congress confronts a packed lame duck agenda before Republicans take over the House next year.
This week in OtherWords, Nancy J. Altman explains why the Georgia result is good news for the 65 million Americans who rely on Social Security benefits. She calls on lawmakers to act now to protect these benefits before the Republicans who’ve campaigned on cutting them take over.
Some lawmakers have a different priority for these last weeks of the year: tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. This week, Sarah Izabel shares her story about how losing the expanded Child Tax Credit, which expired a year ago, impacted her family. She tells lawmakers: No more breaks for corporations without help for working families.
Finally, Lindsay Koshgarian reports on perhaps the worst priority of all: shoveling another $847 billion into the Pentagon right after its fifth failed audit in as many years. “This isn’t using our taxpayer dollars wisely. It’s robbing programs that we need,” she writes — like that expanded Child Tax Credit — to pad the pockets of military contractors.
New This Week…
We Need a Smaller Pentagon | Lindsay Koshgarian
Sorry, but we have too many other needs in this country to spend $847 billion on a department that can’t even pass an audit.
Good News for the 65 Million Americans Who Rely on Social Security | Nancy J. Altman
With their run-off victory in Georgia, Democrats now have a mandate to protect Social Security. Here’s what they need to do next.
Congress: Help Struggling Families Before It’s Too Late | Sarah Izabel
Lawmakers are considering year-end tax breaks for corporations. A little help for families like yours and mine would go much further.
Thoughts and Prayers | Khalil Bendib
Because nobody’s perfect.
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Overdoses took over 108,000 lives this year. If it acts quickly, Congress can save lives — and keep more loved ones together for the holidays.
Taylor Swift’s Superfans Strike a Blow Against Monopolies | Bella DeVaan
After a nightmare ticket sale, monopolies made a powerful enemy. That’s good news for all of us.
Elon Musk May Not Be So Brilliant After All | Sam Pizzigati
As Twitter implodes under Musk’s rule, a lawsuit argues Tesla is vastly overpaying the world’s richest man.
The Defrocking of Saint Ron DeSantis | Jim Hightower
A critical look at the “godly” Florida governor’s nasty, dishonest war on the Sunshine State’s voters.
