June 25, 2022
Dear Friends,
This week, the radical Supreme Court made clear just how far they have fallen - from the Constitution and from the will of the people.
The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will do horrendous damage to the rights of millions of Americans by unraveling decades of precedent under the Constitution. Young women in this country will now live in a world with less control over their bodies than their mothers and grandmothers enjoyed. This is the type of democratic backsliding you expect to see in authoritarian states, not the United States of America.
But the radical Court did not stop there.
Mere weeks after a mass shooting in Buffalo left 10 dead and countless families devastated, the Supreme Court has made a decision that would make it easier for dangerous individuals to carry a weapon in grocery stores, movie theaters, churches and other public spaces.
This ruling will endanger our communities at a time when we are grappling with a gun violence crisis. The Court essentially declared that states do not have the right to implement their own gun safety measures. Yet, 24 hours later, they determined that states do have the right to determine the private and personal health choices of Americans.
The hypocrisy and moral depravity must not be lost on any of us. Guns are off limits, but women’s bodies are not.
A Supreme Court so fundamentally disconnected from precedent, traditional understandings of the law and the will of the people is not a court that deserves credibility or deference. I fear that these extremist decisions striking down decades of precedent and consensus are just the beginning for this Court, and the consequences of those decisions will echo across our nation with life-altering, devastating impact. Gun control measures will be targeted and struck down in other states. 13 states already have trigger laws that will ban the right to legal abortions, and many more are poised to follow. Justice Clarence Thomas openly called for the overturn of Americans’ right to contraceptives and same-sex marriage.
The will of the people of the United States, as expressed through the legislative process, cannot continue to be held hostage to the whims of a handful of politicians in black robes handing down decrees from on high. Unless we see a significant shift in direction from this Court, Congress should not hesitate to consider reforms for this deeply broken institution.
And make no mistake, we will not sit by and watch as these rights are stripped away.
Yesterday, I voted YES on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation that takes several common-sense steps to make our communities safer and prevent deadly gun violence, including incentivizing red flag laws, closing the ‘boyfriend’ loophole to keep guns out of the hands of abusers, implementing stronger penalties for ‘straw purchasers’ and stricter scrutiny and waiting periods for young adults wishing to purchase deadly weapons.
The House has already passed a bill that codifies Roe v. Wade. The Senate must follow suit. I will continue to work in Congress for reproductive justice, and to enshrine every American’s bodily autonomy in the law.
We cannot allow the Court to turn back the clock on our nation and our fundamental rights.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- Last Friday, June 17th, I held a virtual Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Summit with state and local government officials to highlight key funding opportunities for local leaders as well as how to apply for these funds.
- You can view a recording of that event HERE. Timestamps for each event on the recording are as follows:
- 00:00 – 20:25 – Opening Remarks: Rep. Tonko, Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Minelly De Coo, NYS Infrastructure Coordinator
- 20:26 – 1:15:50 – Transportation Presentation: U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and New York Department of Transportation (NYDOT)
- 1:28:10 – 2:14:50 – Health & Environmental Presentation: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New York State Department of Health (NYDOH), Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
- 2:29:30 – 3:14:50 – Energy Presentation: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
- 3:15:00 – 3:52:00 – Rural & Agriculture Presentation: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Each federal agency has a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law website and the White House has also assembled BIL resources, all available below:
- USDOT BIL Site
- Upcoming Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcements in 2022
- EPA BIL Site
- DOE BIL Site
- USDA BIL and Regular Program Site
- White House BIL Site
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook
