John – Welcome back to another edition of BNC Insider, your weekly recap of everything that’s happening in the world of Brand New Congress.

In this issue:

Next week’s voting deadlines
BNC Reps DEFEAT Joe Manchin’s Dirty Deal
Katie Porter’s push for transparency in government
First Congressional union!
Ways to take action

Get ready to dive in.

A graphic depicting buttons that say “Vote” with the caption “Upcoming Elections”

We have just over 30 days to Election Day, but so many important voting deadlines are just around the corner.

Here are the most important deadlines coming up for BNC candidates in the next two weeks:

Voter Registration Deadlines:

October 11th - Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas
October 12th - Missouri
October 14th - New York

Early Voting Begins:

Voting Underway - Pennsylvania, Vermont, Michigan
October 10th - California

We encourage everyone to visit Vote.org to check their voter registration status, look up deadlines for requesting a ballot, find your polling place, and much more.

Don’t wait until November. Make a plan to vote today!

An animated gif of a video clip from BNC Senate candidate Charles Booker speaking at a rally with a microphone with the caption “We gotta vote!”

A graphic depicting the U.S. Capitol Building with the caption “Happening on the Hill”

BNC Reps Defeat Manchin’s Dirty Deal

Last week progressives in Congress (including BNC Representatives) scored a HUGE win and succeeded in blocking Joe Manchin’s dirty fossil fuel deal from going to the floor for a vote.

A screenshot of a tweet from BNC Rep. Rashida Tlaib sent September 28, 2022, which reads: “We most empower environmental justice communities to lead our climate action. Their voices have been heard in Washington and the Dirty Deal has been blocked!” Included is a tweet from the Natural Resources Committee Democrats with a statement from Chairman Grijalva praising the outcome.

Here’s the scoop:

Joe Manchin brokered a secret deal with Chuck Schumer: In exchange for his support for the Inflation Reduction Act, Manchin wanted to attach a big giveaway to his fossil fuel donors in the next must-pass budget bill.

Disguised as “permitting reform,” Manchin’s dirty deal was really a deregulation scheme designed to make it easier for fossil fuel companies to drill more without oversight.

Certain provisions of the bill had the potential to personally profit Joe Manchin because of all his investments in fossil fuels.

Progressives in Congress – including BNC representatives – rallied hard to stop this deal. And we won! Joe Manchin agreed to drop his bill from the budget vote last week.

But we’re not done fighting. Manchin will keep trying to pass this bill loaded with giveaways for his Big Oil buddies.

That’s why we have to grow the ranks of unbought, unbossed, bold progressive fighters in Congress – especially in the U.S. Senate.

We need to keep growing progressive power in Congress to stand up to Big Oil and fight for the Green New Deal. Can you pitch in any amount today to help our candidates win in November?

Katie Porter’s push for transparency in government

Last week, BNC Rep. Katie Porter introduced her newest legislation, the Congress At Work Act. When passed, this bill will require all members of Congress to disclose the meetings they take in an official capacity.

A screenshot of a tweet by BNC. Representative Katie Porter, discussing her new legislation to promote transparency in government by requiring lawmakers to make their meetings public.

Most members of Congress spend hours each week locked away in secret meetings with lobbyists and corporate interests. There are now nearly 11,500 federal lobbyists registered – the highest number in 10 years.

And spending by lobbyists to influence legislation has really gotten out of control. A recent analysis by Open Secrets projects that federal lobbying is on track for an all new record, with over $2 BILLION spent lobbying Congress this year alone.

A screenshot of a headline from Open Secrets, which reads: “Federal lobbying spending is on track to set a new record in 2022.” Included is a photo of the street sign for K Street in Washington D.C., the location of the majority of the corporate lobbyists.

Rep. Porter’s legislation will bring transparency to this process by forcing lawmakers to disclose who they are meeting with, and what those meetings are about.

Beyond that, the bill would also disclose how much time lawmakers spend meeting constituents, working in committee, or conducting other legislative activity.

“The American people deserve to know how Congressmembers are working on their behalf—or not. Increasing transparency on how we spend our time will empower Americans to better hold Congressmembers accountable when they prioritize meeting with special interests over everyday people. I’m proud to champion legislation that will make government work better and help earn back the people’s trust.”

Rep. Katie Porter

Did you know that Brand New Congress ONLY backs candidates who refuse to take money from corporate PACs or lobbyists? Help us fight against corporate influence in politics by electing more unbought, unbossed representatives.

Contribute >>

First congressional staffer union forms!

The digital, independent news magazine Truthout reported last week that staff members for BNC Rep. Andy Levin voted UNANIMOUSLY to form a union.

Earlier this year, Rep. Levin introduced a resolution to allow staffers on the Hill to unionize under the Congressional Workers Union (CWU), a group formed to address abusive labor practices in Congressional staff offices. His resolution passed along party lines, and BNC representatives immediately expressed their support.

Now, Andy’s team is the first unionized congressional office in U.S. history.

Headline graphic from Truthout magazine with the headline: Staffers for Andy Levin Unanimously Vote to Form First-Eve Congressional Union. There is a photograph of Rep. Levin cheering with a congressional staffer who is holding a sign that says Unite Here! They are standing in front of a crowd of staffers in red tee shirts.

This is a win for all congressional staffers who work punishingly long hours for (often) shockingly low pay. And the ripple effect is likely to influence lawmakers writing and voting on labor policy to help ALL U.S. workers.

From all of us at Brand New Congress, congratulations to Team Levin!

A graphic depicting a woman checking her phone with the caption “BNC News”

Cori Bush’s new book premieres this week

The Forerunner premieres this week with a launch party hosted by Left Bank Books at the Touhill Performing Arts Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

If you’re in the St. Louis area and you’re interested in attending, you can search for tickets here. (Note: this website is not affiliated with Brand New Congress).

A graphic featuring a photo of Cori Bush wearing a bright green dress, looking up and smiling brightly with her hands on her hips. Included is an image of the cover of her new book, The Forerunner, and information about the premiere event this coming Thursday, October 6th, and 7pm Central Time at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. The event is being organized by Left Bank Books

Cori Bush was the first candidate Brand New Congress ever backed for Congress, and we are thrilled that her incredible life story is now being told to a whole new audience. Congratulations on your book, Congresswoman!

From the Hood to the Holler premieres on streaming!

Another BNC candidate had a big premiere last week – Charles Booker.

An all new documentary film about Charles’ historic Senate campaign recently opened to a limited theatrical release in New York, Los Angeles, and Louisville.

The film follows Charles Booker’s historic 2020 campaign in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests, the response to the murder of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police, and the movement for racial and economic justice Charles built across Kentucky “From the Hood to the Holler.”

This movement is deeply personal to Charles. To him, Breonna Taylor wasn’t just any victim of police violence. She was a family friend – someone he knew personally.

An animated gif of a clip from the film From the Hood to the Holler, featuring Charles Booker and another woman speaking about the murder of Breonna Taylor and the police cover-up that followed.

The film is now available for streaming on iTunes, Amazon, and other major streaming platforms. Visit the official website to learn more.

A graphic featuring a faded photo of Cori Bush wearing a “Bans Off Our Bodies” t-shirt at a protest with the caption “TAKE ACTION”

Each week we highlight volunteer opportunities for different BNC candidates. This week we are featuring our two New York electeds – AOC and Jamaal Bowman!

Team AOC has multiple virtual phonebanking opportunities happening this week and next, including bilingual events for outreach to Spanish-speaking voters. Click below to view the list and find the event that works best for you!

Volunteer for AOC >>

Team Bowman is recruiting for multiple volunteer roles. Visit his Mobilize page to learn more and register your interest.

Volunteer for Jamaal >>

Thanks for reading our BNC Insider! 💜 Watch for this update every Monday to stay on top of what’s happening in the world of BNC.

Until next week,

The entire team at Brand New Congress

P.S. If you appreciate this content, please consider signing up for a monthly recurring contribution to sustain our work.

Since 2016 BNC has led the way in advancing popular policies like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal and electing bold progressive fighters. We recruited and elected AOC in 2018 and Cori Bush in 2020. With seven BNC Reps currently in office, we are growing progressive power in Congress.

This November we’re working to flip multiple red seats, fill open seats with bold progressives, and elect our first BNC Senator by defeating Rand Paul.

Pitch in today and join us as we take over Congress and return power to the people.

DONATE >>

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