In The News

We are taking a break from our regular EZ read this week to call attention to the gun violence epidemic sweeping across our country. This week we have once again seen the soul of our country ripped apart by more mass shootings.

There have been more mass shootings than days in 2019. By the time the sun sets today, 100 more people will have died from gun violence.

Gun violence doesn't discriminate - and it doesn't take a recess, like Congress.

Access to reproductive health services are under attack in nearly every state across the country.  Six states have passed abortion bans. Six states have only one abortion clinic. More than 11 million women of reproductive age live more than a 1-hour drive from the nearest abortion clinic. There are 24 states have laws that regulate abortion providers and go beyond what is medically necessary to ensure patient safety.

Congress  has adjourned for their annual summer recess.  Our elected officials will travel back to their districts to take a break from the chaos on the Hill and focus on their constituents. They will hold events and town hall meetings. This is your chance for your voice to be heard.

Donald Trump has returned to his old playbook of race-baiting and hate-mongering. Standing up to racism is not a political issue. It is a moral issue. Everyone should condemn bigotry regardless of where it comes from and who it is directed towards. 
 

Reps. Elaine Luria (D-VA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) put their lives on the line to defend our nation. Now, these freshman women are defending JAC's issues in Congress.

As we celebrate America's Independence Day this week, we must remember how precious our freedom is and that we should never take it for granted. 

This week we saw the horrific scene at our nation's border. It is hard to believe that our country has detained children escaping violence and abuse and allowed them to languish in squalor and unsanitary conditions. There is a lack of clean diapers and clothes for the hundreds of children in U.S. custody. Children are taking care of children.

Psychologists say these children will suffer from increased rates of anxiety, depression and PTSD, as well as heightened risks of suicide and self-harm in the future. 

The House took positive steps to protect women's health this Thursday when it passed four appropriation bills to fund federal departments through September 2020. The bills now move to the GOP-controlled, anti-Choice Senate, where their fate is uncertain.

These first set of funding bills are an attempt to reverse President Trump's dangerous budget priorities. Every JAC-supported candidates voted for the bill.

Some of the Important provisions in the House bills to ensure women's access to health care include:

The Democratic-controlled House has passed 167 bills since January 2019. Those bills now move to the Senate and await action from Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The Senate has only passed 26 bills in that same period. But they approved 119 judges to lifetime appointments.
 

More than 325 women gathered in Chicago this week for JAC's annual Power of Women Luncheon. The luncheon's theme was "Powerful Words."  We were honored to have Dr. Jill Biden and Sarah Hurwitz, Michelle Obama's former speechwriter.

Sharon Koltin and Tina Wolf, our co-chairs, spearheaded a successful event which raised critical funds for JAC's work heading into the 2020 election.