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For Immediate Release
January, 08 2009, 01:43pm EDT
Contact:
Erin Allweiss, 202-513-6254 or 202-277-8370 (cell)
Environment and Labor Usher in Next Generation of Congressional Green Leaders
Stand Together to Call for a Green Economic Recovery
WASHINGTON
As America welcomes a new Congress this week, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), joined by the Blue Green Alliance Action Fund, ushered in the next generation of green leaders: freshmen representatives from around the nation who are committed to repowering America with clean energy and green jobs.
As the 111th Congress takes up the economic recovery package, NRDC is calling for the inclusion of policies that will move the nation towards a strong, clean energy economy. Among NRDC's top recommendations are greater investment in renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency, improvements in public transit, and restoration of America's transportation and water infrastructure. Together, these improvements will create millions of new green jobs and help jump-start the economy.
"America is facing unprecedented economic challenges, but we have a new generation of green leaders in Congress that can meet these challenges and move us to a more sustainable economic future," said Frances Beinecke, president of NRDC. "The new Congress will need to act quickly to get the economy moving, and we look forward to working with them to create a clean energy workforce, reduce our dependence on oil, and protect the environment."
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a recognized environmental leader, introduced four new members of Congress who are committed to forging a green economic recovery: Representatives Debbie Halvorson (IL), Steve Driehaus (OH), Tom Perriello (VA), and Mark Schauer (MI).
"With this new generation of leaders in Congress, building the green economy begins now," said David Foster, executive director of the Blue Green Alliance Action Fund, a partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the green economy. "Making 'green' part of our economic recovery now will chart the course for strengthening this new green economy in the future -- putting people back to work, making America energy independent, and taking immediate action against global warming."
"I'm excited to work with Congress's new green leaders, who recognize that we can stimulate the economy by investing in clean energy and the environment," said Congressman Blumenauer. "They understand that jobs installing wind turbines and repairing our nation's bridges can't be shipped overseas. They know that green infrastructure investments will not only stimulate the economy in the short-term, but will be a down-payment in the fight against global warming and for energy independence."
"Throughout my campaign, I stressed the importance of investing in a clean energy economy, fixing our nation's infrastructure, and creating good paying jobs," said Congresswoman Halvorson. "As a member of the 111th Congress, I am ready to repower America and do all I can to stabilize our economy, empower our workforce, and secure our nation's energy future."
NRDC works to safeguard the earth--its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.
(212) 727-2700LATEST NEWS
GOP's Redistricting Power Grab One Step Closer to Spectacularly Backfiring
The GOP "should evaluate whether Trump’s push to ignite a redistricting arms race may have made it easier for a blue wave to wipe out more Republicans than if they had left their maps alone," wrote one analyst.
Nov 11, 2025
President Donald Trump's push for mid-decade redistricting to prevent Republicans from losing control of the US House of Representatives appears to be on the verge of backfiring.
The latest blow to Trump's nationwide redistricting efforts came in Utah, where District Court Judge Dianna Gibson shot down a proposed map drawn by Utah Republicans because it failed to abide by a 2018 ballot measure that restricted partisan gerrymandering in the state.
As reported by NBC News, Gibson instead approved a map that created "a solidly Democratic seat ahead of next year's midterm elections," thus giving Democrats a likely net gain of one seat in the US House.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin hailed Gibson's ruling and vowed that Democrats weren't finished fighting Trump's efforts to rig next year's elections in his favor.
"Utah Republicans gerrymandered the maps because they knew they were losing power in the state," he said. "Republicans doubled down when they chose to submit another gerrymandered map, but today, they were once again thwarted by impartial Courts. Democrats will continue to fight for fair maps in Utah, regardless of what Donald Trump and Utah Republicans try next. Every seat counts, and Democrats everywhere are fired up and ready to take back the House in the midterms in 2026."
Dave Wasserman, a senior elections analyst at Cook Political Report, wrote in a post on X that the Democrats' Utah victory, along with California voters' approval of newly gerrymandered maps and reported plans to redraw maps in Virginia, have "pushed the mid-decade redistricting war closer to a draw."
In a lengthy analysis published in Bloomberg on Tuesday, columnist Mary Ellen Klas argued that Republicans should take a deep breath before going all-in on Trump's unprecedented mid-decade redistricting crusade, which began in Texas and subsequently spread to Missouri and North Carolina.
The issue, Klas explained, is that Republicans in those states have carved out more GOP-friendly districts based on assumptions that Republican gains among Latino voters and young men would hold in 2026. As last week's sweeping Democratic victories showed, however, the GOP now appears to be hemorrhaging support among these two demographics.
"In New Jersey, 68% of Latino voters broke for Democrat Mikie Sherrill," wrote Klas. "So did 56% of men under the age of 30. In Virginia, 67% of Latino voters went for Democrat Abigail Spanberger. So did 57% of men under 30. Many of these voters had voted for Trump last year. The exit polls show that both Sherrill and Spanberger won 7% of Trump’s 2024 voters, with Sherrill getting a whopping 18% of Trump’s Hispanic support in the state."
If those trends hold over the next year, it could wipe out advantages the GOP had hoped to gain with its Texas gerrymander, which assumed that Latino voters who swung to Trump in the state would remain loyal partisan soldiers.
"Republicans are hardly going to admit it, but they should evaluate whether Trump’s push to ignite a redistricting arms race may have made it easier for a blue wave to wipe out more Republicans than if they had left their maps alone," argued Klass.
In fact, some Republican strategists are already fretting about Trump's gerrymandering plan, as one anonymous GOP insider told NBC News that if the endgame of the plan was "to net one seat across the country, then it will not have been worth it."
A second anonymous GOP insider told NBC that there was "some concern" about whether Texas Republicans may have made themselves more vulnerable to a blue wave next year.
"In Texas, I do think there is some sense those seats will be ours, but nothing is guaranteed, so some concern there," they said.
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'Astronomical Premium Increases' Loom for Millions After Dem Capitulation to GOP
"Tragically, eight Democrats caved," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. "But the struggle continues. Short term, we must not allow health care premiums to double for more than 20 million Americans."
Nov 11, 2025
Millions of Americans hoping for legislative action to prevent their health insurance premiums from skyrocketing will find no reprieve in the all-but-finalized deal to end the federal government shutdown.
The agreement, supported by eight Democratic senators with the tacit approval of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), includes nothing concrete regarding the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that help more than 20 million Americans afford health insurance.
Rather, Democrats secured a pledge from the Senate Republican leadership to hold a vote on the tax credits next month—a vote that's almost certain to fail amid GOP opposition. Even if a tax credit extension passed the Senate, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has refused to commit to a vote.
That leaves millions of people across the United States facing massive premium increases; in some congressional districts, monthly costs could surge more than 600%.
"The fact is that if Republicans and the president refuse to extend the premium tax credit enhancements, millions of people will face astronomical premium increases, including small business owners, young adults, and workers without affordable employer coverage," said Sharon Parrott, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).
"Many will decide that they can't afford to sign up for coverage at all; that's why the Congressional Budget Office projects that nearly 4 million people will become uninsured," Parrott added.
In an analysis released last week, CBPP emphasized that "people with lower incomes will tend to face the largest percentage increases in premium costs" if the ACA tax credits are allowed to lapse at the end of the year.
A family of four with an annual income of $66,000, according to CBPP, will see monthly insurance premiums rise from $121 to $373 in 2026. That amounts to $3,204 extra for next year—a price many will be unable to afford.
“I have to face the reality that I am probably going to become a late-stage cancer patient who’s uninsured,” Sunni Montgomery, a 63-year-old battling lung cancer, told CNN, noting her premium is set to rise to $1,758 per month.
"I have fought this so hard," Montgomery added. "I want to live."
Politico reported Tuesday "fractured conversations among Republicans are promising to bog down negotiations" on the ACA subsidies "as Obamacare beneficiaries begin to lock in their rates for the year ahead."
"Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are starting to privately admit it’s likely too late to avert a major premium hike for millions of Americans in 2026," the outlet added.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the most prominent proponent of Medicare for All in Congress, said Monday that while eight Democrats "tragically" caved to Republicans, "the struggle continues."
"Short term, we must not allow health care premiums to double for more than 20 million Americans," said Sanders. "Long term, we must provide health care to all as a human right."
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Advocates Applaud as Pro-Palestinian Commentator Sami Hamdi Released by ICE
"Sami never should have spent a single night in an ICE cell," said one advocate. "His only real ‘offense’ was speaking clearly about Israel’s genocidal war crimes against Palestinians."
Nov 11, 2025
A leading Muslim civil rights group in the US applauded Monday as the Trump administration's agreement to release British pro-Palestinian commentator Sami Hamdi acknowledged that he is not "a danger to the community or to national security," after he was held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention for more than two weeks.
Hamdi's family and the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has been representing the journalist, expressed relief at the news that he had accepted an offer to leave the US voluntarily.
Hamdi was detained at San Francisco International Airport on October 26, mid-way through a US speaking tour during which he spoke about Palestinian rights and Israel's US-backed war in Gaza, which has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians.
The journalist, who is Muslim and of Tunisian and Algerian descent, had just spoken at an event in Sacramento, where he called on US leaders to take an "America First" rather than "Israel First" approach to its policy in the Middle East.
As Prem Thakker reported at Zeteo News, two "unelected, far-right, Islamophobic figures," Laura Loomer and Amy Mekelburg, took credit for "investigating" Hamdi. Mekelburg published a report that called on the US to deport Hamdi and prohibit him from entering the country, claiming he was “training US Muslims in digital agitation, electoral sabotage, and political warfare in alignment with Muslim Brotherhood doctrine.”
Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist, has become known during President Donald Trump's second term as someone with a considerable influence over the White House. Two days after Mekelburg's report was published, the US State Department revoked Hamdi's visa, and a day later ICE arrested him.
"His forthcoming release is welcome, but it does not erase the message this sends to every activist and journalist watching—and every authoritarian dictatorship worldwide who can now claim they are following America’s example.”
The Trump administration said at the time that it had "no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans," and appeared to reference comments Hamdi made after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. The Department of Homeland Security shared a video clip released by the pro-Israel group Memri, which showed Hamdi saying Palestinians should “celebrate their victory."
As The Guardian reported, Hamdi later clarified those remarks, saying, "We don’t celebrate blood lust, we don’t celebrate death and we don’t celebrate war... What Muslims are celebrating is not war, they’re celebrating the revival of a cause—a just cause—that everybody thought was dead, this is an important distinction."
Hamdi's wife, Soumaya Hamdi, told The Guardian after his arrest that the Memri video had been “edited in a way to frame Sami in a horrible light and produced by an organization that is very well known to be anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, Islamophobic, and out there to target people who are speaking up against the genocide against Palestinians."
CAIR-CA emphasized Monday that in Hamdi's immigration charging documents, the US government alleged only a visa overstay "and never identified any criminal conduct or security grounds."
“It is this simple: Sami never should have spent a single night in an ICE cell. His only real ‘offense’ was speaking clearly about Israel’s genocidal war crimes against Palestinians," said Hussam Ayloush, CEO of CAIR-CA.
“Sami’s case shows how quickly our government officials are willing to sacrifice our First Amendment and free press when a journalist uses his platform to dare put America first before Israel," said Ayloush. "His forthcoming release is welcome, but it does not erase the message this sends to every activist and journalist watching—and every authoritarian dictatorship worldwide who can now claim they are following America’s example.”
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