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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks during a press conference following the Democrats policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024.
(Photo by Allison Robbert / AFP)
Senate Democrats Must Move With Lightning Speed Before Führer Trump Takes Over
They must hold key public hearings before January 3, 2025.
Nov 16, 2024
Biden’s executive agencies, like the EPA and the NLRB, are racing to complete important work before the Trumpster gang of Der Führer Donald takes office on January 20. What is the Democratic majority in the Senate racing to do, other than getting some two dozen federal judgeships confirmed? True they can’t get any legislation passed in Congress, but that doesn’t stop the Senate Democrats from throwing down gauntlets to the incoming Trumpeteers with compelling Committee hearings on popular legislation and by pushing bills that highlight Republican opposition to agendas people care about.
For example, they can push to pass a $15 minimum wage benefiting 25 million workers and set up the GOP to oppose that long-overdue measure on behalf of its corporate paymasters. The election is over. Majority leader Chuck Schumer doesn’t have to worry about losing some corporate campaign cash for standing up, as he should have years ago, for beleaguered workers unable to pay their family’s bills.
Schumer’s Democrats also could push a bill to restore taxes on the very undertaxed corporations and super-wealthy to the level they were at in the prosperous 1960s and again induce the Republicans to show their plutocratic colors. The list could go on, but no one ever accused the Democrats of knowing how to push the GOP into a corner.
The Democrats could also activate their committees to each hold a full day of public hearings in mid-December on major redirections and reforms that the GOP opposes.
Such hearings, with powerful witnesses, will get the attention of the Congressional reporters and let the vanquished Party of the Donkey go out with a bang (or a Bray) instead of a whimper. The hearings could provide yardsticks foreshadowing and measuring Trump’s wrecking ball promises for the first one hundred days under the new GOP-controlled Congress. It would also reassure a bit the Democratic Party’s jilted, angry progressive wing led by Senator Bernie Sanders—who has the highest polls of any federally elected official and was just re-elected from staid Vermont in a landslide. Moreover, it would signal that there is some fight left in the Party, readying for 2025.
Senator Richard Durbin (D-Il.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, could have a full day’s hearing on what must be done about the corporate crime wave, the corporate welfare binge, and the problems with the federal judiciary under corporate influence that his colleague Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has worked intensively to expose.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, could hold hearings opening up the entire corporate tax racket and the need for stronger laws and budgets for the understaffed IRS.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, could highlight how many lives and how much money full Medicare for All will save for America and document the neglected weak labor and pension protection laws.
Senator Thomas Carper (D-Del.), Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, could hold hearings on how renewable energy, together with public works, can produce a safer, more efficient economy and a significant number of new jobs paid for by restoring taxes on large companies and the wealthy classes.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, is well poised to illuminate serious public budget priorities and why more tax revenue is not going back in the form of improved conditions where the people live, work, and raise their families, instead of pouring tax dollars into a gigantic wasteful, unaudited military Empire that consumes over half of the entire federal government’s operating expenditures.
Outgoing Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, could highlight two of his favorite proposals—public banking and a return of postal banking—for the unbanked populace. Both poll very high. He could also present some stronger fundamental banking legislation to protect savers, depositors, and borrowers.
These chairmen are quite supportive of such redirections for our country. They can give the people compelling alternatives to the GOP that the dominant, war-supporting, genocidal corporate Democrats should have placed front and center during the election. Raising authentic domestic expectations supported by a large majority of the voting public is a good way to go out and start the recovery with the people for 2026.
Will they conduct these hearings and turn the hearing records into a great Compact for Americans? Or will they prefer another day of vacation to stay home and lick their wounds? Even a burdened Donkey wouldn’t do that!
(Call your Senators at 202-224-3121 switchboard to hold these hearings).
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Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate and the author of "The Seventeen Solutions: Bold Ideas for Our American Future" (2012). His new book is, "Wrecking America: How Trump's Lies and Lawbreaking Betray All" (2020, co-authored with Mark Green).
Biden’s executive agencies, like the EPA and the NLRB, are racing to complete important work before the Trumpster gang of Der Führer Donald takes office on January 20. What is the Democratic majority in the Senate racing to do, other than getting some two dozen federal judgeships confirmed? True they can’t get any legislation passed in Congress, but that doesn’t stop the Senate Democrats from throwing down gauntlets to the incoming Trumpeteers with compelling Committee hearings on popular legislation and by pushing bills that highlight Republican opposition to agendas people care about.
For example, they can push to pass a $15 minimum wage benefiting 25 million workers and set up the GOP to oppose that long-overdue measure on behalf of its corporate paymasters. The election is over. Majority leader Chuck Schumer doesn’t have to worry about losing some corporate campaign cash for standing up, as he should have years ago, for beleaguered workers unable to pay their family’s bills.
Schumer’s Democrats also could push a bill to restore taxes on the very undertaxed corporations and super-wealthy to the level they were at in the prosperous 1960s and again induce the Republicans to show their plutocratic colors. The list could go on, but no one ever accused the Democrats of knowing how to push the GOP into a corner.
The Democrats could also activate their committees to each hold a full day of public hearings in mid-December on major redirections and reforms that the GOP opposes.
Such hearings, with powerful witnesses, will get the attention of the Congressional reporters and let the vanquished Party of the Donkey go out with a bang (or a Bray) instead of a whimper. The hearings could provide yardsticks foreshadowing and measuring Trump’s wrecking ball promises for the first one hundred days under the new GOP-controlled Congress. It would also reassure a bit the Democratic Party’s jilted, angry progressive wing led by Senator Bernie Sanders—who has the highest polls of any federally elected official and was just re-elected from staid Vermont in a landslide. Moreover, it would signal that there is some fight left in the Party, readying for 2025.
Senator Richard Durbin (D-Il.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, could have a full day’s hearing on what must be done about the corporate crime wave, the corporate welfare binge, and the problems with the federal judiciary under corporate influence that his colleague Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has worked intensively to expose.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, could hold hearings opening up the entire corporate tax racket and the need for stronger laws and budgets for the understaffed IRS.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, could highlight how many lives and how much money full Medicare for All will save for America and document the neglected weak labor and pension protection laws.
Senator Thomas Carper (D-Del.), Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, could hold hearings on how renewable energy, together with public works, can produce a safer, more efficient economy and a significant number of new jobs paid for by restoring taxes on large companies and the wealthy classes.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, is well poised to illuminate serious public budget priorities and why more tax revenue is not going back in the form of improved conditions where the people live, work, and raise their families, instead of pouring tax dollars into a gigantic wasteful, unaudited military Empire that consumes over half of the entire federal government’s operating expenditures.
Outgoing Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, could highlight two of his favorite proposals—public banking and a return of postal banking—for the unbanked populace. Both poll very high. He could also present some stronger fundamental banking legislation to protect savers, depositors, and borrowers.
These chairmen are quite supportive of such redirections for our country. They can give the people compelling alternatives to the GOP that the dominant, war-supporting, genocidal corporate Democrats should have placed front and center during the election. Raising authentic domestic expectations supported by a large majority of the voting public is a good way to go out and start the recovery with the people for 2026.
Will they conduct these hearings and turn the hearing records into a great Compact for Americans? Or will they prefer another day of vacation to stay home and lick their wounds? Even a burdened Donkey wouldn’t do that!
(Call your Senators at 202-224-3121 switchboard to hold these hearings).
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate and the author of "The Seventeen Solutions: Bold Ideas for Our American Future" (2012). His new book is, "Wrecking America: How Trump's Lies and Lawbreaking Betray All" (2020, co-authored with Mark Green).
Biden’s executive agencies, like the EPA and the NLRB, are racing to complete important work before the Trumpster gang of Der Führer Donald takes office on January 20. What is the Democratic majority in the Senate racing to do, other than getting some two dozen federal judgeships confirmed? True they can’t get any legislation passed in Congress, but that doesn’t stop the Senate Democrats from throwing down gauntlets to the incoming Trumpeteers with compelling Committee hearings on popular legislation and by pushing bills that highlight Republican opposition to agendas people care about.
For example, they can push to pass a $15 minimum wage benefiting 25 million workers and set up the GOP to oppose that long-overdue measure on behalf of its corporate paymasters. The election is over. Majority leader Chuck Schumer doesn’t have to worry about losing some corporate campaign cash for standing up, as he should have years ago, for beleaguered workers unable to pay their family’s bills.
Schumer’s Democrats also could push a bill to restore taxes on the very undertaxed corporations and super-wealthy to the level they were at in the prosperous 1960s and again induce the Republicans to show their plutocratic colors. The list could go on, but no one ever accused the Democrats of knowing how to push the GOP into a corner.
The Democrats could also activate their committees to each hold a full day of public hearings in mid-December on major redirections and reforms that the GOP opposes.
Such hearings, with powerful witnesses, will get the attention of the Congressional reporters and let the vanquished Party of the Donkey go out with a bang (or a Bray) instead of a whimper. The hearings could provide yardsticks foreshadowing and measuring Trump’s wrecking ball promises for the first one hundred days under the new GOP-controlled Congress. It would also reassure a bit the Democratic Party’s jilted, angry progressive wing led by Senator Bernie Sanders—who has the highest polls of any federally elected official and was just re-elected from staid Vermont in a landslide. Moreover, it would signal that there is some fight left in the Party, readying for 2025.
Senator Richard Durbin (D-Il.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, could have a full day’s hearing on what must be done about the corporate crime wave, the corporate welfare binge, and the problems with the federal judiciary under corporate influence that his colleague Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has worked intensively to expose.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, could hold hearings opening up the entire corporate tax racket and the need for stronger laws and budgets for the understaffed IRS.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, could highlight how many lives and how much money full Medicare for All will save for America and document the neglected weak labor and pension protection laws.
Senator Thomas Carper (D-Del.), Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, could hold hearings on how renewable energy, together with public works, can produce a safer, more efficient economy and a significant number of new jobs paid for by restoring taxes on large companies and the wealthy classes.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, is well poised to illuminate serious public budget priorities and why more tax revenue is not going back in the form of improved conditions where the people live, work, and raise their families, instead of pouring tax dollars into a gigantic wasteful, unaudited military Empire that consumes over half of the entire federal government’s operating expenditures.
Outgoing Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, could highlight two of his favorite proposals—public banking and a return of postal banking—for the unbanked populace. Both poll very high. He could also present some stronger fundamental banking legislation to protect savers, depositors, and borrowers.
These chairmen are quite supportive of such redirections for our country. They can give the people compelling alternatives to the GOP that the dominant, war-supporting, genocidal corporate Democrats should have placed front and center during the election. Raising authentic domestic expectations supported by a large majority of the voting public is a good way to go out and start the recovery with the people for 2026.
Will they conduct these hearings and turn the hearing records into a great Compact for Americans? Or will they prefer another day of vacation to stay home and lick their wounds? Even a burdened Donkey wouldn’t do that!
(Call your Senators at 202-224-3121 switchboard to hold these hearings).
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