Congress Returns - We Must Be Very Loud This Week
Our community hit a big milestone this weekend - we've now raised $4m for battleground candidates and state parties this cycle! Great work all.......
Morning all. It’s going to be a consequential week in Washington. On Wednesday the nomination hearings for Todd Blanche and Jay Clayton kick off. Fed Chair Warsh also testifies on Wednesday, Russ Vought on Thursday. Leader Schumer kicked off this critical week with a “Dear Colleague” letter. Some excerpts:
Meeting that moment, however, requires our Republican colleagues to work with us — to see Democrats not as partisan foes, but as fellow Americans.
So far, they have chosen a different path: lopsided spending bills that supersize the President’s war budget, leave families behind, and let corruption go unchecked. Now they are pushing to advance the annual NDAA while refusing to negotiate on the President’s bloated, partisan topline budget request that would dump billions more into the defense industry while long-overdue investments in American communities wait.
Senate Republicans claim this has been a “normal” appropriations process and accuse Democrats of weaponizing the budget. Both claims are objectively false.
There is nothing normal about putting forward a lopsided proposal that shuts down bipartisan input and jams through one-sided bills that shortchange families, prolong a war, and shield corruption. There is nothing normal about manufacturing a partisan process and then accusing Democrats of wanting a shutdown because we refuse to rubber-stamp the result.
Fighting for a budget that delivers for the American people is not weaponization. It is our job.
………..
In November, Americans will cast their ballots in the first midterm elections of this presidency, and the sanctity of that vote must be beyond question. The ballot is how a free people holds its government to account; everything else in our republic rests upon it.
Yet the President and his allies continue their assault on that foundation — spreading lies about lawful results, intimidating the election officials and even terminating workers who make democracy function, and bending the machinery of government to punish opponents and escape accountability. A President who believes he cannot be held accountable at the ballot box will soon believe he cannot be held accountable at all.
Defending free and fair elections should not be a partisan cause; it is the oath every one of us took. Over the coming weeks, Senate Democrats must continue to do everything in our power to ensure that every eligible American can vote and have that vote counted — and we invite our Republican colleagues to stand with us. That means continuing to reject the pernicious and anti-democratic SAVE America Act.
On Saturday I explained why it is so essential that we do everything we can to block the attempted installation of Todd Blanche as Attorney General and Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence:
We have to assume that Trump will see the confirmation of these two men as a Congressional green light for him to do whatever it takes to keep him and the Republicans in power; and for all intents and purposes end American democracy in the coming months.
We must be very, very loud this week my friends. I am encouraging everyone to call your two Senators and House Member and demand they do everything they can to block the confirmations of these two terrible and corrupt men. Call your Governors and Attorneys General in blue states. Having free and fair elections this November, and a peaceful transfer of power next January, may rest on defeating these two Trump apparatchiks. Make your calls everyone, for even if we lose we must fight.
As for the emerging “Reconciliation 3.0” and the partisan budget requests Leader Schumer describes we can deliver a simple message when contacting our Congressional Reps:
The American people should not pay for Trump’s failed and illegal war. Trump can pay, the oligarchs can pay by reversing the terrible Trump tax cuts but no to this war funding, and no to further cuts in domestic programs.
Senate Democrats will be blocking the Defense Bill this week, as they should:
For Trump’s failed war keeps failing:
And our very own Caligula continues to grow more desperate and insane:
Stop Vought. Save Science - Today is the last day to leave a comment about Vought/OMB’s proposed rule changes that would fanatically gut our nation’s world-leading science and research ecosystem. To honor this important day and the tens of thousands who have left comments with OMB our friends at Stand Up For Science are hosting a virtual rally today at 2pm ET with the following line up (register here):
Dr. Colette Delawalla, Stand Up for Science CEO and Founder
Veena Dubal, JD, PhD, General Counsel, AAUP
Jillian Blanchard, Senior VP of Climate Change & Environmental Justice Lawyers for Good Government
Randi Weingarten - President, AFT
Julie Trachman, PhD, Coordinator and Associate Professor, Hostos Community College - CUNY
There is still time to leave a comment. You can learn more here. And a big thank you to everyone here who has joined this important effort!
A few more items of interest:
Learn more about the Democratic Socialists of America through this very helpful essay from Nathan Newman, The Sane NYC DSA vs the Crazy National DSA- A Guide for the Perplexed
Senator Gary Peters has endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan
The Congressional Black Caucus released this statement about the MI-7 House primary: “Anyone supporting William Lawrence should denounce his hateful remarks and withdraw their support. Michiganders deserve better.”
“A Robot Army Remakes Ground Warfare in Ukraine” - NYT Gift Link
“Mystery surrounds ‘Freedom Fuel’ gas stations touted by Trump” - The Hill
“Syria’s new parliament holds first session since ouster of ex-President Assad” - Politico
And yes, it is that time everyone…….
Time To Get To Work!!!!!!!
Winning The House and Senate In 2026
Hopium’s Winning The House Campaign - $968,100 raised, $1,000,000 goal - Donate to all twelve of our endorsed House challengers with a single contribution split twelve ways | Get to know Jamie Ager (NC-11), Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Rebecca Cooke (WI-03), Elaine Luria (VA-02), Sean McCann (MI-04), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), Chaz Molder (TN-05), Jonathan Nez (AZ-02), Janelle Stelson (PA-10), Shannon Taylor (VA-01), and Sarah Trone Garriott (IA-03) by watching our recently recorded Hopium interviews.
Friends if these twelve courageous candidates win, the House will flip, even with Callais and their rancid mid-decade redistricting. So eyes on the prize here everyone!
Winning The House - The Second Wave Fund - $172,100 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | We’ve launched a second House fund, one targeting candidates who’ve recently emerged from primaries or running in new districts. Our initial crew is Rebecca Bennett (NJ-07), Bob Brooks (PA-07), Cait Conley (NY-17), Johnny Garcia (TX-35), Bob Harvie (PA-01), Denise Powell (NE-02), and Bobby Pulido (TX-15).
A donation to the Second Wave Fund is split evenly among these seven, and more as other worthy candidates emerge from their primaries. Our total above includes money we’ve raised for directly for each candidate. You can watch interviews with all of seven of these intrepid leaders here. We are off to a great start here everyone!
Our Winning The Senate Fund - $481,100 raised, $1,000,000 goal - Donate | This new fund splits a single donation to our five candidates must likely to flip a Senate seat this November - Sherrod Brown (OH), Roy Cooper (NC), Mary Peltola (AK), James Talarico (TX), and Josh Turek (IA). The $481,000 figure includes what we’ve raised for these five so far through direct donations to their campaigns. You can watch our interviews with each of these great candidates and/or contribute directly to any of them here.
Expanding The Map - Investing And Winning In Key Expansion States
These funds split donations three ways among our candidates for the Senate and Governor, and the State Democratic Party.
Winning Iowa - $16,200 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Our new Winning Iowa campaign splits a contribution three ways - to Josh Turek for Senate, to our gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, and to the Iowa Democratic Party and its great chair, Rita Hart
Winning Maine - $53,600 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Right now this fund is only supporting the Maine Democratic Party but will expand in coming days to include both our gubernatorial candidate, Hannah Pingree, and our eventual Senate nominee too. Thanks to all of you who have rallied for the Maine Dems in the past few days - it’s a big deal!
Winning Ohio - $174,100 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Our new campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton/Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party
Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $625,300 raised, $1,000,000 goal - Join our campaign that has helped expand our map by investing in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas, all now central battlegrounds in the 2026 election | Contribute to all five state parties with one contribution split evenly among these five critical battlegrounds | Catch interviews with the five intrepid state chairs leading their troops into battle this year - will get you fired up!
2026 Election Analysis From Hopium
A Few More Things To Do
Let’s work to make sure everyone you know is Voting Early this year, and learn more about how our political battlefield is evolving this cycle; bring our Resolutions Project to your community; and fight for Hopium’s Agenda today and everyday!
Please use the paid subscriber chat to self-report the good trouble you make each day.
Keep working hard everyone. We have a country to save, and elections all across this great country to win, together! - Simon
Mainer on the ground reporting again.
One of our new Mainers was killed by ICE this morning in Biddeford, Maine. Our speaker of the house, Ryan Fecteau, lives there. He is a capable and most excellent communicator. Be on the lookout for his interviews.
We again will be at the center of the media. Senator Susan Collins must be directly tied to this killing. Her funding and votes supporting ICE, allowing them to remain armed, masked and unaccountable are dangerous and deadly.
We have a community who has put themselves on the line week after week protesting ICE. Some of my friends are there protesting today along with members of our clergy. One of our senatorial candidates, Troy Jackson, will be there. I will try to update folks, but I am sure the media will be heading to our state today.
Senator Collins must be held accountable. She is complicit.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/13/us/ice-shooting-maine
Thanks, Simon!
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say no taxpayer money for the war, stop Trump from tearing up the city of DC, and Trump is not in touch with reality and must be removed from office. I'm writing postcards to Ohio voters.