As families in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas grapple with horrible devastation, loss of homes, community, loss of life and livelihoods, I am disgusted to hear that Republican leadership--Speaker Johnson--is planning to use this tragedy for political gain and withhold aid from California. Americans are evacuating their homes, watching their communities burn, and the Speaker and Trump and some of my Republican colleagues in Congress want to punish Americans for not voting their way in November? This is morally bankrupt. Californians obviously need this help now. I am standing up here because I am a Vermonter who just endured two horrible summers of devastating floods. I know what it feels like to go house to house and talk to people who have lost everything. I remember talking to one man who had lost his home and his livelihood and was out of his home. He said to me: I didn't vote for you. I said: It doesn't matter that you didn't vote for me. I am still showing up for you. We need to show up for all Americans, regardless of political party. ____________________
Share & report
More from Becca Balint
This week I have heard from grandfathers, moms, students, and even from my Uber driver the other night, all asking some version of the same question, which is, how can we continue to allow our children to get murdered in their schools…
The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was dehumanizing and dangerous. It does not reflect the will of the majority of Americans who deeply value control over their own bodies. As leader of the State senate in Vermont, I…
I always say that Vermont is held together with duct tape, twine, and hundreds of hours of volunteer service. The other thing that we know about Vermonters: They pay their bills. They also stay when you are in the midst of an emergency…
On that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, this 5- minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by a 5-minute vote on: Passage of the bill, if…





