Brian Schatz
@schatz.bsky.social
United States Senator for Hawaii. Climate hawk. Chief Deputy Whip.
1) Medicaid cuts worse now 2) Freedom caucus wants deeper cuts 3) Tax cuts for wealthy in tact 4) Cruz makes broadband funding contingent on NOT regulating AI 5) SALT Republicans to get rolled 6) Bill is like a rotting fish 7) Mike Lee making second run at public lands selloff
It is not in the national security interests of the United States to militarily attack Iran. The best way to ensure regional stability and protect American lives is to reach a negotiated agreement. It is on President Trump to avert a regional catastrophe
SCOOP: Sen. Brian Schatz is expanding his holds on Trump's nominees to include an additional 50 names — along with a batch of bipartisan foreign affairs bills.
Scoop: Schatz expands holds to more than 300 Trump nominees
He's intensifying his protest of what he calls the White House's "lawlessness."
axios.com
Trump went to a LIV golf tournament instead of attending the dignified transfer of four U.S. Army soldiers who died in Lithuania. If you're wondering why this is so disgusting and insulting, I wrote about my time in the Army doing dignified transfers here: www.usatoday.com/story/opinio...
Bill Kristol@billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · last yr."Rather than attend the dignified transfer of the bodies of four U.S. Army soldiers who died on a training mission in Lithuania, Trump flew to Florida to watch a Saudi-funded LIV golf tournament at his own course." www.thedailybeast.com/trump-picks-...
My statement on voting no against arms transfers to the Netanyahu government.
Worried about a recession? This sheet-pan water pie will make you feel like it's the 1930s again.
Embracing “the president who raised the price of beer” is almost as incredible as the GOP killing free markets. www.reuters.com/business/tru...
Trump administration adds beer, can imports to 25% US aluminum tariffs
The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday revised President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on derivative aluminum products to include all beer and empty aluminum can imports.
reuters.com
NEW: SENATE votes to END Trump's emergency tariffs on Canada, 51-48. Four Republicans joined Democrats: MCCONNELL RAND PAUL MURKOWSKI COLLINS The vote was not subject to a filibuster. House leaders are expected to block a vote. Resolution does NOT have a veto-proof majority BUT resistance grows
Ds in the minority but this week: *Won a rare vote to defeat a rule in bipartisan opposition to Speaker Johnson’s plan to nuke effort to allow new parents to vote by proxy. *Won vote to overturn Trump’s emergency tariffs on Canada. *Booker controlled Senate floor ~25 hours *Won Wisconsin court race
House Rs just passed the budget resolution, the first step in their process to enact a bill that'd kick millions off Medicaid & cut SNAP down to just $1.60 per person per meal on avg while cutting taxes for the top 0.1% by $278k - all while increasing the debt 🧵on what's to come and WHERE TO FIGHT
So House Republicans voted on a budget tonight that would cut ~$800B+ from Medicaid. Among other things, but it’s important to understand how much that will hurt every single one of us. (Spoiler: they know all of this - but they hate you.)
This vote was to start the process of the cuts. It WILL come back for a final vote. There are some chances to slow or potentially stop it. Need constant pressure on GOP Focus on GOP swing seats & key committees. Energy & Commerce is where the Medicaid fight will go down. Ways&Means for tax fight.
Christine@buddhaclauser.bsky.social · last yr.@aoc.bsky.social Please explain what just happened. Is there no way to stop this w the reconciliation to be used by GOP to get around the filibuster? Are we sunk?
Check this out act.indivisible.org/signup/all_i...
Go all in this March recess to stop the Trump Tax Scam
Thanks to Indivisibles and allies, we put Republicans on notice during the first congressional recess of the year by organizing nearly 200 events across the country and directly challenging them for s...
act.indivisible.org
This tool is amazing and gives you the numbers to explain the human impact — at the district level. democrats-budget.house.gov/legislation/...
The Republican Rip Off
democrats-budget.house.gov
R’s have the votes in the House to cut Medicaid. That could/should change. Voting for the “framework” might be easier than voting to actually enact Medicaid cuts, but R’s won tonight. We will fight this in Senate but it will come down to people outside of the capitol being sufficiently pissed off.
NEW SHIFT KEY Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) has emerged as an early leader of the anti-Trump 2.0 opposition. He’s also a longtime observer of climate politics. He joins us to talk about how Dems plan to fight back and what climate advocates and clean energy firms need to do for the next four years:
What Senator Brian Schatz Wants Climate Advocates to Know
Rob and Jesse talk Trump, contracts, and climate messaging with the lawmaker from Hawaii.
heatmap.news
Valor Danielle Sassoon, Acting U.S. attorney for SDNY - refuses to drop Adams charges and resigns John Keller, Acting head of DOJ Public Integrity Section - refuses and resigns Kevin Driscoll, Acting head of DOJ Criminal Division - refuses and resigns www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Top federal prosecutor in N.Y. resigns after refusing to drop Adams charges
Two top prosecutors in Washington also resigned over the DOJ order to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
nbcnews.com
There is literally HIV being transmitted from mom to baby because of the illegal shutdown of US AID and now Trump’s State Department wants to spend 400 million dollars on Tesla cyber trucks. This is not about efficiency. It’s a smash and grab.
Being in a think tank and online bubble causes people to overestimate the popularity of their ideas. You win, and you think it’s because of your ideas, not in spite of them. For instance, it is widely unpopular to illegally cut medical research.
When TB treatment is interrupted, patients are far more likely to develop drug-resistant TB, which is a catastrophe both individually (the disease becomes harder to cure) and societally (we're allowing the bacteria millions of new opportunities to develop further resistance). Many people will die.
Just received this photo from a friend of a warehouse in Kinshasa. These are tuberculosis medications--ALREADY PAID FOR--that aren't being distributed due to the Trump Administration's stop work order. TB treatment is being interrupted in SO many patients around the world. What does that mean? (1/2)
The Congressional Research Service is telling Congress that Trump cannot shut down US AID. Will they - and more specifically Republicans - listen, and act?https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN12500
This is morally indefensible and strategically bankrupt. It’s just letting people die on purpose and it makes us weaker in every way.
Jeremy Konyndyk@jeremykonyndyk.bsky.social · last yr.Mind-boggling wreckage. Among the lifesaving programs now disrupted by Elon’s attack on @USAID: phase 1 trials for a possible HIV vaccine.
Mind-boggling wreckage. Among the lifesaving programs now disrupted by Elon’s attack on @USAID: phase 1 trials for a possible HIV vaccine.
Kai Kupferschmidt@kakape.bsky.social · last yr.“USAID-backed studies have been shuttered, data streams have dried up, researchers and technical staff have been fired or put on leave, a system to predict food crises has been muzzled, and a USAID-supported global health journal has stopped reviewing manuscripts.” From our @science.org news team 🧪
"Be angry, but don't give up." From Rachel's interview tonight with Senator Brian Schatz @schatz.bsky.social Part 1 (testing how it looks to post a multi-part video here)
Donald Trump and Elon Musk have cut off funding for half of the health centers that serve 400,000 Virginians, forcing some to close, which could mean up to 200,000 Virginians are suddenly without healthcare www.vpm.org/news/2025-02...
Virginia community health centers close over federal funding access
Despite pause on federal funding freeze, centers unable to access grants
vpm.org