It's time for Americans to weigh in again on surveillance, ICE
House GOP leaders are trying to push through an extension of expiring government surveillance power on Tuesday, a budget resolution to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown Wednesday, and a farm bill that many members say is key to midterm victories Thursday, Politico reports.
“Each legislative undertaking is deeply complicated and rife with intraparty warfare — from a MAHA revolt over the farm bill to a rebellion from ultraconservatives who blocked Johnson’s last bid to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and could do so again,” says Politico.
Johnson will need every Republican to advance all three of these items, and none are guaranteed to survive the week, Politico says.
On top of those challenges, lawmakers will lose floor time because of the address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday by Britain’s King Charles III.
And this week marks 60 days since the start of the Iran war, with some GOP lawmakers warning they could vote with Democrats to limit President Trump’s military authority overseas, according to Politico.
— Surveillance: Earlier this month, efforts to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act broke down as privacy advocates insisted on provisions to require the government to get warrants before gaining access to Americans’ communications. Now privacy advocates are trying again. I wrote about this on April 16; that item includes information on how the public can weigh in.
— Funding the Department of Homeland Security: the new GOP bill wouldn’t contain any of the ICE reforms Democrats sought. Those reforms are here.
— Farm bill: Activists with the Make America Healthy Again movement — a coalition that helped President Trump win the presidency in 2024 — say they’ve been betrayed by Republicans over a provision in the legislation that would shield pesticide makers from lawsuits, according to Politico.
You can call the Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and be connected to the offices of your representative and senators. To email your House member and your two senators, you can connect to their websites at Congress.gov. Most lawmakers seem to only accept emails from their constituents, but these leaders accept emails from Americans nationwide, at:
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader John Thune
May Day protests
A one-day nationwide protest this Friday, May 1, is taking its cue from the massive day of action that shut down Minneapolis in January by asking Americans not to shop, work or go to school. Rallies, marches and teach-ins also will take place across the country, says The Guardian.
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