We hope you’ve seen the news and are applauding the tremendous victory yesterday! The Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a plan that invests hundreds of billions of dollars in climate change, reins in some of the power and worst practices of Big PhRMA, and will require more corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. Sulma Arias, Executive Director of People’s Action (our national affiliate) issued this statement “These investments are another step forward won by the organizers and grassroots leaders who demanded political leadership that answers to people, not corporations. Lowering carbon emissions and drug prices will give our people more breathing room in a tough economy, and making sure corporations actually pay taxes is a huge step toward a more just, people-oriented economy.”
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The legislation puts the U.S. on track for the first time to meet its crucial climate commitment. It targets reducing greenhouse emissions by an estimated 40% by 2030 by making big investments in clean energy. This legislation authorizes Medicare to negotiate prices with big drug companies (at long last!) and will cap annual out of pocket costs. We prevailed on these reforms despite the millions of dollars in advertising and lobbying that Big PhRMA spent in the last two weeks.  Â
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Larry Stafford, Jr., Executive Director of Progressive Maryland said “As corporate and CEO greed drives people’s costs higher and higher, we need the relief provided by this agreement. Almost 100 million people in this country have in recent months cut their food intake, skipped treatments, or missed a payment for basic necessities like utilities so they could afford to cover a health care expense. This bill will help get health care costs and energy costs down.” Read more in the Memo...
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We hope you’ve seen the news and are applauding the tremendous victory yesterday! The Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a plan that invests hundreds of billions of dollars in climate change, reins in some of the power and worst practices of Big PhRMA, and will require more corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. Sulma Arias, Executive Director of People’s Action (our national affiliate) issued this statement “These investments are another step forward won by the organizers and grassroots leaders who demanded political leadership that answers to people, not corporations. Lowering carbon emissions and drug prices will give our people more breathing room in a tough economy, and making sure corporations actually pay taxes is a huge step toward a more just, people-oriented economy.”  The legislation puts the U.S. on track for the first time to meet its crucial climate commitment. It targets reducing greenhouse emissions by an estimated 40% by 2030 by making big investments in clean energy. This legislation authorizes Medicare to negotiate prices with big drug companies (at long last!) and will cap annual out of pocket costs. We prevailed on these reforms despite the millions of dollars in advertising and lobbying that Big PhRMA spent in the last two weeks.    Larry Stafford, Jr., Executive Director of Progressive Maryland said “As corporate and CEO greed drives people’s costs higher and higher, we need the relief provided by this agreement. Almost 100 million people in this country have in recent months cut their food intake, skipped treatments, or missed a payment for basic necessities like utilities so they could afford to cover a health care expense. This bill will help get health care costs and energy costs down.”  The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the Senate bill this Friday, August 12. We expect it to pass there, too, and be sent to President Biden for signing!  Our thanks to Sen. Van Hollen who has been a steadfast champion for environmental protection and a strong critic of Big PhRMA and the Trump tax breaks that benefited corporate America. The requirement for a 15-percent corporate minimum tax will bring in billions of dollars in revenue from profitable corporations that have not been paying their fair share.  We still need Congress to restore the child tax credit and to make significant investments in our front line workforce and our care economy. Our chances for doing that and much more will be boosted if some Senate Republicans (every single Republican voted against the bill) get defeated in November and some newly elected progressive Senators take their places in Washington next year.  We are grateful to all of you who have worked on these issues for years and who organized with us in the 2021-2022 campaign for the Build Back Better agenda. Thank you.  In Solidarity, The PM Team |
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 Montgomery County: The count in the County Executive race is complete.  Marc Elrich (endorsed by PM) has edged out challenger David Blair, for the second time. A recount is expected which means the final outcome will likely be certified later this month. It is now official that six women will be joining the Council provided they win in the general election! Our congratulations to PM supported candidates Laurie-Anne Sayles (At-Large) Natali Fani-Gonzalez (District 6) and Kate Stewart (District 4) who all garnered impressive vote totals to secure their  victories. . We’re excited to work with them and see what they can and will do! The other women joining them are Kristin Mink (District 5) Dawn Luedtke (District 7) and Marilyn Balcombe (District 2). Congratulations to all of them, too.  General Election: In just three months Marylanders will choose a new Governor, a new Attorney General and new Comptroller. These three statewide officeholders will help set the agenda in Annapolis for the next four years! Let’s be sure we elect Democrats and reject the far right extremists at the top of the GOP ticket. Down ballot, we have a chance to elect Democrats in swing districts and races around the state. Stay tuned for more about these campaigns but suffice it to say that we’ll be supporting candidates who believe in Health Care For All, strong public schools; and protecting abortion rights and our democracy. .  If you volunteered during the Primary, thank you! We need you again for this next critical phase. If you didn’t have a chance to knock doors or make phone calls with us please get involved and help us win on November 8. Here are two ways to make a difference: |
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Task Forces & Campaign Updates:  PM Healthcare Task Force: Our focus in the coming months is our national Make Medicines Affordable campaign, our push to get more Senate sponsors on the Medicare For All Bill and our work with the statewide End Medical Debt Campaign. Contact Patty if you want to get involved.  Join us on August 31 for a virtual Speak Out Against the High Cost of Prescription Drugs. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (see above) offers a good first step around drug pricing.  We should use it to pressure our lawmakers and the industry to take more steps to make medicines affordable. At our event we’ll hear about the dificult experiences people are having and we’ll share updates on what we can collectively do.  Do you have an experience or story to share about how the cost of prescription drugs has affected you or a loved one? Please let us know by using this story share form. It’s often the stories of individuals and their families that make the difference in winning the policies and reforms we need. Â
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Local Chapter Updates:  Progressive Harford County: Progressive Harford County's August monthly meeting is next Monday, August 15 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. It will be a post-primary election recap featuring candidates speaking about how the primary went for them and what they'll need from the chapter in the general election. |
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State and National News:  In this week's News You Can Use, There’s no doubt that national-level news stands out this week – the stunning upholding of reproductive health protections in Kansas’s constitution and the passage of a cascade of bills in the US Senate – bills that boost US productivity in the critical chips sector, support veterans who suffered chemical injuries on active duty, and most of all passed the stripped-down but still high-potency Inflation Reduction Act in a marathon weekend of votes and countervotes.  But in Maryland, though less exciting, Larry Hogan's cherished toll roads on our friendly neighborhood Interstate get a setback, Anne Arundel County will vote on Fair Elections, and more. Get it all here in News You Can Use. |
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Events and Actions from Allies:  Stomp Out Slumlords DMV Wide Meeting Monday| August 8 at 6:00 p.m.  Stomp Out Slumlords will host an in-person DMV meeting with tenant leaders and organizers from across DC, Maryland and Virginia. The delegation that attended the Autonomous Tenants Union Network Convention last month in Los Angeles will report back on the experience and the lessons learned from other tenant unions. We’ll also discuss next steps for building the tenant movement across the DMV. Join us at the MLK Library (901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001).  Tuesday| August 9 8:00 a.m. Strike Support event for ATU Local 689 in District Heights, Maryland. Sign up here! Come up to support the workers. |
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Progressive Maryland BlogSpace: We value creating space for our members to express their thoughts on any issues related to our campaigns. Have an idea for a blog post? You can submit writing, film, graphic design, etc. to be published on our website to us at [email protected].
>>Read more on the homepage of progressivemaryland.org  |
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