Monthly Meeting Draws a Crowd

Monthly Meeting Draws a Crowd

Well, maybe there weren’t quite as many people at our monthly meeting as in the graphic above, but it sure seems close. Last Wednesday we had over 40 people attend in person and another ten or so attend remotely. We were very heartened to see that our community is willing to step up now, in times that demand it.

With so many new people on hand the introductions alone took several minutes, followed by our monthly business. But when the time finally came for open comments the discussion WAS AMAZING. One clear message from that discussion was that we are all beyond frustrated at the new administration’s actions and we are all seeking ways to oppose those actions. Below, we have one thing you can do right now, and some actions we are taking to gear up for the long haul:

ONE ACTION TO TAKE RIGHT NOW

If you want one thing to do right now, this week we're asking you to call Jack Bergman. His DC office number is (202) 225-4735. Mention that you're a constituent! If there's a specific issue that concerns you, feel free to talk about that - it's best if you speak from the heart. If you'd like a theme, here are two possibilities:

• Just because a Congressman is a member of the President's party shouldn't mean he can sit back while our constitutional order is overturned. The House is letting the Executive Branch steal the power of the purse, and an executive who has command of both the military and the budget isn't a president, he's a king. The Treasury cannot refuse to pay bills incurred by other departments; the President cannot destroy agencies created by legislation simply because he doesn't like them. If House Republicans continue to let Trump and his unelected vizier Elon Musk ignore the law, what's Jack drawing a salary for?

• The NIH just made a massive cut to University grants - not just future grants, but reneging on actual payments already budgeted for this year! Between this and House Republicans' proposed cuts to NSF funding, this will have devastating effects on Michigan Tech as a research university, right here in Houghton, and also on rural health programs. NIH rates are not supposed to be cut without Congressional approval, especially payments that were already negotiated, and NSF funding is important for the work done at Tech. Jack is letting Trump and co-President Musk gut major economic engines in his district.

GETTING IN GEAR FOR THE LONG HAUL

• We have been highlighting actions you can take on our social media accounts, and we encourage everyone to follow us online. We are @houghtondems on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and our brand-new account on Bluesky.

• To facilitate joint actions we’re trialing a recurring action-oriented get-together outside of our normal monthly meeting (which tends to focus on the “business” of running a local party). The first get-together will be at 6 PM next Wednesday, February 19th at Biggby's in Houghton. If you want to attend, please RSVP here so we have a count of attendees and know to look for you.

• If you want to be part of our decision loop, we have a Political Organizing Committee and an Events Committee. Send us word that you want to join the work and we'll get you in touch with the Committee Chairs.

SAVE THE DATE!

THE 63RD ANNUAL SPRING FLING BANQUET AND FUNDRAISER IS SATURDAY, MAY 3

DINNER, AWARDS, AND SILENT AUCTION
To donate items for the auction or to place an ad in the program, contact Nancy Verive. [email protected] / 812-573-1403.

Watch future newsletters for more details and ticket information! 

David Hogg New DNC Vice Chair

Last week we highlighted that Minnesota state party chair Ken Martin had won the race to become Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Also elected by DNC committee members, as Vice Chair, was David Hogg.

You may know of Mr. Hogg. He is a survivor of the 2018 Stoneman Douglas school shooting outside of Miami, Florida. After the shooting he became an outspoken activist for gun control and against gun violence. In the 2024 election cycle Hogg, along with Kevin Lata, founded Leaders We Deserve, a grassroots organization dedicated to electing young progressives to Congress and State Legislatures across the country. At the end of January Rolling Stone published an interview with Hogg titled David Hogg Knows Why Democrats Lost Young Voters, which is well worth the read. Hogg is 24 years old.

Over his first few days as the new Vice Chair, Hogg has taken to posting “What Democrats Did Today” messages on his social media accounts to spread the word that we are not simply taking what Donald Trump is dishing out. You can see an example of one of those posts below. We’ll share future “What Democrats Did Today” posts on our own social media.

Michigan Democratic Party Spring Convention February 22

The Michigan Democratic Party’s Spring 2025 Convention will take place Saturday, February 22 at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

At the 2025 Spring State Convention, Michigan Democrats will gather by congressional district to elect district officers and members to the State Central Committee. On the Convention floor, Democrats will vote by congressional district to elect a Chair and two (2) Vice-Chairs of the State Central Committee.

All members of the Michigan Democratic Party are encouraged to attend the 2025 Spring State Convention.

Registration Now Open For the MDP Rural Caucus Summit

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR RURAL CAUCUS SUMMIT

The 3rd annual MDP Rural Caucus Summit will be held April 10th through the 12th. The Kewadin Casino and Resort in Sault Ste Marie will once again be the venue. Top keynote speakers are expected again next year, along with training sessions on running for rural office, rural party building, messaging, and much more.

News from the Capitols

NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST TO HOUGHTON COUNTY DEMOCRATS

IN LANSING

• HUNDREDS OF ACTIVISTS RALLY AT CAPITOL IN LANSING: On Wednesday hundreds of activists rallied at the state capitol building in Lansing against Trump administration policies. The rally was part of the “50501 Movement”, a grassroots effort to organize 50 protests at 50 state capitals on one day. The “movement” started as an idea two weeks earlier that was posted to Reddit, the popular social forum and news aggregation app. (There is now a subreddit (or forum) dedicated to the movement.) The protestors in Lansing chanted and waved signs criticizing a wide range of Trump’s policies, including on immigration and LGBTQ rights. MORE: Michigan Public Radio

• STATE BUDGET PROPOSAL: On Wednesday Governor Whitmer proposed her fiscal 2025 budget. The $83.5 billion budget is an increase over last year, but would still leave an estimated small surplus at the end of the year. Her administration said her proposal will help make the state more affordable for families and help students, seniors, the environment and more. MORE: Bridge Michigan 

• LEADER BRINKS FILES SUIT AGAINST SPEAKER HALL FOR ILLEGALLY WITHHOLDING APPROVED BILLS: On Monday, February 3rd, Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks announced that she has filed suit against Republican state House Speaker Matt Hall. As noted in this space previously, Speaker Hall has failed to send nine bills approved by both chambers of the state legislature to the Governor for signature, as required under the state constitution. MORE: Press Release, Michigan Senate Democrats

• NESSEL AGAIN FILES SUIT AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: On Friday Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office announced that they had joined with 23 other state attorneys general in again filing suit against the Trump administration for their non-compliance with an earlier court order. The Trump administration had been ordered to pause their attempts to freeze nearly $3 trillion in federal assistance funding allocated to the states. These funds support critical programs and services that benefit the American people. MORE: Press Release, Attorney General Nessel

• SHERIFF JOINS RACE FOR GOVERNOR: Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, a Democrat, announced on Thursday that he’s throwing his hat into the ring for the Governor’s race. You may recall Swanson from the George Floyd protests. When protestors marched in Flint, Genesee County’s largest city, Swanson took off his riot gear and marched with them. That act brought Swanson to state, and national, attention. Swanson appeared at the Democratic National Convention last August, endorsing Kamala Harris. MORE: AP News

• MHSAA ALLOWS TRANS ATHLETES TO COMPETE DESPITE TRUMP ORDER: The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) said on Thursday that they are not immediately reversing their policy that allows transgender athletes to compete in high school sports despite a new executive order by President Donald Trump. The Association is awaiting legal guidance as to how it should react to the order. The announcement comes as the NCAA has already updated its policies to align with Trump’s order. Meanwhile, in the state House, Republicans have introduced a bill to require that awards, rankings, and records of any sporting events that receive state funding must be categorized according to each competitor’s biological sex. MORE: Click on Detroit

IN WASHINGTON

• TRUMP ADMIN SPEAKS OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF ITS MOUTH ON GREAT LAKES ENVIRONMENT: The Chicago Tribune highlighted on Wednesday how comments by VP Vance about protecting Ohio’s environment are at odds with his own administration’s attempts to cut EPA staff in the Great Lakes region. MORE: Chicago Tribune (via AOL) 

• PROJECT 2025 ARCHITECT APPROVED TO CABINET: On Thursday Russell Vought, one of the primary authors of Project 2025, was approved by the Senate, on a purely partisan vote, to head the federal Office of Management and Budget. Democrats kept the Senate in session Wednesday night and into the morning on Thursday as they expressed their total opposition to the candidate. That move came after Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee had earlier boycotted a vote to advance Vought's nomination. In the end it came down to the numbers, and Democrats are now in the minority in the Senate. MORE: AP News

• NOMINEE VOTE TRACKER: Want to see how Senators Peters and Slotkin have voted on Trump’s cabinet nominees? Their votes have been mixed, and they haven’t always agreed with each other. You can see how every Senator voted on particular nominees from this Senate Nominations vote tracker. Click on the “No. XX” in the “Vote” column in the row for each nominee to see the full list of Senators and their votes.

• GOVERNMENT OF THE BILLIONAIRES, BY THE BILLIONAIRES, FOR THE BILLIONAIRES: Updated Sunday, this article from New York magazine’s Intelligencer column, called All the Federal Agencies DOGE Has Broken Into, lays out all of DOGE’s problematic (read illegal) actions to date.

• ELECTED DEMOCRATS FRUSTRATED: On Sunday’s Meet the Press program Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey expressed the frustration than many elected Democrats are now feeling. “We are at a point where we are basically on the cusp of a constitutional crisis, seeing this administration taking steps that are so clearly illegal, and until we see a change in that behavior, we should not allow and condone that, nor should we assist in that,” Kim said, while advocating that Democrats should stand united to not fund the US government when the current continuing budget resolution expires in mid-March. Senate rules require a three-fifths vote to end debate (cloture) on a continuing resolution before it can be voted up or down by a simple majority. MORE: NBC News

Governmental & Community Meetings

TODAY, TUE FEB 11

This month's regular meeting of the Houghton County Board of Commissioners is this afternoon at 4 PM in the Conference Room on the fifth floor of the Houghton County Courthouse. Find more information on the Board's webpage (find the Microsoft Teams virtual meeting info in the Agenda).

The Calumet Village Council meets in a Working Session tonight at 6 PM in the Village Council Chambers. Further information can be found on the Village website.

WED FEB 12

The Houghton City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Meeting Agenda can be found in the Searchable Document Center of the Council's website.

This newsletter is paid for with regulated funds by the Houghton County Democratic Party, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Contact us by email at [email protected] or by text or voicemail at 906-523-1233