Senate bill holds ground against Trump environment assault

The fossil fuel industry has had serious influence over American politicians for decades. This has not changed with the Trump Administration. In fact, it seems that Trump is even more brazen in his courting of the fossil fuel industry, instead of “draining the swamp” of corporate lobbying as he had promised during his campaign. Trump has been relentlessly undoing every environmental regulation possible, pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord and has invited into his cabinet, with open arms, fossil fuel industry executives and lobbyists. However, Trump's cozying up to the fossil fuel industry and his attacks on the environment have not gone unchallenged.

Bill in Senate challenges fossil fuel industry

Trump's attacks on science and the environment prompted a massive populist response in the form of the March For Science. This worldwide event in April inspired hundreds of thousands to march against Trump's climate science-denying agenda. It also inspired the People's Climate March in late-April which saw more than 150,000 people march on Washington D.C. to protest Trump's attack on Mother Earth. It was during this march on Washington D.C. that Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA) announced the Keep It in the Ground Act of 2017 (S. 750) which Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced in the Senate.

What does the bill propose to do?

The Senate bill, a version of which was originally introduced in the House by Congressman Huffman in February 2016, would seriously slowdown Trump's anti-environment agenda by making it more difficult for the fossil fuel industry to continue exploiting nature for profits. The legislation would immediately ban any new leases of Federal lands for the purposes of extracting coal, oil, gas, oil shale and tar sands. It would also terminate any already-existent non-producing leases for fossil fuel extraction on Federal lands. Additionally, the bill would do the same for offshore drilling in the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic and the Atlantic.

As of now only a handful of Senators have co-sponsored the Senate bill. Some of those co-sponsors include Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Despite current lack of support from lawmakers in the Senate, there is significant grassroots support for the bill, particularly coming from former-Ohio state senator Nina Turner and Our Revolution. However, it will take all of us standing together to protect the environment against Trump. You can join in on the effort by calling your Senators and demanding they take a stand for the planet and support the Keep It In the Ground Act of 2017.

The solution to right-wing fake news: college for all

The key to any successful democracy is an informed public. Democracies empower their citizens to influence their government in ways other types of societies, such as dictatorships, do not. However, with this power comes great responsibility. It is imperative that America makes education as accessible as possible to as many people as possible to ensure the public cannot be fooled by conspiracy theories and fake news which played a significant role in the election of Donald Trump.

Conspiracy theories and fake news duped Trump voters

One of the first things one learns in college is how to form logical arguments based upon facts and evidence. Another thing college teaches a person is how to discern credible sources from suspect ones. Unfortunately, the lack of these two abilities allowed many people to fall for far-fetched right-wing conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton. It also allowed for Trump to spew his nonsense assertions without any evidence, all the while his followers believed every word he said. The problem is so serious and unprecedented that the FBI has decided to investigate possible links between far-right fake news websites, such as Breitbart, and the Trump presidential campaign.

Stop the problem at the root

Although investigating the role of fake news and disinformation in the recent election is essential, it is also important to tackle the root of the problem, which is a lack of knowledge. One bill currently in the the House and Senate aims to address the root of the problem by making sure every American has the right to attend college. The College for All Act of 2017 was first introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) in the Senate and then by fellow progressive Representative Jayapal Pramila (D-WA) in the House.

College for everybody

The bill aims to make community colleges tuition free for everybody. It would also make four-year universities free for those students who are from families earning $125,000 or less annually. Also, those who are still living with student debt would be given the ability to refinance their student loans.

How would free college be funded?

Paying for college for all sounds like a challenging task financially, however it is quite doable. The bill would raise funds for the program by charging an investment tax on Wall Street which is already making record profits while everyday Americans are facing stagnant wages and an unaffordable housing market. 

Who supports college for all?

The only thing left to make college for all a reality is the political will to do so. The proposed legislation has been co-sponsored by seven Democratic Senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. The bill has been co-sponsored by 32 Democrats in Congress including Tulsi Gabbard, Ro Khanna and Raul Grijalva. Currently no Republicans have co-sponsored.

If you want to fight against the GOP war on knowledge and right-wing fake news, then you should contact your representatives in Congress and the Senate and demand they support the College for All Act of 2017. This bill could save the American democracy experiment.

Trump immigration policy worsens U.S. housing crisis

Part of the American dream has always been to be able to leave the cycle of constantly paying rent every month through home ownership. However, lately Americans have found this increasingly more difficult to achieve due to the severe housing shortage in the U.S. which is causing real estate prices to skyrocket to price points not affordable for everyday Americans. Unfortunately, President Trump's immigration policies are making the problem worse.

Supply does not meet demand

Currently, there is strong demand for purchasing homes however the supply of homes on the market have been woefully short of meeting this demand. In July, new housing construction starts decreased by 4.8 percent to approximately 1.16 million units which is down from 1.21 million units from the month prior, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. June had marked 25 consecutive months that inventory had fallen annually, according to HousingWire. There is a shortage of more than 3.2 million homes in the U.S., according to statistics from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) which had been reported by Huffington Post.

As a result, in accordance with simple supply and demand economics, the lack of adequate supply to meet demand is keeping would-be home buyers from being able to own homes. Affordable homes are now routinely sold after just a few days on the market in many regions of the country, according to Huffington Post.

Trump immigration policy causes labor shortage for home builders

One main factor which home builders have cited as significantly contributing to the inability to create more housing supply is the shortage of labor required for construction projects. In a recent NAHB survey home builders cited significant labor shortages in various occupations related to home construction, according to BuilderOnline.com. Many home builders claim Trump's anti-immigration policies are keeping them from being able to obtain the necessary labor which had been previously filled by foreign immigrant workers, according to Nasdaq.com. Ric Campo, the Chairman and CEO of Camden Property Trust, one of the largest real estate investment trusts in the country, recently said in a call with investors that there is a shortage of labor in every market which is causing the cost of land to rise.

This is bad news for the everyday American who is not seeing their wages rise at the rate of overall inflation and definitely not at the rate of skyrocketing home prices. Trump's crackdown on immigration and increased deportation efforts is not only tearing apart immigrant families, but is also making the American dream of owning a home much less attainable for average people in the United States.