Thread by @HaleyLive

Good morning! 👋

How is everyone doing today?

Remember: We’re in this together. 💪

I thought I would use this AM thread to clear up a few things and questions😌

THREAD ⤵️

TOPIC 1 : A constituent recently asked me:

“Haley Stevens how do we stop Trump from making decisions to open up the country and risk millions of lives. It makes my blood boil that he is putting money over human life.”

As you have maybe seen, and perhaps been scratching your head I have from my outpost @ home been trying to beat Trump at his own game and convince him to keep Fauci by his side at any cost!

Having an actual doc qualifying medical advice on national stage will save lives.

But good news! We have an amazing bill by @RepPaulTonko

“The Scientific Integrity Act” — which ensures that the scientific integrity of our agencies will not be muzzled by political interests.

The bill has gone through the subcommittee I chair on House Science for Research and Technology. The hearing had some contention and lucky for all @sjdemas covered 😊

The Integrity Act needs to be passed immediately.

TOPIC 2) As many of you have been watching events in Washington play out from home so have most Members of Congress.

Why? The House is not in session.

Some MOCs are quarantined, a few have been diagnosed with COVID, and the rest of us are just waiting for the 24hr return notice

As you can imagine, this is complicated by pandemic.

I as an MOC from MI can return to Washington by plane OR car. As of right now, I plan to return by car.

For many of our members west of the Mississippi River and beyond out to the west coast, they have a different realty.

What’s safest for any essential worker in this country right now?

Who really knows.

COVID is still a novel disease that we don’t know everything about.

All me to stress some of our members are quarantined.

We need to figure out proxy vote option for quarantined members, which is currently not in house rules in event of pandemic.

Parliaments in Europe have also grappled with this issue and have been making rapid changes.

As all reading know, society has had to make changes and sacrifices at a grand scale right now - from shuttered enterprises across nation, heck Americans can’t even go to the mall.

Yesterday on the DEM CAUCUS CALL
I asked for House Leadership to do the following:

1) Devote the time to provide the guidelines to determine the best modus operands for our body – the rules or administrative affairs

This is what freshman class military and service members @ElissaSlotkin have called for in “continuity of government” and something @katieporteroc has asked for as well.

As a Chair of R&T committee that oversees NIST - the standards body in govt I am prepared to help as well.

As Chair of Rules committee @RepMcGovern and Chair of House Admin @RepZoeLofgren have been doing a GREAT job trying to figure out legislating in the age of COVID

2) We know the WH is lacking in discipline and as a result, our country lacks leadership at likely one of our gravest times since WWII.

3) Where grocers fear for their life, doctors are out of supply and the entirety of our industrial base is staring off a cliff.

#truth

4) We must lead the way in this essential time where our constituents are counting on us to represent them from the most sacred space in our democracy – the well of the House floor.

cc @LeaderHoyer who is working on it.

Many of us believe the house floor should be open for debate to address these matters.

We haven’t had formal debate since the 12th.

The econ relief package we have been able to do remotely and through caucuses @VoteNewDems @repmarkpocan, along with various committee calls and opportunities for all members to add to legislation through the normal process.

I have been working on the relief package since the 12th and am very pleased the things I have asked for, for our workers, cities, small biz, and auto&aero manufacturers are included.

We need to do this bill ASAP. D&R are all working on it which has been beautiful but messy.

For protesterity and as it pertains to why it is important for the floor to be open during times of crisis... I am an Italian American who watched my mother country battle this pandemic on 3/12-3/13 the floor was closed, and I could not speak.

I am elected by my constituents to speak for them. And I believe they are being somewhat misled about what we are actually doing in Washington which is dangerous when communities are sheltering and we are taking big votes.

The traditions and foundations of our democracy are something I take very seriously.

And so should all of you.

Particularly in a pandemic.

Okay that is the end of the thread for now.

All my best,

Haley

Post script: pardon typos, these have definitely increased over the last week and I’m working on it.

“All me” - was supposed to be allow me

And “realty” is reality

See any others just ask.

Cheers,