Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that businesses have a First Amendment right to refuse certain services to same-sex couples. The court sided with a Colorado website design company owner who refused to design websites for same-sex marriages, saying it violated her free speech rights.

In response, @Olinsky, senior VP of Structural Reform & Governance at CAP, issued a statement: ampr.gs/3NAXDla

Today, the U.S. Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act. Following the vote, @PatrickGaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement: americanprogress.org/press/statemen… Today, Senate Democrats—without a single Republican vote—made a historic investment in the planet, the economy, and the American people. The Inflation Reduction Act brings down costs on some of life’s biggest non-negotiable expenses: prescription drugs, health care, and energy—

.@johnpodesta, founder and chair of the board at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement today on the infrastructure proposal circulating from members of the Senate “G20” group: ampr.gs/35vYZb7 If the bipartisan $579 billion proposal opens the door to a parallel reconciliation bill that creates a fairer tax code to support American families and makes critical investments in the clean energy jobs of the future, this can be one part of a broader agenda.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in the ongoing legal challenge to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The case, brought by Texas and other conservative state attorneys general, questioned the constitutionality of the law in light of Congress zeroing out the individual mandate penalty as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in 2017.

President Biden’s newest slate of nominees again demonstrates his commitment to improving our federal courts.

The nomination of Myrna Pérez, a renowned voting rights expert, to the appellate bench is especially welcome. bit.ly/3wsQB8n Pérez has dedicated her legal career working to ensure all Americans can vote and would be the only Latina on the Second Circuit.

Perspectives such as hers are vital to a strong bench but are sorely lacking today. ampr.gs/2SzByuA

Facebook suspended former President Trump from its platforms on January 7, the day after he helped incite a deadly and dangerous attack on the U.S. Capitol—the culmination of months of incendiary, false statements about the 2020 election from the former president. Today, the Facebook Oversight Board announced that it would uphold Facebook’s decision to restrict Trump from both Facebook and Instagram.

Today, the American Rescue Plan Act received final approval from the U.S. House of Representatives and will now go to President Biden’s desk for his signature.

Following the vote in the House, @WStachelberg, EVP for External Affairs at CAP, released the following statement: After a year of incompetent leadership on the #COVID19 crisis from the previous administration, President Biden and congressional Democrats met the historic challenge facing the country. ampr.gs/30v905R

Yesterday, @NydiaVelazquez and @RepAOC introduced the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2020. The bill would recognize the inherent authority of Puerto Rico to create a constitutional convention to determine a long-term solution for the political status of the island and establish a mechanism for a congressional response.

The most notable provisions of the bill include:

"There are additional measures we need to think about when we think about 'Is the work environment and climate for Black women a good one?' Alongside whether or not they actually, you know, have the potential to get a job." — @mlholder999 #EconForBlackWomen "The Black unemployment rate, the Black women's unemployment rate, is higher than the White unemployment rate at every level of education. So education is not an explanation for why there's a racial disparity or a gender disparity in unemployment rate." — @ValerieRWilson

Today, on the 55th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act into law, @neeratanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
ampr.gs/2C7HAuo The 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act comes at a moment when the right of millions to cast their ballot is in peril.

Following several days of protests against police brutality towards Black Americans, President Donald Trump gave a speech threatening to use the military against Americans exercising their First Amendment rights. Following his speech, @NeeraTanden issued the following statement:

Rather than making any attempt to heal this nation, President Trump’s actions & words are tearing the country apart, & it falls upon every government official of both parties and every citizen to reject his call.

"As I see it, it should not be harder for service members to vote on U.S. soil than it is abroad."
— @neeratanden with opening remarks
#VeteransVoteByMail "[Veterans] are being told you have to choose between exposing yourself to a deadly disease that you are more vulnerable to or you don't get to vote. I think that would be a shameful thing."

— @SenDuckworth #VeteransVoteByMail

As the House prepares to vote on a war powers resolution to limit the Trump administration’s actions on Iran, @neeratanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement 👇
americanprogress.org/press/statemen… This resolution is an important step in preventing President Trump from taking the U.S. further down the path towards war with Iran. It would help restore Congress’ constitutional role in deciding war and peace, and limit the president’s ability to act unilaterally.

Today, the U.S. Senate will vote on a resolution to block a Trump administration rule allowing insurers to sell junk insurance plans that don’t cover preexisting conditions. thehill.com/policy/healthc… A little refresher ⬇️

Junk insurance plans lack critical consumer protections and have a long history of fraud on the individual insurance market.

These plans are the Trump University equivalent of health insurance. nytimes.com/2019/06/12/hea…

Today, the U.S. departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services released a joint final rule to overturn the three-decade-old Flores settlement and allow for the indefinite incarceration of children and families.

Read @pwolgin's statement below 👇 Every time we think we’ve seen the low point of the Trump administration’s cruelty toward immigrants, children, and families, it turns around and takes an even more punitive measure.

The #TrumpShutdown by the numbers:
420,000 federal workers forced to work without pay
380,000 federal workers will be sent home without pay
80% of all federal employees live outside of DC/Maryland/Virginia americanprogress.org/issues/economy… State breakdown:
39,240 in California
32,864 in Texas
15,754 in Colorado
14,698 in Florida
14,441 in Georgia
14,360 in New York
12,853 in Missouri
12,643 in Pennsylvania
10,923 in Washington
10,104 in Utah
9,159 in Oregon
8,341 in Illinois
7,385 in Massachusetts
7,383 in Arizona

As Attorney General, Jeff Sessions did not miss an opportunity to criminalize and terrorize people of color. In this thread, we’ll take you through the 25 ways he did so:

1. Sessions sabotaged the 2020 census by helping Wilbur Ross add a new question about immigration status. 2. Sessions asked Congress to eliminate the DOJ’s Community Relations Service, which is dedicated to addressing racial tensions and preventing hate crimes.

.@SenJeffMerkley's Constitutional Consideration for Use of Force Act is an important step in restoring Congress’ constitutional war powers to decide on going to war. It would replace the 2001 and 2002 #AUMFs still being used as legal authority to fight terrorist groups.