Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/3

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!

I’m still in New York visiting family, so for the rest of this week my newsletters will be brief.

Sadly, Congress will be off to a slow start anyway, as Republicans will likely spend the week fighting over the Speakership and gnashing their teeth at each other in performative displays of one-upmanship. Sigh. We could have had a Democratic House beginning work on more legislation to help the American people. Instead we will have two years of brute clownery.

But we’ll deal with it, and even make the most of it. That’s what we do. We did it for four years during Trump—oy!—and we will do it now, too. Meanwhile we will fight to ensure that our Democratic-run Senate is making the most of its (slightly) expanded majority.

Much more to come, in other words. And I’m grateful to know you’ll be by my side for it.

Win Races! 🗳

Jade Harris, running in the special election in VA happening next week, has a volunteer event today at noon. Her campaign really, really needs people to phonebank and send texts—and canvass if they are local. Please attend if you can to learn more about how to help.

12 PM ET. Sign up here.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[to President Biden and your Congressmembers] [H/T Judd Legum] [Quick send: text SIGN PFUVCS to 50409]

President Biden just approved $858 billion in military spending — an increase of about $273 billion. 

The budget for the military continues to increase even though the Pentagon cannot provide an accurate accounting of how the money is spent. In 1990 Congress passed a law directing all federal agencies to produce regular, audited financial statements. The annual audit allows Congress and the public to hold federal agencies accountable for how they spend tax dollars.

But the law does not include any consequences for non-compliance, and the Department of Defense did not even attempt to complete an audit until 2017. Since then it has failed the audit process five times. In this year's audit, only seven of the 27 entities that make up the Department of Defense received a clean bill of financial health.

The Department of Defense spends about $1 billion per year, employing 1600 auditors, to conduct the financial review but has not been able to achieve meaningful improvements. Why are you not insisting that it does? This is taxpayer money. We demand accountability! Please push the DoD to clean up its act now! Thanks.

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OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess