I saw the recent and very informative Culver City News article “Helping progressive candidates in 2018” and think the work done by groups like Swing Left is fantastic. I know that our own Congressmember Karen Bass has also been doing similar great work helping Sea Change PAC educate and register voters in neighboring districts.
While I am hoping for a new Congressional dynamic after 2018, the issue of climate change demands action now — and the reality is that this action currently requires bipartisanship in Congress. We don’t have a year to wait, because global crises ranging from the war in Syria to flooding in Louisiana and Florida are happening right now.
It is for this reason that I think Representative Bass should ask one of her colleagues across the aisle to join the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the House of Representative. The Caucus is a working group that requires every Democrat to join with a Republican, and it has recently seen legislative success by defeating the Perry Amendment which Republican House leadership was pushing, and which would have banned the Pentagon from using any funds to protect our national security interests threatened by climate change.
Rep. Bass has already collaborated with her Republican counterparts on the Foreign Affairs Committee, recently sponsoring legislation to address humanitarian needs in Africa with Representatives Ed Royce (R-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Eliot Engle (D-NY). She would likely have the ear of Representative Chris Smith, a Republican from a flood-prone area of New Jersey who hasn’t yet joined the Caucus, and her direct ask to him would be another powerful use of her position beyond legislative votes or helping swing Congress in 2018. If you think Representative Bass should join the Climate Solutions Caucus, reach out to her office at 323-965-1422 and let her know.
— Jonathan Crisman
Culver City