The GOP Really, Really, Really Doesn't Want You Driving An EV (6/9/26)
Congress considers jacking up fees. Plus transphobic ballot measures in Colorado, Freedom Summer gets underway and more
TOO LONG, DIDN’T READ
Contact House members to oppose burdensome fees on electric vehicles and senators to keep pushing for a rollback of SNAP cuts
Help JoAnna Mendoza beat a Trump sycophant in one of the most competitive House districts in the country – phonebanks Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
Organizing to defeat two transphobic ballot measures in Colorado
Hunger strikes update - Governor Sherrill allowed inside Delaney Hall but denied access to detainees, two Belizean protesters transferred from Adelanto
Black-led organizations prepare to launch Freedom Summer mobilizations June 20th
Medicare for All organizing call with National Nurses United TOMORROW
If you have questions, comments, and especially submissions for actions, please email us at roganslisttips@gmail.com!
ICE-CBP FUNDING REACHES HOUSE FLOOR, PLUS GOP WANTS TO HIKE EV PRICES AND DEMS WANT TO STOP SNAP CUTS
The major action of the day on Capitol Hill will be in the House on ICE-CBP funding, where despite Democrats exerting significant leverage to get in their way Republicans are set to pump another $70 billion into the deportation machine without any restraints to protect our neighbors or the rule of law. 🗣️ If we’ve got a GOP rep and haven’t called about this in a bit, let’s get in one more cry for justice and public safety today. 🗣️
This is also a good moment to turn our attention to the rest of the agenda Congress will be trying to deal with before the election, with work continuing on two major long-term pieces of legislation.
The current surface transportation authorization bill, a five-year law by which the government directs billions in funding for everything from bridge repairs to bike paths to bus service, expires September 30. Last month, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved the House version forward, but not before turning it into yet another weapon in the GOP war against electric vehicles.
Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) has included a $130 per year fee on drivers registering electric vehicles, which will eventually climb to $150. He claims this is meant to ensure EV drivers are contributing to highway maintenance the same as everyone else, but they’d be paying almost double what gas-powered car drivers do in gas taxes. If the GOP gets its way, it will mean 97 million metric tons of additional climate pollution, kill thousands of manufacturing jobs and raise energy prices for American families – even as gas prices skyrocket.
The good news is: we may have the support to stop this. They’ll need multiple Senate Democrats to vote yes on the final bill, and climate hawk senators like Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse are calling the EV fees a non-starter. Even the House might be a problem, with right-wingers like Ron DeSantis and Grover Norquist trashing this as a car tax hike. So let’s make sure they know we’ve got our eyes on this lower-profile issue and want them to fight. 🗣️ Let’s call our House members and tell them to vote no on any bill that includes this EV tax. We can find an email tool and talking points to use from Evergreen Action here and here. 🗣️
On the Senate side, negotiations are continuing over their version of the Farm Bill, which committee chair Senator John Boozman (R-AR) wants to move forward by the end of June. The sticking point is Trump’s deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the MAGA murder budget, with the GOP would of course like to preserve and Democrats are hoping to at least delay.
Local Republican leaders have expressed concern about the impact of these attacks on food assistance, and 14 Democrats allowed them to survive in the House. This is another issue where our leaders could stand to know we’re paying attention. 🗣️ Let’s use this email tool and language from the Food Research & Action Center to let our senators know they should oppose any Farm Bill that does not restore SNAP. We can supplement with information on how many people are already having food taken off their tables by these cuts and estimates on how much extra it will cost our state’s government. 🗣️
SPOTLIGHT ON: AZ-06
The Arizona Sixth Congressional District, based in the Tucson suburbs and rural southeastern Arizona, is one of the most competitive in the country. GOP incumbent Juan Ciscomani won his first two terms by 1.5% and 2.5%, and Trump carried it by just 0.7% in 2024. But unlike a lot of swing district Republicans, Ciscomani hasn’t bothered to cover for his enabling of Trump with a few aisle-crossing votes here or there. He helped provide narrow margins to protect the inflation-sparking tariffs, let Trump have his way on the Iran War and slash Medicaid and food assistance to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.
He’ll face off against Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, who grew up in a family that relied on programs like WIC and Medicaid and went on to serve her community as a Marine Corps drill instructor and a non-profit leader. She’s prepared to speak to the struggles working families are facing and Ciscomani is helping worsen. ☎️ Let’s help her build her campaign! We can sign up to phonebank for JoAnna Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9PM ET and Saturdays from 3:00-5:30 PM ET. ☎️
Looking for more ways to help win the midterms? Rogan’s List is keeping a running list here.
MARKING PRIDE MONTH BY HELPING PROTECT TRANS KIDS IN COLORADO
With prices skyrocketing from Trump’s tariffs and wars of choice and the White House specifically targeting their state for retribution, Colorado right wingers don’t have much to motivate folks to get out to vote. So naturally, they’re turning to a scapegoat: trans kids. Anti-LGBTQ+ activist Erin Lee has gotten two entirely unnecessary transphobic initiatives on the ballot this November: Initiative 109, which would expose kids to genital inspections just to play school sports, and Initiative 110, placing politicians between families and their doctors on gender-affirming care to ban surgeries not offered in the state. 🙋🏽♂️ We can read more about the measures and who is behind them here, sign up to help Families Not Politics defeat them here, and help boost opponents on Instagram here, Facebook here and Bluesky here. 🙋🏻♂️
HUNGER STRIKES: STONEWALLING IN JERSEY, RETALIATION IN CALIFORNIA
The hunger strikes in Adelanto and Delaney Hall are on days #23 and #19. Mainstream interest doesn’t seem to stick when there’s not “clashes between protesters and ICE” to report, so it’s our responsibility to keep eyes on these folks as they continue their fight.
Governor Mikie Sherrill was finally allowed into the ICE camp in Newark by Homeland Security, but she was not permitted to meet with the hunger strikers, or interact with any detainees at all. She (correctly) pointed out that this raises serious questions about their treatment and the conditions they’re forced to live in. Senator Andy Kim visited over the weekend and was also prevented from speaking with those held captive. 🗣️ Let’s reach out to Governor Sherrill by phone and email to thank her for making the visit and to urge her to continue to insist she be able to sit down with the hunger strikers, and continue to press our own members of Congress to make inspection visits of DHS facilities and hear from the immigrants being held by ICE about what they’re living through. 🗣️
We’ve also received more reports of retaliation against strikers in Adelanto, with Kyron Shakeel Swaso and Gilbert Anthony Arnold being transferred yesterday morning. This tactic removes individuals even further from their communities and support networks, causing significant harm. 🗣️ Both Swaso and Anthony are citizens of Belize, so we’re being asked to contact the Belizean consulate to advocate on their behalf. We can find contact info and language to use here and here. 🗣️
We can find more ways to act in solidarity with these protesters here.
WELCOME TO FREEDOM SUMMER
We’ve talked some about the John Lewis Good Trouble Lives On Weekend of Action, but that celebration of voter registration and activation is just one part of what Black-led organizations have planned for these post-Callais months.
On June 20th, they’re officially launching Freedom Summer 2026, a coordinated drumbeat of 10 mobilizations designed to keep the pressure on and get targeted communities to turn out. They’ll be bringing folks together for a Juneteenth weekend of action, the anniversaries of the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the March on Washington, National Voter Registration Day in September, and more, including a major push in the weekend before Election Day - recruiting a base of activated volunteers ready to rebuild multiracial democracy and putting them to work educating and rallying voters. 🪧 Let’s read more and sign up for updates on these efforts as they’re officially scheduled here. 🪧
MEDICARE FOR ALL ORGANIZING CALL TOMORROW
Trump and congressional Republicans killing the Affordable Care Act tax credits has been a disaster, one that could push as many as five million people out of the ACA marketplace and has raised those who remain’s premiums by 58% and deductibles by 37%. We’re also seeing premiums climbing for Medicare beneficiaries (10% hike) and folks getting health insurance through their employers (9% hike). The MAGA Murder Budget is expected to increase the total number of uninsured Americans by 10 million by 2034.
And as much damage as the GOP has done, our broken health care system was a mess under Biden, too, with a recent study finding the number of young children without insurance rose by 22% from 2022 to 2024. The United States consistently has the worst health outcomes of any high-income nation, even while we pay more than anyone. Things have to change. 65% of Americans are ready for Medicare for All.
🙋🏾♀️ TOMORROW at 8PM ET, National Nurses United and their allies in the health care justice movement will be holding a national organizing call to get folks plugged into the fight for Medicare for All, starting this summer. Let’s sign up to join them here. 🙋🏻♂️
👀 KEEPING AN EYE ON… 👀
Looking for more ways to get engaged in the midterms? Here’s a full list - including getting trained to join Fair Fight Action’s text team TODAY at 4PM ET!
Upcoming fights in Congress: Warrantless wiretapping authority expires Friday, stalled over nomination of Trump henchman Bill Pulte as acting DNI and lack of guardrails; Senate up to bat on Iran war powers resolution after House passage; Senate to consider agriculture appropriations bill that cuts food assistance for newborns and pregnant women; Senate will consider nomination of Trump henchmen Todd Blanche for AG, Senate GOP continues work on drafting farm bill that would preserve SNAP cuts, House considers NDAA; continued pressure to block Trump’s slush fund and self-pardon
Tell blue state Dems to fight fire with fire in countering gerrymandering
Reps. Gregory Meeks, Nydia Velazquez introduce new war powers resolution aimed at blocking attacks on Cuba in the House - tell our reps to support it
Hold community organizing meetings to counter-program Trump’s cage fight on Sunday
Apply to train as a tenant union organizer by June 15th - next info session THURSDAY at 6:30PM ET
Get Free, 50501 hold All of U.S. 250 mobilizations nationwide June 27th
Submit public comments to oppose barring trans folks from emergency shelters by June 29th
Good Trouble Lives On voting rights weekend of action July 17th-19th - register events here
The rest of the world can’t get enough EVs. Our auto industry will suffer from policies embraced by our leaders. OK, by one leader but all the others continue to kiss the, uh, ring.
Actions to prevent high(er) EV taxes are critical. The EV market and necessary support for it are way behind Europe, China...