Major props to Democrats this week.

[babylonsister]

Last edited Sat Jan 10, 2026, 10:48 AM - Edit history (1)

I am really grateful and am enjoying their presence everywhere you look this week. I have noticed them and have also noticed the lack of anything important rethugs have done. I heard they introduced legislation this week to monitor shower heads.

Democrats introduced and voted on Obamacare subsidies and got them extended for the three years they had initially asked for. to Jeffries

Democrats got the House to slap back at the buffoon regarding Venezuela and future actions there. At least now he theoretically needs permission before starting anything, and hopefully that halt will apply to Greenland and any other country this warmonger has mentioned if necessary.

Dems are still going after the Epstein files and making incremental progress. I imagine this is going to take awhile, but they've been on it.

And Democrats are pushing to rein in ICE, which we all know is crucial.

After such a sad, emotional week for this country, I didn't want their contributions to go unnoticed.

Edit to add: Please see responses for some corrections, but I still maintain Dems are trying hard to make a difference despite being in the minority.

[gab13by13]

1. Obamacare subsidies have not been extended for 3 years,

The Senate will never approve the House bill. Hopefully we may get a compromise bill.

[babylonsister]

4. I stand corrected, and can hope you're wrong. I wonder

daily how our congressional reps can vote against this if they have any intention of being reelected. Seems like they're working against their own best interests as well as their constituents'.

[70sEraVet]

11. You're probably right about the compromise.

They have to somehow please their constituents, but without looking like they have the balls to stand up to trump.

[yorkster]

2. Thanks for this, babylonsister.

[mcar]

3. What? An OP praising Democrats here on DU!

Thank you for this - and thanks to our Democrats.

[wolfie001]

8. Yes!!! with a guffaw included

[betsuni]

20. I know! It was like opening a suspicious package, waiting for the BOOM.

But it was okay!

[mcar]

24. Yes! I had a similar reaction

[Quiet Em]

5. Lauren Underwood on Bluesky

Oh my gosh you guys! The House just passed my bill to extend the health care tax credits for three more years!

— Rep. Lauren Underwood (@underwood.house.gov) 2026-01-08T22:39:29.041Z

She's so fantastic. She puts in the work, she gets things done, and she's such a lovely person.

[murielm99]

9. She deserves recognition.

She does not fly around the country looking for kudos. She seldom attends social events in her own state. She puts her head down and works. Maybe it comes from being a nurse. Nurses work very hard.

It is notable that she represents the Illinois 14th District. It is Denny Hastert's old district. We all know the trouble he got into. Good riddance to him.

[Wiz Imp]

6. I 100% agree with the sentiment of your post, but your specifics are incorrect.

First of all, while the Obamacare subsidies were voted on and passed in the House, they did not "got them extended for the three years they had initially asked for" since the Senate still needs to pass them also and Trump sign the bill for them to take effect and mean anything. At this point, nothing has changed even though the bill passed the House.

Second, you said:

Democrats got the House to slap back at the buffoon regarding Venezuela and future actions there. At least now he theoretically needs permission before starting anything, and hopefully that halt will apply to Greenland and any other country this warmonger has mentioned if necessary.

In fact, it was the Senate , not the House, that voted on requiring Trump to seek congressional approval before taking any new military action in Venezuela. However, this vote simply advances the legislation. Per this Politico article: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/08/senate-votes-to-restrict-trump-on-venezuela-00716127 .

The Senate will next debate the measure and vote to pass it. But the resolution would still need to pass the House, which could prove trickier. And if it does, Trump is likely to veto it. The margin of victory in Thursday’s vote was well short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto.

so once again, the vote this week does nothing to stop Trump unless the legislation is fully passed in the Senate AND the House and Trump signs it (which he won't). Full passage will likely take several months if it even happens at all. Also, I'm pretty sure this bill applies strictly to Venezuela so it would have no impact on any other actions Trump may start if it every even passes.

[babylonsister]

10. Thanks for the corrections.

I really just wanted to acknowledge that the Democrats are doing what they can and making as much progress as possible with the hand they've been dealt. I should have done my research but am very busy potting plants and cooking dinner!

[Wiz Imp]

12. No worries. Like I said, I completely support the sentiment! The Democrats do deserve

some praise for what they have done, even if those actions alone don't immediately change things. Democrata are doing what they can and signaling their priorities which align far more closely with the American public at large than the Republicans priorities do.

[leftstreet]

7. "Get the fuck out of Minneapolis!"

Fair play to those Democrats, like Jacob Frey above, forcing the press to cover their pushback

[Kid Berwyn]

13. More AOC

“Murders In Cold Blood Need To Be Prosecuted”

"This has now become what we feared most about ICE for a long time: that it would be used as an anti-civilian force with no accountability. At the end of the day, what we saw today was a murder, and murders in cold blood need to be prosecuted," AOC told press outside the Capitol.

https://www.latintimes.com/aoc-slams-ice-after-shooting-minneapolis-woman-murders-cold-blood-need-prosecuted-593364

[jmbar2]

14. From Jeff Merkeley this morning

--I will continue to work with the Oregon delegation in the House and Senate to make sure that ICE and the Trump Administration are held accountable.

--I’ll keep working to pass the Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America’s Streets Act to require federal military and law enforcement agents to display identifying information: their agency and name or badge number.

--I’ll fight to pass the Restoring Access for Detainees Act to guarantee people have the right to call family and an attorney when detained.

--I will continue to hold ICE accountable for their attempts to mine DMV data to target our communities and ring the alarm bells on the Trump Administration siphoning money meant for veterans to prop up their cruel immigration agenda.

-- My team and I will continue to work around the clock to reunite Oregonians who have been kidnapped by ICE with their families.

And above all: ICE needs to end its dangerous enforcement operations in Oregon now. I will keep demanding that.

I know folks are angry. I’m furious. I urge you to take care of one another and to continue to speak out peacefully. Calm and non-violent protest is a hallmark of our democracy, and your voice is a powerful tool.

I’ll keep ringing the alarm bells on Trump’s authoritarianism and keep fighting to stop federal agents from attacking our communities.

[SuzyandPuffpuff]

15. Yes

Agree

[PatSeg]

16. Yes, I agree

And it is so often a thankless job. We are lucky to have so many good people representing us and our values.

[babylonsister]

25. I think we're really lucky, the tide is turning, I

remain ever optimistic.

[PatSeg]

28. Thanks, I'm trying to remain optimistic,

but it is really getting hard. I've seen the "tide turning" so many times already and then we get thrown backwards lightyears.

I've seen so many cycles over the years, but never anything close to this bad. In spite of setbacks over the decades, we still managed to move forward. Now I've never seen so much get undone in just one year.

[flashman13]

17. So WTF is the story with the chicken little Dem governor of Colorado considering clemency for Peters? You DO NOT

bend the knee to tyrants. They must be fought at every turn. Run every Repug in the state out at the ballot box in 2026. Colorado stand you ground!

[Seinan Sensei]

18. For a summary of good news

See video of Heather Cox Richardson

Start at 7:15 if you want the short version

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1322&pid=102020

I love the part where she keeps saying, “But I’m not done yet”

[Martin68]

19. Excellent acknowledgment!

[betsuni]

21. Thank you! Thanks, Democrats!

[ananda]

22. Well done!

Thank you.

Heart

[MorbidButterflyTat]

23. Kick and Rec

Thanks.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. Democrats have been offering bipartisanship all along

Let's give a nod to the handful of Republicans who found a soul. Rep. Massie has shown spine on the Epstein issue - for months.

[aocommunalpunch]

30. No.

They get a “good doggie” pat on the head and then put back on the kennel. Fuck republicans.

[luv2fly]

27. Always good to see people do what they are hired and paid for n/t

[eppur_se_muova]

29. At what point do voters notice that Trmp is getting nothing done because everything he proposes is OUTRAGEOUSLY STUPID

AND ILLEGAL ? If he's not shot down by the courts, he's being blocked more and more by his own party -- who have apparently figured out that he's going burn the GOP to the ground in the General Election in Nov rather than moderate his actions in any way. So more and more are getting out before the debacle.

There are going to be a lot of lame duck GOPers in Congress between Nov and Jan, and the best way they can hope to accomplish anything worth remembering is to turn on Trmp with a vengeance. Revenge is one of the few things Trmp understands -- it would be so lovely to see him buried under a flood of it from pissed-off GOPers.