Representative Becca Balint

To me, Pride Month is for all of us. Whether you’re in the LGBTQ community or not - everyone should be able to be their full and whole selves in this country.

In the richest country in the world, it’s simply unacceptable for so many Americans to not be able to afford their daily lives. Congress’ priorities are so screwed up right now.

BIG NEWS: the House just voted to end the war in Iran!

Due process protects all of us, not just the accused.
 This administration has tried to play judge, jury, and sometimes executioner – killing Americans like Renee Good and Alex Pretti and bombing boats in the Caribbean without verification.
 They can’t be trusted.

Another day, another example of Pete Hegseth restricting press access at the Pentagon. The free press must be able to ask questions and demand receipts about what our nation’s military is doing in our name. The American people deserve that transparency.

Let’s talk about Delaney Hall in Newark, NJ. Right now, human beings are being held in terrible conditions because a private company wants to cut corners on food and medical care to maximize profits. DHS needs to let elected officials conduct oversight and we need to stop funding these atrocities.

Time for a little timeline cleanse this morning: my first poppy is up!

Shoutout to @repbeatty.bsky.social. As an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, she sued over Trump’s move to name the cultural institution after himself and close it for “renovations” without the input of the American people… and she won!

It’s not just Trump who’s responsible for all this mess - it’s his enablers too. At the most recent cabinet meeting, they went around and fell over themselves to fawn over this flawed man. It was honestly disgusting and resembled authoritarian countries around the world and throughout history.

I just read a disturbing article from @propublica.org. A woman in Arkansas was facing a miscarriage and was refused care that doctors knew she needed because of the state’s abortion ban. Politicians need to get themselves out of the hospital room and we need to end this awful patchwork of policies.

As a former history teacher, I can tell you it’s going to take us generations to come back from where we are right now. The damage to our democracy is that profound. But if we really put in the work, we can and will come back.

Let’s talk a little about Gen Z and the financial burdens they’re facing, starting with housing. The cost of owning a home has shot way up while salaries haven’t kept pace. We need to offer real solutions to this problem - the time for sweeping it under the rug is over.

Last week, the criminal charges brought by the Trump admin against Kilmar Abrego Garcia were dismissed by a federal judge because of their “vindictiveness.” The Trump admin is hoping we forget about these cases. But we have to stay vigilant and stay loud.

The quickest way to stop Trump’s corrupt insurrectionist slush fund is for Republicans to stand up for themselves for once and stop it. We hear them expressing their discomfort behind closed doors or anonymously in the media. But it’s time for them to put their money where their mouths are.

It’s a gloomy day here in Vermont but I’m reflecting on some signs of hope from this past week in DC. They’re small, too late, and not enough, but they represent things we can build off of in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

In Vermont, we know that bad trade policy has real consequences for working people. For too long, corporate-written trade deals have squeezed us and now Trump’s reckless tariff regime has hurt us economically and reputationally.

@barbmcquade.bsky.social hit the nail on the head with this one… Donald Trump found his new Roy Cohn and it’s Todd Blanche. From covering up the Epstein files and getting Ghislaine Maxwell moved to “club fed” to this slush fund for Trump’s foot soldiers, Blanche is at the center of it all.

Future generations will ask us where we stood, what we said, what we did when we had these platforms. They will ask us if we bowed down to a tyrant, to a bigot, to a man who spreads hate. I know where I stand.

This corrupt slush fund Trump created to give payouts to his allies, including the violent attackers who beat police officers on January 6th, isn’t a settlement. It’s theft.

Wanted to bring you some good news: the House overwhelmingly passed a major housing bill yesterday.   Expanding access to affordable housing for Vermonters is one of my top priorities in Congress. This bill would be a good step in the right direction.

In just 11 days, a movement came together to oust Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzalez for their predatory behavior.   It didn't happen because the system worked - it didn't work. It happened because a group of strong women got together to make change when the system didn't.

Rather than working to solve real problems like affordability or the war in Iran, Republicans are once again going back to the same old playbook of harassing trans kids. They want to give the admin power to slash funding for public schools that THEY decide are advancing ‘gender ideology.’

The thing about Republicans’ baseless accusations is that there’s no reason for the SPLC to manufacture hate. Donald Trump and his administration do that on their own.

We must do all we can to keep this admin from continuing their horrific treatment of women, children, and families with our tax dollars. They want us to lose our humanity — to believe that some are more worthy of basic dignity than others. We can't let that happen.

This afternoon, the @demwomencaucus.bsky.social heard from experts about the trauma being inflicted on women by ICE and CBP.   Denial of basic medical care, sexual assaults, violence against pregnant women – abuse being carried out with our tax dollars. It's sickening.

As of today, the Trump admin is FIVE MONTHS past its legally binding deadline to release the full Epstein files. 
I’ll never stop fighting until these files are released, everyone involved is held accountable, and we get justice for the survivors – no matter how long it takes.

The president’s approval among young people looks like it’s cratering. This was a key part of his coalition in 2024, so it’s a big deal. But we can’t take anything for granted. We need to offer solutions so young people know they have a brighter future ahead of them.

On this International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, we must remember that if you allow the rights of LGBTQ people to be violated, you’re opening the door for that to happen to you too. Our demand for equality is not just our own.

Right now, we’re watching a systematic attack on the political power of Black voters across the South. It threatens to bring us back to a deeply shameful part of our past. Today, I’m standing in solidarity with the National Day of Action and in support of fair representation for every American.

As we head toward the midterms, I wanted to let you know that we aren’t taking any threat to our safe, fair, and free elections lightly.

American workers are tired of being left behind while corporations dominate our trade policy and CEOs make record profits. I was proud to stand with @delauro.house.gov and our colleagues today as we introduced the Fair Trade for Working Families Resolution.

This week, the chair of the education committee sent a totally backwards and condescending letter to a 10 year old constituent of hers. We should be encouraging our kids to be interested in government, and our kids should be able to expect more from their elected leaders.

To all the Vermonters who’ve told me how expensive your life has gotten - I hear you. Now that I’m back in DC, I’m ready to get back to work lowering costs. We just need willing partners in the Republican majority.

What are you even talking about, Doctor Oz? If Americans are having fewer kids, maybe it’s because people don’t think they can afford to have a family right now. Maybe if you took off your gold-colored glasses, you’d know that for yourself.

I know some of the news has been discouraging lately, especially when it comes to voting rights and our democracy. We’ve got to keep our eyes on the prize and do all we can to make sure everyone’s voice is represented.

I saw the report that RFK Jr. looked into banning SSRIs. Perhaps if he had any medical expertise, he’d know that these medications are lifesaving for so many Americans. Yet again, this is the Trump administration trying to insert itself between patients and their doctors. I’m not having any of it.

Clearly this admin doesn’t want you to know about how their Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, is tied to Jeffrey Epstein. I’m glad the House Oversight Committee picked up on that thread this week. He needs to go.

I wanted to talk to you today about vitamin K shots. Especially when it comes to new parents, there’s so much disinformation and misinformation going around. But this shot has proven to be safe and effective. It could save your baby’s life and spare you a lifetime of heartache.

I’m honestly tired of some of my colleagues’ “elevator courage.” There are public servants across the country who are being threatened and harassed, but they’re still doing the right thing for their communities. It’s that bravery that’ll get us through this moment.

Addressing our mental health crisis - especially when it comes to our youth and veterans - is among the most important work I’m doing in Congress. It’s critical that we end the stigma and remind folks that the body doesn’t stop at the neck. Happy Mental Health Awareness Month!

Even in these hard times, we’ve got to try to do hard things and trust that we’ll figure it out in the end. Because we will figure this out - together.

People told us we were being alarmist when we said Republicans would come after our reproductive rights - overturning Roe v. Wade, allowing women to bleed out in their cars, arresting people for miscarriages, attacking contraception. But we’ve been right every single time.

Today I’ll be introducing a war powers resolution to give Congress another chance to end this reckless war of choice in Iran.

Today, @usprogressives.bsky.social unveiled our New Affordability Agenda – concrete and courageous policies that directly tackle the cost of living crisis. We can’t stop at anything to get this done – no matter what Big Pharma, Big Tech, and Big Oil say.

My Republican colleagues on the Judiciary Committee want us to forget the decades-long campaign to terrorize patients and providers at reproductive health facilities across the country. But I came with receipts.

You know what they say about guilty consciences…

You don’t have to be a gay woman to embrace and embody the spirit of Lesbian Visibility Day. Wherever and whoever you are, take a step toward doing that thing you’ve always wanted to do today.

I’m glad to see California is taking Amazon to task for price fixing. At a time when American families are struggling to afford the basics, no company should be able to wield so much power that they shape the market like this. We need an economy that works for all of us.

The Trump admin is trying to restrict our access to information about contraception by attacking Title X. They want to force women to have babies they’re not ready for. Thats what this is all about, and we are going to fight it the whole way.

As of today, it’s been one year since Virginia Giuffre’s passing. Her courage has inspired so many survivors and their families, as well as myself and other leaders to keep fighting for accountability for the monsters who committed these horrific crimes. Thank you, Virginia.

Republicans in Congress are going to new lengths to cover up the disgusting crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell. As I’ve said, we can’t have one system of justice for the powerful and another for the rest of us.

Ghislane Maxwell lured countless children into Jeffrey Epstein’s global pedophile ring. Now, some Republicans are openly floating giving her a pardon. It’s outrageous. We need to end the special treatment for the Epstein class.

RFK, Jr. has been a disaster at HHS. Americans are getting sicker and are in more danger as the result of his “leadership” while he posts topless videos of himself working out in jeans for some reason. Do your damn job.

Republicans started it and Dems ended it last night in Virginia. We need to get back to drawing these voting maps in a bipartisan way, but in the short term, voters across the country are rejecting the GOP attempts to rig these midterms.

If we’re going to actually make life more affordable, our tax code needs to even the playing field for hardworking Americans. As the chair of the @usprogressives.bsky.social Ending Corporate Greed Task Force, I was proud to host this hearing today to lay out our vision for the future.

Just like with everything else, the Trump administration is grifting off the American people through their war in Iran.   Democrats in Congress will continue to demand answers and get these people on the record.

Trump is being way too cavalier about the war he started in Iran. He missed negotiations for a UFC fight, ignored the advice of experts, and has put our service members in harms way. We need to call it all out and hold this admin accountable for this mess.

It was a loooong night - but ultimately we were able to show some real strength by preventing a clean FISA reauthorization that fails to protect Americans’ privacy. They were only able to get a very short extension that runs until the end of April. We still have a chance to get this right.