VOL. 41, NO. 2 MARCH/APRIL 2021 NEWS Passing Sweeping Democracy Reform BY CHRISTINE WOOD rebuilding American democracy t’s been hailed as the most and restoring faith in our system.” Itransformational reform legisla- Only by prioritizing deal- tion since Watergate. The ground- ing with big money in politics, breaking democracy reform bill, cleaning up the ethics quagmire or the For the People Act (H.R. 1), of Washington, and improving was passed by the U.S. House of access to voting can we restore Representatives on March 3. trust in our system. The months “With the passage of the For leading up to the passage of H.R. the People Act, the House has 1 saw a groundswell of support demonstrated a deep commit- as activists across the country ment to taking on dark money and mobilized for democracy-themed corporate influence on elections, actions in their communities. racially motivated voter suppres- Throughout the week of Jan. sion, and the spread of viral dis- 11, local and state voting rights and information,” said Lisa Gilbert, advocacy organizations hosted executive vice president of Public virtual rallies and other events Citizen. “With trust in govern- in over a dozen states. Titled ment at a historic low, the For the “Democracy Week,” the eventful A mobile billboard circles the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during "Democracy Week" to underscore the importance of the For the People Act to ensure a robust People Act is a critical next step to see Democracy, page 8 democracy. Photo courtesy of the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition. What it Costs to Vaccinate the World Black and Latino BY RHODA FENG Workers Impacted wenty-five billion dollars. TThat is the amount that Public by Failed Trade Citizen estimated the U.S. gov- ernment would need to invest Policies in COVID-19 vaccine production BY MARIANA LOPEZ AND SARAH SPURGIN to produce enough vaccine for n his 2016 presidential cam- developing countries, potentially Ipaign, Donald hijacked shaving years from the global progressives’ critique of corporate pandemic. globalization and job offshoring, In a recent analysis, Public but reframed it into a narrative Citizen found that producing of resentment with racialized eight billion doses of the National appeals to target white working Institutes of Health (NIH)- class voters. Contrary to the mes- Moderna vaccine can be done sage Trump advanced — that the for just over $3 per dose. Public white working class suffered the Citizen calls on Congress to swiftly most from “trade” policies such approve the urgently needed as the North American Free Trade funds and for President Joe Biden Agreement (NAFTA) and the to instruct his administration to World Trade Organization (WTO) quickly implement a scaled-up, — research conducted by Public worldwide vaccine manufactur- Citizen’s Global Trade Watch see Vaccine, page 4 Graphic courtesy of Zach Stone. see Trade Policies, page 7 INSIDE CORPORATIONS FUNDED THE GOP SEDITION ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED CAUCUS, page 10 MEATPACKING INDUSTRY FOUGHT PANDEMIC SAFETY MEASURES, page 11 IN THIS ISSUE GET TO KNOW VOL. 41, NO. 2 • MARCH/APRIL 2021 AZZA ABUDAGGA An ongoing series profiling Public Citizen leaders and staffers DEMOCRACY 1 Passing sweeping democracy reform riginally from this issue since a 1998 HRG peer-reviewed study. 10 National Highway Traffic Palestine, Azza This issue became — and will continue to be – Safety Administration can be O neglected no longer AbuDagga has been a major focus of our work until U.S. regulators 16 Fossil fuel industry funds a health services and the medical community embrace a zero- sedition caucus, Biden researcher with the tolerance standard against it. As with all Public opposition Health Research Group Citizen’s work, we use a research-based advo- (HRG) at Public Citizen cacy approach to bring greater public awareness GLOBALIZATION & TRADE for seven years. A to this problem and prompt implementation of 1 Black and Latino workers Fulbright Scholar, AbuDagga’s master’s degree solutions to it. impacted by failed trade policies in health administration from the Ohio State University laid the foundation for her interest What does your work look like as a contribu- GOVERNMENT & FINANCIAL in health services research. tor to Worst Pills, Best Pills News and Health REFORM AbuDagga then received a doctorate in health Letter? 10 Corporations funded the GOP policy and administration from AbuDagga: I do some initial research to figure sedition caucus State University and has worked in health out what topics to write about based on the research ever since. Using her strong back- recent literature and websites of regulatory orga- HEALTH & SAFETY ground in data analytics, AbuDagga is an expert nizations, focusing mainly on potentially inef- 1 What it costs to vaccinate the at analyzing both the U.S. Food and Drug fective or unsafe oral medications and dietary world Administration Adverse Event Reporting System supplements. Once the topics are finalized, I 4 Drugmaker’s collaboration and the National Practitioner Data Bank for her start extensive research on each topic and draft with FDA is dangerous for research. In her free time, she enjoys taking long my articles. The process is a really a team effort walks, cooking Mediterranean food, trying new because my colleagues and I all work together fruits and vegetables, and growing indoor herbs. to ensure that each newsletter issue is well- LITIGATION researched and clearly presented. 5 FOIA lawsuit a victory for What led you to join Public Citizen’s Health immigrants, open government Research Group? What has been the biggest change to your work 6 Challenging a dangerous rule AbuDagga: After working in the for-profit con- since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic? for truck drivers AbuDagga: 11 Meatpacking industry fought sulting sector, I realized the influence of industry I am grateful to have a job at this dif- pandemic safety measures funding on the research evidence that ends up ficult time. I admit that working from home full- being disseminated in the medical literature. I time is hard and isolating. However, I have the PUBLIC CITIZEN RECOMMENDS looked in the nonprofit sector for a research posi- support I need from my supervisor and team to tion that would not be driven by industry fund- get things done. 15 "Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds" ing. When I interviewed for my current position, OTHER I knew that this was the place I wanted to spend How did your experience as a Fulbright Scholar the next phase of my career! I have enjoyed every influence your career path? 2 Get to Know Public Citizen day of my work since then because it makes a AbuDagga: It is hard to believe that was over 3 President’s View difference. 20 years ago! I am appreciative of the Fulbright 12 Public Citizen in Your State scholarship: It brought me from my beloved vil- 14 In the Spotlight How did you become interested in health care lage in the Gaza Strip to the U.S., laid the founda- 15 Public Citizen Crossword professional accountability? tion for my graduate studies, and set my path in AbuDagga: My first assignment when I joined the the world of health services research — “using ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS Health Research Group was to analyze national- good data to answer good questions,” as one of Michael Coleman, Texas press officer level data about physician sexual misconduct of my professors used to say. — Compiled by Eva Gonzalez Rhoda Feng, editor patients because there were not any studies on Eva Gonzalez, communications intern Mariana Lopez, Global Trade Watch legislative assistant 1600 20TH ST. NW, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20009 • (202) 588-1000 • [email protected] • WWW.CITIZEN.ORG Public Citizen is a national non- PRESIDENT David Rosen, communications officer profit membership organization Robert Weissman on regulatory affairs based in Washington, D.C. Since EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT its founding by in Lisa Gilbert Adina Rosenbaum, attorney 1971, Public Citizen has fought PUBLIC CITIZEN INC. OF DIRECTORS for corporate and government Sarah Spurgin, Global Trade Watch Jason Adkins (chair), , Brandi Collins- accountability to guarantee the program associate Dexter, Andrew S. Friedman, Anna Galland, Joseline individual’s right to safe prod- Garcia, Danny Goldberg, Jim Hightower, Joy Howell, John Mike Stankiewicz, press officer ucts, a healthy environment and workplace, fair trade, and Richard, Anthony So, Robert Weissman (ex officio) clean and safe energy sources. Public Citizen is active in Robert Weissman, president Congress, the courts and government agencies. 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David Arkush, Climate; Derrick Robinson, Communications; To become a member of Public Citizen and receive the Michael Carome, M.D., Health Research; Peter Maybarduk, award-winning Public Citizen News, please call (202) 588- Access to Medicines; Tyson Slocum, Energy; Adrian 1000 or send a check payable to Public Citizen for $20 to Shelley, Texas; Joe Stoshak, Chief Financial Officer; Lori Public Citizen Membership Services at the address above. Wallach, Global Trade Watch; Allison Zieve, Litigation Public Citizen News (ISSN 0738-5927), entire contents EDITOR copyrighted 2021. Public Citizen News is printed on 10 per- Rhoda Feng CONNECT ONLINE cent recycled paper. Postmaster: Send address changes to WITH PUBLIC CITIZEN Public Citizen News at the address above. 2 MARCH/APRIL 2021 PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS EDITORIAL John Lewis and the Democratic Imperative arch 7 marked the 56th anniversary have us do? • Expand voting-by-mail opportunities. Mof Bloody Sunday, when the late civil Well, we know he would exhort us to make Meanwhile, H.R. 4, the Voting Rights rights leader and eventual member of Congress “good trouble” — to rise up in protest and to Advancement Act has been renamed the John John Lewis led a 600-person march across the defeat these measures. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. But we also know what he would say with These bills, Lewis said, “are on the right Lewis and the marchers were met by a pha- more particularity. side of history.” lanx of state troopers, who attacked and beat In March 2019, John Lewis gave the clos- In March, the House again passed the For them. Lewis was beaten to the edge of death. ing argument in the House of Representatives the People Act. Later this year, pushed by That event led directly to the passage of the for passage of H.R. 1 — the For the People Act grassroots pressure, it will pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act of 1965, which for generations — which would truly democratize elections Voting Rights Advancement Act. worked to widen and in this country, including through automatic The fate of these bills rests in the Senate. improve American voter registration and small-donor, public What John Lewis would tell us now is: Find a democracy. financing of elections. way to make the Senate pass those bills into The Voting Rights I had the honor to be in the gallery at the law. Act enabled Black House of Representatives to watch and hear That’s our charge. people and other Lewis. To take on today’s racist voter suppression, people of color, in the In his powerful voice, he said: “You have we don’t have to face down billy club-wielding South and through- heard me say on occasion that the right to vote state troopers. out the country, to is precious — almost sacred. In a democratic We don’t have to summon the political cour- exercise their fran- society, it is the most powerful nonviolent tool age of those who marched across the Edmund chise and to run for we have. In my heart of hearts, I believe we Pettus Bridge. and hold elected have a moral responsibility to restore access We don’t have to risk beatings and burnings, PRESIDENT’S VIEW office. for all citizens, who desire to participate in the torture or death. ROBERT WEISSMAN It made America democratic process. Many people marched and We just have to build enough political better. protested for the right to vote. Some gave a power to force the Senate to pass the For the In 1982 and again in 2006, Congress reau- little blood, and others gave their very lives.” People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights thorized the Voting Rights Act. The Senate vote Then, in December of the same year, he Advancement Act, filibuster or no. in 2006 was unanimous. served as the Speaker Pro Tempore (the - We do that by coming together, raising our George W. Bush proudly signed the 2006 rary speaker) as the House voted to pass H.R. voices, demanding action and refusing to take reauthorization into law, heralding John 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act — a bill no for an answer. Lewis’s heroism and honoring the three to restore the Voting Rights Act. Public Citizen is leading the charge to get women leaders for whom the 2006 law was John Lewis was a lead author on the vot- these bills passed. named, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and ing rights and access sections of the For the Let’s honor the bravery of those who Coretta Scott King. People Act. marched 56 years ago by defending what they In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Those sections would, among other things: won, by upholding their ideals, by protecting Voting Rights Act, essentially on the grounds • Provide for automatic voter registration; the right to vote. that racism was just a thing of the past. • Restore voting rights to the formerly Immediately, Republican state legislators incarcerated; across the country started imposing barriers to • Expand early voting; and voting, barely concealing their intent to deter Black and brown people from voting. Now, in 2021 — 56 years after Bloody Sunday and subsequent passage of the Voting Rights Act — Republican state legislators are rushing ferociously and with nakedly racist intent to make it harder, much harder, to vote. These moves are a reaction to the record voter turnout in 2020 that was facilitated by expanded early voting and voting-by-mail rules adopted to respond to the pandemic. Right now, more than 40 states are consid- ering more than 250 voter-suppression bills. To make the point very clear, the entire purpose of these bills is to make it harder for people of color to vote. Examining an emblematic North Carolina law that cut back on early voting, ended same-day registration and imposed voter ID requirements, a federal appeals court found the measures “target African Americans with almost surgical precision.” Most of those 250 bills probably won’t become law, but quite a few likely will. In the face of this horrifying, racist attack on the hard-won right to vote, on the founda- tion of our democracy, what would John Lewis The late John Lewis being honored at Public Citizen's 2015 gala. Public Citizen file photo.

PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS MARCH/APRIL 2021 3 Vaccine, from page 1 ment to leverage the considerable shorten the pandemic, measures which are costing tril- investment the U.S. public already particularly for lions in lost economic out- ing program. The analysis was has made in COVID-19 vaccines, low- and mid- put. It would make it published the day before the G7 including the ownership rights dle-income possible to produce summit where Biden spoke about the U.S. government has in the countries booster shots and the need for a global response to NIH-Moderna vaccine. It would which oth- reduce the risk of the pandemic and recommitted to also ensure fair compensation to erwise may new, vaccine-resis- multilateral engagement. vaccine makers. wait several tant variants emerg- “The U.S. can help lead the years for ing and traveling to world out of the pandemic if our Maximizing Vaccine enough doses the U.S.” government acts now,” said Peter to successfully The proposal would Maybarduk, director of Public Production The U.S. Food and Drug vaccinate their also reestablish U.S. scien- Citizen’s Access to Medicines pro- Administration has authorized populations. tific, technology, humanitarian gram. “A $25 billion investment use of two mRNA vaccines: NIH- Public Citizen contends that and foreign policy leadership. In could support the manufacturing Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Biden should designate the gov- February, experts and activists, of vaccines for more than half the Because mRNA vaccines are devel- ernment’s Biomedical Advanced including PrEP4All and Public world’s people, in time to spare oped using synthetic processes Research and Development Citizen, also sent a letter to mem- them years of needless instead of living cells, they Authority (BARDA) to lead the bers of the Biden administration suffering.” require smaller production worldwide vaccine manufacturing calling for the federal government A $25.2 billion facilities than other kinds effort. BARDA has the necessary to increase global availability and investment would of vaccines and are cheaper experience to manage an initia- supply of the mRNA vaccine. fund retrofitting and and faster to scale-up. tive of this scale and can build on In December, Public Citizen building manufactur- The U.S. government the pandemic flu vaccine program issued a report that outlined three ing facilities around can maximize vaccine pro- it launched in 2006 to help devel- actions Biden can take — mobilize, the world ($1.9 billion duction by sharing vaccine oping countries build influenza share, and build — to quickly sup- for 25 production lines, manufacturing technology and vaccine manufacturing capacity. ply the world with a coronavirus according to a paper by Imperial building or retrofitting manufac- “In shortening the pandemic, vaccine. Public Citizen is part of College engineers), materials and turing facilities both in the U.S. this proposal would pay for itself the People’s Vaccine Alliance, labor ($19.8 billion), and technical and in regional centers across the many times over,” Maybarduk which calls for COVID-19 vaccines assistance and compensation for world. While this cannot be done added. “It would save hundreds and vaccine technology to be technology transfer ($3.5 billion). overnight, it can help start produc- of thousands of lives. It would made available to all as a global This would allow the U.S. govern- tion in as few as six months and shorten the period of mitigation public good. Drugmaker’s Collaboration with FDA is Dangerous for Americans BY MIKE STANKIEWICZ director of Public Citizen’s Health Hahn, we asked the agency to the review period for the compa- o properly protect the public Research Group. temporarily remove the head of nies’ application after the agency Thealth, the U.S. Food and Drug “Approving aducanumab the office that collaborated with requested more data on the drug, Administration’s (FDA) review despite the lack of evidence of Biogen pending the completion of to which Public Citizen demanded and approval process for drugs effectiveness would raise false the investigation, reassign all fur- the FDA reject the current appli- and devices must be objective, hope for millions of Alzheimer’s ther review and decision-making cation entirely and conduct a new science-based and independent patients and their families, poten- regarding aducanumab to staff not clinical trial. from corporate or sponsored enti- tially bankrupt the Medicare involved in the collaboration with “Additional flawed statistical ties eager to sell their products. program because of the drug’s Biogen and assess whether any analyses of data from the previ- This is how the FDA should projected exorbitant price, and similar collaborations between ously conducted trials of the drug operate to fulfill its mission to pro- impede for years the development the agency and other drug com- will not be sufficient to establish tect American consumers and pre- of other experimental treatments panies have occurred. that the drug is effective,” said serve its own integrity. In the case for the disease.” With no response, in January Carome. “To restore that integrity, of the agency’s review of Biogen’s Fortunately, the panel over- 2021, Public Citizen then urged the agency must assign staff not aducanumab, it did not. whelmingly recommended the FDA’s new Acting FDA involved in the tainted collabora- In November, Public Citizen tes- against approval of the treatment Commissioner Janet Woodcock to tive effort to salvage aducanumab tified before the FDA’s Peripheral due to the clinical trials failing to endorse our call for an OIG investi- to conduct any further review of and Central Nervous System Drugs demonstrate efficacy and noted gation. Public Citizen urged her to the application for approval of the Advisory Committee, advocating more research was needed. publicly disclose whether she was drug.” that the agency not approve the In December, Public Citizen ever made aware of, or whether In a response, Woodcock drug aducanumab for treatment asked the U.S. Department of she ever endorsed or facilitated defended collaborations between of Alzheimer’s disease due to lack Health and Human Service’s in any way, the FDA’s close col- drugmakers and the agency, and of evidence of its effectiveness. Office of Inspector General (OIG) laboration with Biogen prior to told Public Citizen, “the firewall Ahead of the meeting, the FDA to investigate the unprecedented her assignment to Operation Warp you propose would significantly released a briefing document that and inappropriate close collabo- Speed. reduce the efficiency of FDA’s showed the agency had worked ration between the agency and We also proposed that to ensure review process and cause delays in closely with Biogen, the make of Biogen before and after the sub- the integrity of drug reviews, a drug development … nor is a fire- aducanumab, during the analysis mission of the company’s applica- firewall be created between the wall necessary to ensure the integ- of clinical data to rush to market tion for approval of aducanumab. FDA staff involved in any pre- rity of FDA’s decision-making.” the unproven treatment. Public Citizen told the OIG that submission interactions with Public Citizen continues to “FDA staff and Biogen now are by engaging in this collaboration companies and those involved in contend that the relationship trying to convince advisory com- with Biogen, the FDA dangerously the review and decision-making between Biogen and the FDA was mittee members and the public compromised its objectivity and for related new drug applica- inappropriate, and a new clinical that the negative study should be independence during the review tions subsequently submitted to trial is needed before the agency ignored and that the drug should process for the drug. agency. gives any further consideration to be approved based on the one pos- In a separate letter to then- Soon after, Biogen announced approving aducanumab for treat- itive study,” said Michael Carome, FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen that the agency had extended ment of Alzheimer’s disease.

4 MARCH/APRIL 2021 PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS FOIA Lawsuit a Victory for Immigrants, Open Government BY RHODA FENG n a significant vic- WIN! Itory for open gov- “The [court's] decision will help ensure that FOIA’s requirement that agencies ernment advocates, make important documents publicly available online is not a toothless tiger that the U.S. Court of agencies are free to ignore.” Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in February that people can —Scott Nelson, Public Citizen attorney sue to enforce the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) require- ment that federal agencies post make readily accessible to mem- be posted online. Represented by to our dedicated co-counsel at certain documents online so that bers of the public, can be enforced Public Citizen Litigation Group Public Citizen — this victory could they are accessible to the public. in court. and its own staff attorneys, not have been achieved without The decision was issued in The case arose when NYLAG, NYLAG sued. their partnership.” Legal Assistance Group which provides free legal ser- After a federal district court in As the court stated in its deci- (NYLAG) v. Board of Immigration vices to immigrants in New York, New York agreed with the BIA’s sion, “[t]he text of FOIA’s remedial Appeals, in which Public Citizen requested that the Board of view and dismissed NYLAG’s case, provision and the 1974 amend- Litigation Group served as lead Immigration Appeals (BIA) post all NYLAG appealed. In a strong opin- ment to it, considered in light of counsel. its opinions in immigration cases ion, the court of appeals reversed FOIA’s history and purpose, make “The court’s ruling is an impor- in its electronic reading room. the district court and reinstated clear that Congress gave courts the tant step toward greater govern- Since 1996, FOIA has required NYLAG’s case. authority to enforce an agency’s ment openness,” said Public agencies to provide public, “The Second Circuit’s decision obligation to make certain docu- Citizen Attorney Scott Nelson, online access to all opinions and handed a critically important vic- ments publicly available.” who argued the case. “The deci- orders they issue in cases they tory not only to NYLAG, our co- Rejecting the government’s sion will help ensure that FOIA’s decide, but the BIA posts only counsel Public Citizen, and other argument that FOIA’s proactive requirement that agencies make a tiny fraction of the thousands immigration advocates but also disclosure provisions are not important documents publicly of opinions it decides each year. to all members of the public who enforceable, the court found that available online is not a tooth- The inability to access all of the seek government transparency FOIA’s text, structure, and pur- less tiger that agencies are free to BIA’s opinions hinders NYLAG’s and accountability,” said Beth pose require the conclusion “that ignore.” efforts to provide legal assistance Goldman, NYLAG president and Congress intended to give district The court of appeals held that to immigrants. attorney-in-charge. courts the authority to order agen- FOIA’s “electronic reading room” The BIA denied NYLAG’s “This litigation is not over, cies to make documents available provisions, which mandate online request and claimed that NYLAG but we are optimistic that we will for public inspection when they posting of a wide range of docu- could not sue to enforce FOIA’s achieve our goal of BIA transpar- fail to comply with their affirma- ments that Congress wanted to requirement that agency decisions ency. We are especially grateful tive obligations” to do so.

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PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS MARCH/APRIL 2021 5 Challenging a Dangerous Rule for Truck Drivers BY ADINA ROSENBAUM the District of Columbia ruled in make multiple stops throughout if they have not taken an off-duty ruck drivers’ working hours our favor and vacated the rule. the day, are exempt from the log- break of at least that length in the Taffect the safety of America’s After the agency issued a new keeping requirements. previous eight hours. roads. To reduce fatigue-related rule that was almost identical to Before the 2019 rule, to be The rule replaced the rest-break crashes, since the late 1930s, the the first one, Public Citizen sued exempt from the requirement requirement with a requirement federal government has regulated again, and the court again struck under the short-haul exemption, that drivers take a break from the hours of service of commercial down the portions that allowed for drivers operating a vehicle driving of at least half an hour if motor vehicle drivers. increased driving time, because requiring a commercial driver’s they have not taken a break from For most of the second half FMCSA both failed to provide an license had to stay within 100 driving of at least that length in of the twentieth century, hours- opportunity for comment on the air-miles of their normal work the previous eight hours. of-service regulations stayed methodology it used to analyze reporting location and return to Under the new rule, the break largely unchanged. Over the crash risks and failed to provide an the work reporting location and does not need to be an off-duty years, however, the American explanation for the methodology. be released from work within 12 rest break; it can be spent doing transportation system changed Public Citizen subsequently sued hours. on-duty, non-driving work. dramatically, with much higher over two later iterations of the rule The 2019 rule expands the Accordingly, drivers can end traffic speeds and volumes. as well, with the last case ending permissible driving radius for this up working for their entire work In 2003, in response to a in 2012. short-haul exemption from 100 to window, including both driving congressional mandate to address In 2019, towards the end of the 150 air-miles and the time within and doing strenuous work such various fatigue-related issues Trump administration, FMCSA which drivers must return to their as loading and unloading, without pertaining to commercial motor issued a new hours-of-service work reporting location from 12 to receiving any time to rest. vehicle safety, the Federal Motor rule that weakens the hours-of- 14 hours. On behalf of the Advocates Carrier Safety Administration service regulations. Among other In this way, it extends the for Highway and Auto Safety, (FMCSA) revised the hours-of- changes, the rule expands the workday for drivers using the the International Brother of service rules. hours certain short-haul drivers short-haul exemption, despite Teamsters, Citizens for Reliable Rather than alleviating fatigue can work and the distance they research showing that driving and Safe Highways, and Parents by curtailing the hours that can drive during that time. later in the workday has negative Against Tired Truckers, Public drivers could drive, however, the In general, truck drivers are safety consequences, and Citizen filed a petition for review rule allowed drivers to drive more required to keep logs recording expands the number of drivers of the new hours-of-service rule in consecutive hours. when they are driving, when they that are exempt from the record- the U.S. Court of Appeals for the In 2003, Public Citizen sued are on-duty but not driving, and keeping requirements, which are D.C. Circuit. on behalf of a group of safety when they are off-duty. These logs, important to ensuring that drivers In late February, we agreed to organizations to challenge which are now usually electronic, follow the hours-of-service rules. put the case on hold to give the FMCSA’s revised rule, which are vital to the enforcement of the In addition, the 2019 rule Biden administration time to failed to take drivers’ health into hours-of-service rules. eliminated a requirement that become familiar with the issues account. However, certain short-haul long-haul truckers take an off- and consider how it wishes to The U.S. Court of Appeals for drivers, who go short distances and duty break of at least half an hour proceed.

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6 MARCH/APRIL 2021 PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS Trade Policies, from page 1 found that Black and Latino work- “The Biden administration must now seize the opportunity to show working class ers have been disproportionately voters that Democrats recognize the real damage of past pacts and policies and impacted by these policies. that President Biden will fix the underlying problems with new approaches to While decades of corpo- trade that prioritize the wellbeing of working people of all races and ethnicities.” rate-rigged trade have harmed American workers of all races —Daniel Rangel, research director of Global Trade Watch and ethnicities, the new study documents how Black and Latino trade-impacted industries have need to know to apply and then that Black and Latino workers who workers are overrepresented in remained virtually flat, workers’ must fill out lengthy applications lose their jobs are less likely to industries and concentrated in earnings in all manufacturing and that prove the trade connection. find a replacement job than their regions that were hardest hit. hospitality and leisure have had The report discusses how job white counterparts. When Black Black and Latino workers were some yearly real earnings growth. offshoring and the decline of man- and Latino workers do find work represented in nine out of the ten Additionally, states and cities ufacturing have especially affected again, they often face dispropor- manufacturing industries hard- with the largest Black and Latino Black and Latino workers because tionate pay cuts. In general, Black est hit by import competition. For populations have been hardest hit of broader patterns of structural and Latino workers in manufactur- example, while Latinos comprised by the economic and social fallout racism in the . ing are paid, respectively, 23% and 8.9% of the labor force, they rep- of failed U.S. trade policies. Damaging disparities in edu- 25% lower than white workers. resented 12.3% of workers in the The 15 states that are home cational opportunities result in “Whether these working-class manufacturing of fabricated met- to 58% of the Black population Black and Latino workers being voters of diverse races and ethnici- als, 11.4% of furniture, and 10.5% account for 2.9 million of the 4 mil- overrepresented in the non-col- ties will stick with the Democratic of plastics and rubber. lion total manufacturing job losses lege educated workforce for which Party depends on whether their While Black workers comprised documented by the U.S. Bureau of the share of quality jobs has been lives and livelihoods measurably 10.6% of the overall labor force in Labor Statistics during the NAFTA- greatly diminished by manufactur- improve over the next four years, 1995, they represented 13.5% of the WTO era. ing job loss. And increased com- which means the Biden adminis- workforce in paper manufacturing, Fifteen states, which are home petition for a reduced number of tration must enact economic poli- 11.4% in chemicals, 11.3% in trans- to 85% of the Latino population, quality jobs available for non-col- cies designed to do just that and portation equipment, and 11.1% in account for more than half of lege educated workers exacerbates break from the corporate-rigged, primary metals. African Americans trade-related job losses certified by underlying racial biases in hiring, job-killing trade policies supported and Latinos represented 13% and the Trade Adjustment Assistance promotion, and retention. by Republican and Democratic 15.4%, respectively, of the work- (TAA) program — 1.6 million of The outcome: Latino and Black presidents alike over the past force in the beverages industry. the more than 3.2 million U.S. workers impacted by “trade” deals few decades,” said Lori Wallach Rapidly growing trade deficits jobs lost — from the start of the struggle harder to find new jobs of Public Citizen’s Global Trade in these manufacturing industries NAFTA-WTO era in 1994 to the and face larger pay cuts when Watch. — along with threats of job off- latest TAA certifications covering they do. This entrenches and wid- “The Biden administration shoring as corporations relocated most of 2019. TAA, which provides ens significant income and wealth must now seize the opportunity production in low-wage countries qualified workers extended unem- inequality between Black and to show working class voters that — contributed to the stagnation of ployment benefits and retraining Latino families relative to their Democrats recognize the real dam- wages in sectors employing signifi- funds, represents a significant white counterparts, contributing age of past pacts and policies and cant numbers of Black and Latino undercount of trade-related job to the racist economic structure that President Biden will fix the workers. loss, given that it only covers cer- prevalent in the United States. underlying problems with new Whereas earnings in highly tain types of jobs, and workers For example, the report reveals approaches to trade that prioritize the wellbeing of working people of all races and ethnicities,” said Daniel Rangel, research director of Global Trade Watch. As people throughout the United States struggle to confront the deep-seated structural racism that for too long has been a cor- nerstone of the American experi- ence, this report aims to elevate how the outcomes of our trade policies and agreements have reinforced a racially biased system, while also hurting working people and communities of all races and ethnicities. Unpacking the outcomes of the current policies is a critical first step in trying to understand the causes of the racial disparities the data reveal. What is clear is that rethinking our trade agreements and policies should not be limited to aiming to halt the decline of manufactur- ing in the country or making our economy more resilient to crises, but also to contributing to the fight for a more just and inclusive soci- ety.

PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS MARCH/APRIL 2021 7 Democracy, from page 1 In total, over 65 press conferences, virtual works for all Americans.” rallies, banner drops, car caravan events, and week was the brainchild of the Public Citizen- virtual meetings with members of Congress Democracy Reform Redux hosted Declaration for American Democracy were held nationwide, demonstrating broad For years, democracy advocates have been coalition, a group of over 190 organizations support for H.R. 1. In addition to grassroots fighting to combat a tide of voter suppression from the labor, racial justice, faith, women’s events, a mobile billboard circled the U.S. unleashed by the gutting of the Voting Rights rights, environmental, good government, and Capitol throughout the week reading “We Act in Shelby v. Holder, as well as the damage to many other important communities. Demand Democracy. Pass the For the People our political system as a result of the disastrous Activists across the country came up with Act.” ruling in FEC v. Citizens United. their own creative events in the era of social The events took place in the aftermath of a In response to these blatant attacks on distancing. For instance, student activists in dark chapter in U.S. history: a militant insurrec- our democracy, Public Citizen partnered with New Jersey organized a car caravan outside of tion at the U.S. Capitol in January, which many other organizations to form the Declaration U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s (D-N.J.) office, with viewed as the foul apotheosis of the out-of-con- for American Democracy Coalition in 2017. each car covered in posters thanking her for her trol corruption of the Trump administration. Advocates and policy experts discussed what previous support of H.R. 1. Similar events were In response to thousands of Trump sup- an ideal democracy would look like and what held in Oregon, hosted by the Western Farm porters breaching the U.S. Capitol building, policies would help get us there, helping to Workers Association, and in , hosted by Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, lay the foundation of the For the People Act. the state-wide March for Our Lives chapter. said: “Donald Trump incited a militant attack This sweeping democracy reform package will Arizona Democracy Collaborative, a coali- to advance his hapless attempt and erode expand and protect voting rights, end partisan tion of state-based groups, including LUCHA confidence in our democracy. But the attack and racial gerrymandering, curb the influence Arizona and Arizona Advocacy Network, on the U.S. Capitol is a symptom of a deeper of big money in politics, and improve election hosted a statewide rally with Arizona Secretary problem with our democracy and only further security, transparency and accountability in our of State Katie Hobbs and U.S. Rep Raul Grijalva underscores the urgency with which we need government. (D-Ariz.). to transform our political system into one that In 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives

8 MARCH/APRIL 2021 PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS passed the For the People Act with unanimous protecting themselves from COVID and voting. run and win competitive campaigns for office, Democratic support and was co-sponsored by States like Texas showed that unless the federal and it would be fully paid for by penalties lev- every member of the U.S. Senate Democratic government steps in, entire swaths of voters ied on corporate lawbreakers and wealthy tax Caucus in the 116th Congress. Despite hav- will continue to be disenfranchised. cheats. ing every Democratic senator sign on to the The For the People Act would break down After “Democracy Week,” the momentum bill in the Senate, then-Majority Leader Mitch barriers to voting by setting a national stan- to pass the For the People Act gained steam. In McConnell refused to bring it up for a vote, dard for voting to ensure every voter has the following weeks, countless activists, voting sending the For the People Act to his “senate access to ballot. It would implement reforms rights experts, and leaders have taken action in graveyard.” to modernize our voting system and prevent support of the For the People Act, calling their “Because of the refusal to take action around blatant attempts of voter suppression, includ- representatives, submitting letters to the editor, voter access and democracy reform more ing nationwide automatic voter registration, and hosting events across the country. In the broadly, the United States and our democracy simplified vote-by-mail, secure paper ballots, weeks leading up to the House vote, local and was left vulnerable when an unprecedented and expanded early voting. The Act also tackles state organizations hosted democracy-themed global health crisis put everything at risk,” corruption and reforms our campaign finance rallies and roundtables in Florida, Arizona, noted Gilbert. “The COVID-19 pandemic high- system by amplifying the power of small dollar Virginia, New York, Colorado, Maine, and other lighted just how outdated our current vot- donations and ensuring more transparency by states. ing systems are, as many states scrambled to shining a light on anonymous campaign money. Unlike in 2019, the new Senate Majority expand early voting sites, recruit poll-workers, Finally, the bill also includes a small donor Leader has expressed his enthusiastic support and create vote-by-mail systems in a matter of matching system, modeled after successful of the legislation. His choice to designate the months.” systems in cities and states across the country, For the People Act as “S. 1” in the Senate is an States like Texas doubled down on voter which will reduce the influence of special inter- indicator that passing the bill will be amongst suppression by limiting drop-boxes and setting ests and empower regular Americans to have a his most urgent priorities. While S. 1 has yet to strict restrictions on who is eligible to receive meaningful voice in their democracy. It would be introduced in the Senate, we can expect an mail-in ballots, making people choose between allow more people from diverse backgrounds to introduction and a vote in the coming months.

Graphic courtesy of the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition.

PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS MARCH/APRIL 2021 9 Corporations Funded the GOP Sedition Caucus BY DAVID ROSEN million over the past five years. scramble to put themselves on the president of Public Citizen. t was a dark day for our In the wake of the insurrection right side of history will be little “Corporate executives need to Idemocracy. on Jan. 6, several corporations more than a smokescreen and a publicly voice their support for On the afternoon of Jan. 6, announced that they would PR stunt.” sweeping reforms, like the For egged on by the former U.S. temporarily revise their political Public Citizen has called the People Act (H.R. 1), that will president, Trump supporters spending policies. on corporations and trade restore power in our democracy to stormed the U.S. Capitol building, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, associations to close their political the people.” leaving at least five people dead — Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan spending operations, dissolve their In addition to Congress passing including one police officer — and announced that they would pause political action committees, and legislation to strengthen our forcing members of Congress and all their political giving. And pledge not to make contributions democracy and restore the rule former Vice President Mike Pence Marriott, BlueCross BlueShield, to unregulated super PACs or of law, the Biden administration to flee for their lives. Later that and Commerce Bank told Popular outside groups that spend money should act quickly to enact an night, 147 Republican lawmakers Information they were suspending to influence elections and keep anti-pay-to-play executive order voted to the results of the contributions to all 147 members their donors secret. requiring federal contractors to 2020 presidential election. of the sedition caucus. In late January, more than 50 disclose the expenditures they These lawmakers have received A temporary suspension of public interest groups, investment make to influence elections. huge support over the years contributions is not enough, firms, and religious organizations And the U.S. Securities and from Big Business. Corporate Public Citizen insists. led by Public Citizen sent a letter Exchange Commission should political action committees “These corporations cannot to Corporate America urging restart its work to implement (PACs) contributed $170 million simply wait for the dust to settle corporations to end their political a rule requiring publicly since 2016 to the campaign war and then resume business as usual. operations entirely. traded companies to make chests of these 147 members of Our democracy may not survive “It’s time for Corporate comprehensive disclosure of their Congress, known as the “sedition the next insurrection,” said Mike America to reckon with its role political activities. caucus,” according to Public Tanglis, a research director at aiding and abetting a movement The events of Jan. 6 should Citizen’s report, “Bankrolling the Public Citizen and one of the and a system that has sought to sound the alarm that it’s time Disenfranchisers.” authors of the report. “Without undermine the voters’ voices in to get corporate money — and Nineteen of these PACs additional steps and permanent Washington and state capitols,” corporations generally — out of gave at least $1 million to these change, Corporate America’s said Lisa Gilbert, executive vice our politics. lawmakers, and 46 of the PACs donated to at least half of the lawmakers, the report shows. The five largest political contributors were the National Association of Realtors, the American Bankers Association, the National Automobile Dealers Association, the National Beer Wholesalers Association, and AT&T. Subsequent Public Citizen reports showed that Big Tech companies poured nearly $2 million directly into sedition caucus campaign coffers, and Big Polluters contributed nearly $9 Graphic courtesy of Zach Stone. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Can Be Neglected No Longer BY MIKE STANKIEWICZ vital agency. independent Administrator, who by 20 to 55%, according to the he National Highway Traffic The importance of a strong does not have ties to the auto Insurance Institute for Highway TSafety Administration NHTSA, which is responsible for industry and has the capacity to Safety. These innovations include (NHTSA) is in desperate need the safety of over 320 million peo- revitalize the agency and restock automatic emergency braking, of an overhaul and the Biden ple who drive or ride in more than its depleted technical personnel. forward collision warning, lane administration must install strong 288 million registered vehicles, The vehicle safety budget of $194 departure warning, and blind spot leadership, increase its seri- cannot be overstated. Under the million (or less than $0.70 per warning, that will protect not only ously underfunded budget, and Trump administration, the agency American) should be increased vehicle occupants, but also pedes- implement much-needed safety never had a congressionally by five times to $1 billion a year. trians. With pedestrian and bicy- standards. approved leader and many safety “One of the most exciting cle fatalities at their highest level That is the recommendation standards remain backlogged and recent developments has been in almost 30 years, these systems of former Public Citizen president unimplemented, leaving drivers new crash avoidance technology would save many lives and avoid Joan Claybrook, who led NHTSA at risk. Americans need renewed that guides and assists drivers. horrible injuries. from 1977 to 1981 and is the author confidence that the agency puts To better protect highway safety, Yet the auto industry has of a new report released on the drivers’ safety at the forefront of NHTSA should embrace this life- opposed countless commonsense 55th anniversary of Ralph Nader’s its mission. The Biden administra- saving technology, and require all safety standards over the years, book “Unsafe at Any Speed.” tion is in a position to reinvigorate new vehicles to have Advanced even those that protect vulnerable The report, “Safer Vehicles and the agency, the report argued, and Driver Assistance Systems,” said children, such as brake transmis- Highways: 4.2 million U.S. Lives outlined specific steps the White Claybrook. sion interlocks and back-up cam- Spared Since 1966,” outlines how House should take. Such technology works auto- eras, despite the minimal cost to the White House can recharge this Biden first must select a tough, matically to lower crash rates see Traffic Safety, page 11

10 MARCH/APRIL 2021 PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS Meatpacking Industry Fought Pandemic Safety Measures BY RHODA FENG September, also through a other meatpacking plants. stating that, unless state or ewly released documents FOIA request, showed that the On April 15, 2020, one NAMI local governments stated Npaint a grim picture of the meatpacking industry intensely official stated, “We can't start otherwise, physical distancing meatpacking industry’s efforts lobbied the White House and sidelining individuals at FSIS should not be required. to avoid safety measures during USDA for immunity from liability or in the industry because • Industry officials reported the pandemic. In March, Public to workers injured because of the they may have been exposed. to USDA on FSIS employees Citizen obtained hundreds of companies’ actions and inactions. We all may have been exposed who warned their friends pages of documents from the The documents revealed a at this point.” and families about plants with U.S. Department of Agriculture startling level of collaboration • Later in April 2020, the cases of COVID-19, specifically (USDA) in response to a Freedom between USDA and an industry National Chicken Council forwarding a personal of Information Act (FOIA) request, eager to downplay and disregard complained to USDA that FSIS Facebook post and asking revealing the industry’s resistance risks to worker health during the was asking too many questions USDA to take disciplinary to the few attempts by the Trump pandemic. about COVID-19 testing at action against the inspectors. administration to stop the spread The new documents reveal poultry processing facilities, As of February 2021, at least of coronavirus in meatpacking more troubling information. They stating the “questions seem 45,000 positive cases of COVID-19 plants last spring. show that the industry rebuked to be unnecessary.” have been tied to meat and poultry “It is heartbreaking to see the common-sense reporting and • Similarly, in May 2020, processing facilities in the U.S., callousness of the meatpacking public-health measures designed officials at Tyson Foods along with at least 240 worker industry, pushing back against to stop the spread of the deadly complained to USDA that deaths. Documents previously basic safety measures that virus. For instance: the company had to “spend obtained by Public Citizen and could have saved hundreds of • In April 2020, the North significant resources ... each released in February showed that lives and helped contain the American Meat Institute day when reporting [COVID] the Trump administration did COVID-19 pandemic,” said Adam (NAMI) protested USDA’s positive team members.” not involve the U.S. Occupational Pulver, attorney at Public Citizen decision not to send Food • In late-March 2020, the Safety and Health Administration Litigation Group. Safety and Inspection Service Food and Beverage Issue in its response until nearly a A previous cache of documents (FSIS) inspectors who were Alliance developed guidance month after outbreaks began and, obtained by Public Citizen in exposed to COVID-19 into for industry members even then, did so reluctantly.

Traffic Safety, from page 10 manufacturers. “One of the most exciting recent developments has been new crash avoidance Today the agency is in a vital technology that guides and assists drivers. To better protect highway safety, position to prevent one of the NHTSA should embrace this life-saving technology, and require all new vehicles industry’s most heartbreaking to have Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.” tragedies: child vehicular heat- stroke. At least 39 precious chil- —Joan Claybrook, former Public Citizen president and former head of the NHTSA dren die trapped in hot cars every year, but this tragedy is prevent- these standards were mandated by “The new Secretary of technology can bring NHTSA back able with readily available and Congress but the Trump adminis- Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, to life and prevent unnecessary cost-efficient technology, accord- tration ignored vital rulemaking. faces the daunting task of revi- deaths, injuries, and needless ing to the report. Advocates have For large trucks, these include talizing an agency that has saved suffering and pain for millions of recently been calling for occupant mandatory event data recorder hundreds of thousands of lives Americans in car crashes every detection and alert technology requirements, state inspection of since being created in 1966,” said year.” installed in all new vehicles so that vehicles, motor carrier safety fit- Claybrook. “It has been neglected children are not inadvertently left ness determinations, and evalua- by the White House for far too long. To read the full report, visit: in cars where they die from exces- tion of truck drivers for obstructive However, a strong leader focused https://bit.ly/3bAHXg4. sive heat exposure. A bill requiring sleep apnea. on the future of motor vehicle this standard was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020, but following pushback from the auto-industry – which blamed neglectful parents – the bill did not pass committee in the U.S. Senate. NHTSA under Biden must imple- ment this standard and do a better job of saving the lives of families. Even more can be done to make our highways safer. To reduce drunk driving, the installation of nonintrusive alcohol mea- surement technology (including driver monitoring, eye tracking, and hands on-wheel monitoring) could save up to an astounding 9,000 lives per year, and NHTSA has the authority to lead on these initiatives. The Biden administration also has the arduous task of implement- ing a massive backlog of key motor vehicle safety standards. Many of Graphic courtesy of Joan Claybrook. PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS MARCH/APRIL 2021 11 PUBLIC CITIZEN IN YOUR STATE Much of Public Citizen's work focuses on federal policies, but the organization also works in the public interest at the ­local and state levels. Here's what Public Citizen has been doing in your state lately.

the amount of available electricity plummeted, with almost 90% of the loss coming from coal, natural gas, and nuclear sources. The resulting strain on the state’s largely unregulated power grid led to rolling blackouts designed to keep the entire grid from crashing. At least 4 million Texans lost power – some for four days or more. Water treatment plants also lost power leading to water shortages and warnings to boil water.

At the same time, frozen and bursting water pipes prevented the flow of clean drinking water to about 13.5 million residents of the state and flooded thousands of homes. Meanwhile, Covid-19 relief efforts – including testing and vaccinations – were postponed.

Even as the crisis worsened, Public Citizen’s Texas team worked from Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas- Fort Worth on behalf of Texans. Public officials seeking credible information called on our expertise in energy and climate policy, and dozens of members of the local and national media sought interviews with the Public Citizen staff. Virginia Supports an Amendment to Overturn Citizens United “Those of us who could – who had power and water during the disaster In January, Virginia took a critical step towards fixing our broken democracy – were sharing information about the ongoing crisis with everyone we by becoming the 22nd state to support an amendment to overturn Citizens could,” Shelley said. Shelley wrote an op-ed published in the state’s largest United, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has enabled corporations and newspaper – the Houston Chronicle – that countered a false narrative that wealthy individuals to spend unlimited amounts to influence our elections. wind turbines were to blame for the crisis. Shelley noted that all energy The passing of this resolution is particularly notable in Virginia, which sources struggled in the freezing cold, but gas and nuclear accounted for is one of five states with no limits on campaign contributions. Political the largest percentage of the failure. spending in Virginia has reached record highs, with $382 million spent during the 2020 election cycle, nearly double that of 2016. “Transitioning to clean, renewable energy and away from dirty, polluting fossil fuels was always going to be difficult in Texas, where oil and gas “Today, despite living in a state where there is almost no regulation have long reign,” Shelley wrote. “But this week has shown that providing of big money in elections, we Virginians have joined countless other reliable power isn’t a clean energy problem. It’s a Texas energy problem.” Americans in sending the resounding message that we will not tolerate big money in our politics,” said Ilana Beller, a Public Citizen organizer Public Citizen’s Texas staffers fielded a deluge of interview requests and a resident of Virginia. “We must use this momentum to ensure that the ranging from CNN to Reuters to energy trade publications to local TV U.S. Congress votes to enshrine this protection of our democracy in our and newspapers. Our San Antonio Climate Organizer DeeDee Belmares Constitution.” Virginians, and Americans as a whole, agree that we need testified at a Monday board meeting of San Antonio’s municipal utility – to get big money out of politics. Nearly 90% of Americans agree that big CPS Energy – to demand answers about their power failures. money is undermining our democracy, and three in four Americans back a constitutional amendment allowing Congress and the states to regulate Stephanie Thomas, Public Citizen’s Houston-based climate organizer, campaign finance. quickly convened a virtual town hall with state lawmakers from the Houston area to inform the public on the coming legislative response to the crisis. On Jan. 28, Virginia joined 21 other states and over 800 municipalities Kaiba White, Public Citizen’s energy policy specialist in Austin, worked in supporting an amendment to overturn Citizens United. This state to identify the root causes of the energy crash and begin putting together resolution comes at a pivotal moment: the U.S. House of Representatives proposals to help ensure it wouldn’t happen again. has introduced H.J. Res 1, the federal joint resolution that proposes the constitutional amendment that will regulate election spending and overturn Our social media accounts (including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) Citizens United. shared up-to-date information on the disaster, including public aid resources and news updates. We also generated commentary on social For the past 11 years, Public Citizen has led efforts to overturn Citizens media calling out Republican officials in Texas – including U.S. Sens. Ted United. In Virginia, Public Citizen worked with American Promise and Cruz (R-Tex.) and John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and other partners to build and lead a grassroots coalition of 51 state and local Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – who were responsible for failed organizations across the Commonwealth in support of the resolution. The policies, spreading misinformation, or missing in action when Texans coalition generated thousands of emails from residents urging legislators needed them most. to vote in favor of the resolution. Residents also wrote letters to the editor, organized online, and called their legislators. Public Citizen’s Energy Program Director, Tyson Slocum, also jumped in to help. Slocum told it was unfathomable that the Texas — Rhoda Feng energy grid regulator – the Public Utility Commission – had approved licenses for energy distributors whose variable rates had suddenly led to Confronting a Blackout Disaster in Texas utility bills of thousands of dollars for residential Texas consumers. When Texas weather services began predicting freezing temperatures over Valentine’s Day weekend, it seemed life could get uncomfortable In the weeks and months ahead, Public Citizen’s Texas office will work to for Texans, but no one could have predicted just how bad it would get. ensure that policies that led to the Texas blackout are changed, and that public officials responsible for the crisis are held responsible. As Texans struggled to stay warm amid subfreezing temperatures beginning Feb. 14, electricity demand skyrocketed. At the same time, — Michael Coleman

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To become a leadership supporter, please contact Amanda Fleming at (202) 588-7734 or [email protected]. PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS MARCH/APRIL 2021 13 Are your medicines IN THE SPOTLIGHT SAFE? The following are highlights from our recent media coverage. Robert Weissman, Public Citizen Chicago Tribune. On the Trump admin- president istration’s last-minute weakening of medical product regulation: Medscape. Many drugs that come to market have risks On Trump revoking the five-year lob- bying ban for presidential appointees: that outweigh their benefits. Others, found The Washington Post, Politico, Raw Peter Maybarduk, director of Public to have risks only after they are approved, Story. On the GameStop stock trading: Citizen’s Access to Medicines are left on the market for dangerously long The Washington Post. On Jeff Bezos Program periods of time. Find out which drugs are stepping down as Amazon’s CEO: The On Biden’s COVID-19 executive orders: safe—and which you should avoid—with Associated Press, Politico, The Christian Roll Call, Healthcare Finance News. On Public Citizen’s WorstPills.org and Worst Science Monitor. On stock trading app the global vaccine distribution: The Pills, Best Pills News. Robinhood: USA Today. On Democrats Hill. On President Biden’s global vac- using the Congressional Review Act cine distribution comments: Common To subscribe to WorstPills.org, our website, to repeal Trump-era policies: The Dreams, In These Times. On the Biden for only $10 a year, visit www.WorstPills.org, Wall Street Journal. On Facebook’s administration joining the World and type in promotional code QP4C5PC when free speech policies: Bloomberg Law. Health Organization’s COVAX initia- prompted. On President Joe Biden’s son-in-law’s tive: Common Dreams, Healthcare To subscribe to the monthly print edition potential conflict of interest: CNN. On Finance News. Trump’s cheapening of the Medal of of Worst Pills, Best Pills News for a Freedom: The Times. On Adrian Shelley, director of Public discount—$10 a year—mail in the form the Trump legacy: HuffPost. below. (Phone orders without this coupon Citizen’s Texas office are $20.) On Texas’ electric grid: Reuters, Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president Bloomberg, The Washington Post, Yes! I will subscribe to the print On the need for new ethics laws: The The National Review, E&E News, Free edition of Worst Pills, Best Pills News New York Times. On the GameStop stock Speech TV, The San Antonio Current, The for only $10 for 12 monthly issues. trading: Reuters. On the second round Dallas Observer, The Austin American- of stimulus checks: NBC News, The Statesman, The Young Turks, American All orders must be prepaid American Independent. On Trump’s roll Greatness, Ohio Star. On halting dona- Check (payable to Public Citizen) in the Jan. 6 insurrection: The American tions to Republican lawmakers in Prospect. On Biden’s likely pick of Gary Credit card: Visa Mastercard Texas: Politico. On Texas’ opposi- Gensler to lead the U.S. Securities and Amex Discover tion to President Biden’s methane Exchange Commission: The Wall Street regulations: Politico. On the Railroad Journal. On the Democrats’ embrace Commission of Texas’ controversial of the Chamber of Commerce: Politico. oil rules: Houston Business Journal. On CREDIT CARD NUMBER On the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Texas’ ethics laws: The Texas Tribune. reevaluating their political donations: On the next Texas legislative session: Roll Call. On Trump revoking the five- EXP. DATE The Austin American-Statesman. year lobbying ban for presidential appointees: Roll Call. On Trump’s post- Craig Holman, government affairs SIGNATURE (AS IT APPEARS ON CARD) presidency: USA Today. On the For the ­lobbyist with Public Citizen’s People Act: Public News Service. On Congress Watch division NAME Biden’s plan for ethics reform: Common On corporations halting donations to Dreams. On Trump’s acquittal: Common lawmakers who objected to President Dreams, City Watch LA, Truthout. 8-DIGIT ID NUMBER (FROM MAILING LABEL) Biden’s win: The Washington Post, The Associated Press, Bloomberg, OZY, Lori Wallach, director of Public Daily Kos. On Facebook pausing politi- STREET ADDRESS Citizen's Global Trade Watch cal donations: The Washington Post. On U.S. trade policies disproportion- On the influence of casino magnate CITY ately harming Black and Latino work- Sheldon Adelson: Business Insider. On ers: The Washington Post, Daily Kos. On Trump’s abuse of the U.S. Department STATE/ZIP President Biden’s trade policy propos- of the Treasury while in office: Roll als: The Washington Post, the Associated Call. On Surgeon General nominee Press. On how former U.S. Trade Vivek Murthy’s conflicts of interest: EMAIL ADDRESS Representative Robert Lighthizer The Washington Post. On U.S. senators’ changed trade policy: The Atlantic. On ties to fossil fuels: The Guardian. On PHONE NUMBER Biden’s actions to protect union work- the return of earmarks: Roll Call. On ers: The Los Angeles Times. On Biden’s President Biden’s “Golden Parachute” “Buy American” plan: The Washington Send order to: ethics ban: Business Insider. On how Post, The Associated Press, CBS News. On COVID-19 has impacted lobbying: Public Citizen a trade dispute between two Korean Bloomberg. On holding senators P.O. Box 96978 firms: HuffPost. accountable for voting to overturn the Washington, DC 20090-6978 presidential election: The Kansas City Dr. Michael Carome, director of Public Star. On New Jersey’s pay-to-play laws: QP4C5PC Citizen’s Health Research Group Gothamist. On Democrat’s use of PACs: On Janet Woodcock leading the U.S. RealClearPolitics. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): The Wall Street Journal. On Biogen’s Public Citizen Litigation Group Alzheimer drug: Bloomberg. On some On Public Citizen’s USPS lawsuit: www.WorstPills.org retirement communities using the Federal News Network. On using civil COVID-19 vaccine as a marketing tool: action to punish Trump: Courthouse NBC News, Kaiser Health News, The News Service.

14 MARCH/APRIL 2021 PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT: Public Citizen Crossword Answers, page 16 Flatten the Curve! BY JIM QUINLAN

Across Black Lives Matter, e.g. 1. *The epitomy of rarity 54. Kit ___ bar 5. *Violet Beauregarde 56. Champ, to Joe Biden turns into one in Willy 58. Request Wonka's factory 59. Quite a bit 10. *Kind of stock 61. Obnoxious kid 14. "Veep" actress 64. Like an aggressive Chlumsky personality 15. Nebraska district that 68. Emulate a bedbug went for Biden in 69. Grammatical no-no November 71. Sound like Winthrop 16. Like some juicy steaks in "The Music Man" 17. Gumshoes, in old 72. Racetrack shape crime fiction 73. Start of many a 18. "That's fantastic!" college course 19. Famous ___ (cookie 74. "Oh woe is me!" brand) 75. *Showy wildflower 20. Lock of hair 76. *Irving Berlin song of 22. Mix, as paint 1926 covered by Wille 23. Show signs of Nelson in 1978 exhaustion 77. Like Arizona, 24. Some remote Nevada, batteries , Wisconsin, 26. Sanfrancisco's ___ Hill Michigan, and 28. Cuomo's charge Pennsylania in 2020, (abbr.) or a word that is 29. Norm, Cliff, Frasier, missing from the and Lilith at "Cheers" answers to the starred e.g. 34. What a definition clues and Mary might bring up these 3/12/20) defines 10. "Oh fudge!" days 66. Jacob's biblical twin 36. Flat tire's need Down 11. Breakfast staple at a 41. Pivot around an axis 67. Recessed area in a 37. Praise highly diner 43. What makes the church 1. Groening of "The 12. O. Henry specialty Impossible Burger 70. Thumbs-down 39. Abounds (with) Simpsons" 13. Annoyances possible responses 42. *Twangy style of 2. Unique individual, 21. Professional pitcher? 48. "What's your ___?" music featuring the slangily 25. Lisa Simpson plays it ("When are you gonna banjo 3. "___ Upon a Time in 27. Plant manager? get here?") 44. *Team player from Hollywood" 29. ___ to riches 51. Waste Toronto 4. Capital of The 30. Dublin's land 53. Bygone space station 45. *Navy pilot putting on Bahamas 31. The whole amount, 54. Meat on a skewer 5. Winner of four World a show including ax 55. Not dead Series in this century, 46. Mister in Mexico 32. Indian chief 57. Feature of an elephant on scoreboards 33. / 60. Show's partner 47. Colorado resort 6. Australian avians 49. Fresh sounding 35. Stimpy's animated pal 62. Pro's counterpart 7. Attentive, and then 38. Theres one in this 63. Ripped up animal? some clue 65. Jagged Little ___ 50. Went platinum? 8. River through 40. What scanning a QR (Broadway musical 52. The coronavirus, or Deutschland code at a restaurant last performed 9. Peter of Peter, Paul

Jim Quinlan constructs the crossword gratis. Public Citizen appreciates his generous contribution.

Western hospital survived. initially true for HIV/AIDS, among Public Citizen Recommends ... Why, then, he demands, did many other diseases), focusing so many patients in various West only on prevention by isolating ‘Fevers, Feuds, and African outbreaks die? His answer patients. That strategy was not Diamonds: Ebola and the is simple: lack of care. Underlying only inhumane for the patients, it Ravages of History' that direct answer are two domi- was self-defeating; there was no By Paul Farmer; $21.00; Farrar, nant themes. First, centuries-long reason for patients to leave their Strauss and Giroux exploitation of African nations by families and come to Ebola cen- Throughout his career and the imperial powers has impov- ters if doing so would only mean again in this magisterial work, the erished them and left vast clinic they die miserable and alone. relentless humanitarian Dr. Paul deserts, especially in rural areas. This is a story rich in profiles Farmer insists on making the West In West Africa, this chronic condi- of local heroes of the Ebola out- confront hard truths. In "Fevers, tion was made much more acute breaks, tear-jerking accounts of Feuds, and Diamonds," he notes by a series of horrible and cruel lives lost and moral demand to that while the media-driven pop- civil wars, themselves entangled treat people in poor countries as ular conception of Ebola is of an with the global diamond trade. people – by affording them treat- untreatable, science fiction-like Second, the global public health ment when sick. disease, in fact most patients establishment refused to invest — Robert Weissman die simply from loss of fluid and in care for Ebola patients (a story To order books, contact the publisher most patients treated in modern, or visit your local bookstore or library.

PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS MARCH/APRIL 2021 15 Fossil Fuel Industry Funds Sedition Caucus, Biden Opposition

BY ALAN ZIBEL said Public Citizen President their careers, the analysis found. “sacrificing the livelihoods hough the fossil-fuel friendly Robert Weissman. Public Citizen found that two of thousands of westerners TTrump administration left One Public Citizen analysis (see top House Republicans, Minority throughout many sectors of the Washington, D.C., in January, the story, page 10) found that the fossil Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) economy.” oil and gas industry is still trying its fuel industry’s political action and Minority Whip Steve Scalise The American Petroleum hardest to scare the public about committees have bankrolled the (R-La.), were the top recipients Institute, through an astroturf the impact of climate change. “sedition caucus” of Republican of oil and gas donations with front group calling itself “Energy Two reports by Public Citizen lawmakers who supported $2.1 million and $1.8 million Citizens” aired a misleading early this year sought to shine overturning the 2020 election. respectively, in total career advertising campaign claiming a spotlight on efforts by the Fossil fuel industry political action contributions from fossil fuel that the Biden oil and gas leasing fossil fuel industry to ensure its committees contributed about interests. policy would curtail funding for influence is felt despite President $8.8 million over the past three McCarthy called Biden’s oil local schools. Joe Biden administration's efforts election cycles to the campaign's of leasing decision “a political stunt” However, the fast-growing to build a cleaner, greener future. 132 out of 147 members of Congress and Scalise claimed Biden “chose clean energy sector is rapidly “The fossil fuel industry is who did former President Donald left-wing activists over American adding jobs and employs 3.3 still failing to come clean about Trump’s bidding and voted against workers and affordable energy million workers nationwide, the danger it poses to the planet, certifying the election results. costs.” compared with 1.2 million fossil while engaging in disinformation Throughout the Trump In addition to McCarthy and fuel jobs. The environmental campaigns and leveraging its administration, the fossil fuel Scalise, many members of the entrepreneurship group E2 has political power to sabotage industry was a close ally of the Congressional Western Caucus, found that a $99 billion in federal measures to protect the planet,” White House. In the 2020 election touted a misleading study clean energy stimulus would alone, Public Citizen’s research promoted by an industry trade create 860,000 full-time jobs for at found that 29 fossil fuel executives group exaggerating the scale of least five years and generate $330 contributed more than $18 million job losses likely to result from the billion in economic activity. to America First Action and Trump Biden administration’s pause in oil “It’s time to stop listening to Big Victory, political groups that leasing. Oil and its allies,” Weissman said. worked to re-elect Trump. Public Citizen also found that “Smarter energy policies, such as Additionally, 45 fossil fuel the political action committee the ones the Biden administration corporate executives also for Western Energy Alliance, is developing, are essential and donated more than $8.5 million an oil industry trade group that long overdue.” to five political groups dedicated filed a lawsuit against the Biden to supporting Republican administration seeking to overturn Crossword Answers Congressional candidates. the oil leasing pause, donated With Trump gone, the industry nearly $405,900 to House and has been scrambling to adjust, Senate lawmakers in the past three and distorting the truth about the election cycles, 94% of which went transition to clean energy. to Republicans. Another Public Citizen report The Western Energy Alliance scrutinized fossil fuel campaign has been aggressively promoting contributions to 29 U.S. House of claims of massive job losses Representatives lawmakers who from the Biden plans, with oppose Biden’s order to pause inflammatory rhetoric. new oil leasing on federal lands Kathleen Sgamma, the group’s IN THE NEXT ISSUE... and offshore waters. Employees president, accused Biden of of those companies and their PACs “calculating that he won’t pay a Public Citizen reports on corporate contributions to state lawmakers who contributed a combined $13.4 political price while satisfying are advocating voter suppression Graphic courtesy of Zach Stone. million to those lawmakers over radical climate activists” and efforts. Charitable Gift Annuity A gift that gives back to you! A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between you and Public Citizen Foundation that supports us while providing you (and another individual) with a charitable deduction and payments on a quarterly basis for the rest of your life. The minimum gift to establish this annuity is $10,000 using cash or securities, and the minimum age is 65. The following are some of the payments we offer for one individual. Payments for two people are available upon request.

AGE WHEN SINGLE LIFE SINGLE LIFE TWO LIVES TWO LIVES ANNUAL ESTABLISHED ANNUITY RATE ANNUAL PAYMENT ANNUITY RATE PAYMENT 65 years 4.2% $420 3.8% $380 70 4.7% $470 4.2% $420 75 5.4% $540 4.6% $460 80 6.5% $650 5.4% $540 85 7.6% $760 6.5% $650 90 and over 8.6% $860 8.2% $820

For a confidential, free sample illustration, or more information, please contact Amanda Fleming at 800-999-1906 or [email protected]. 16 MARCH/APRIL 2021 PUBLIC CITIZEN NEWS