June 11, 2021
What's On Our Mind ...

This week, the Senate failed to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, striking an economic blow to women who are already feeling strained under COVID. The pandemic stalled gains made toward closing the pay gap because layoffs and a lack of child care forced many women out of the workforce.

This same week, Senators introduced the Women’s Health Protection Act. The Act would codify Roe v Wade and makes the 1973 ruling a federal law, thereby taking the right to an abortion out of the hands of the Supreme Court — and states.

Nearly half of U.S. states now have laws that could be used to restrict the legal status of abortion if Roe is overturned. More than 40 states prohibit some abortions after a certain point in pregnancy.

The ability of a woman to make her own reproductive healthcare choices is also linked to her economic security. Six in ten women and more than half of men would be discouraged from taking a job in a state that has tried to restrict access to abortion.

State-level abortion restrictions cost our economy $105 billion annually. These restrictions also reduce women’s labor force participation and earnings levels.

The Supreme Court is getting ready to hear its first abortion case since Justice Amy Coney Barret’s confirmation. She has a long record of hostility toward reproductive health. The case’s outcome could set in motion the eventual repeal of Roe v Wade.

It is more urgent than ever that Congress act to protect women’s reproductive freedom. We cannot count on the Supreme Court with its far-right majority, nor the lower courts packed with Donald Trump’s anti-choice judges.

President Joe Biden and his Administration are firmly committed to women’s reproductive health care, but it also takes a solidly pro-choice majority in Congress.

Support JAC so we can help elect candidates that will protect and expand women’s health care rights — and their economic security.

source: Fortune
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Upcoming Events
Informational Event hosted by JAC NextGen
Why YOU Should Join JAC's NextGen
Tuesday, June 22nd
10:30 am ET | 9:30 am CT | 7:30 am PT
Special Event for Current Members Only
Congressional Update with
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL)
Co-Chair, House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
Wednesday, June 23rd
6:00 pm ET | 5:00 pm CT | 3:00 pm PT
JAC Around Town
Host Ashley Wexner, Leslie Katz, and Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) at a candidate event for Rep. McBath in Glencoe, IL
Ashley Wexner, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA), and Adam Wexner
Ashley Wexner, Loree Sandler, and Beth Wexner
Instagram of the Week
June 7, 2021 Yesterday, David Dushman, the last surviving liberator of Auschwitz passed away. On January 27, 1945, Dushman drove his tank through the electric fence surrounding Auschwitz and brought thousands of Jews to their freedom. It is always a loss when we no longer have those around who can describe, first-hand, the horrors of the Holocaust. We must never stop telling the stories so that we never forget and it never happens again.

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In the News
ISRAEL
It was recently revealed that Hamas was working on anti-Iron Dome technology in the AP building that was bombed in Gaza. Now that the violence is over, the challenge is rebuilding Gaza without rearming Hamas. Israel's potential new government coalition is a chance at national healing.
ANTISEMITISM AND BDS
The EU has found that recent Palestinian textbooks included incitements of violence towards Israel and antisemitism. The entire Democratic House leadership team issued a rare joint statement after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) compared Israel to terrorist groups. Antisemitism is on the rise, leaving many Jews to ask 'where are our allies?'
CHOICE
A record-high 47 percent of Americans say abortion is morally acceptable. A federal appeals court struck down a Missouri law that would ban abortion at eight weeks. A recent poll revealed that 86 percent of Americans believe birth control should be easily accessible, yet those serving in the Armed Forces have little access to contraceptive care.
RELIGION AND STATE
This month, the Supreme Court will rule on a case that could potentially bar LGBTQ+ people from adopting. The Senate has the opportunity to protect LGBTQ+ from similar discrimination with the Equality Act. Read a Rabbi's defense of the separation of religion and state when it comes to reproductive rights.
BEYOND THE CORE
Here is how the Senate can still protect voting rights from the GOP. New York gave every detained immigrant a lawyer, and this plan could serve as a national model. The U.S. is taking two big steps towards limiting gun violence: model legislation and rifle restrictions. The U.S. Surgeon General warned unvaccinated people that they are at risk for a potentially more dangerous COVID-19 variant.
POLITICAL BYTE
A new survey found that global approval of the United States has rebounded under Biden. Jewish Sen. Jackie Rosen (D-NV) is driven to be bipartisan in a Senate that is anything but. Constituents of CO-3 are fed up with their Representative, Lauren Boebert, who is more concerned with her celebrity than their needs.
FYI
The Great American Deli Schlep is aiming to raise awareness about hunger by visiting 42 Jewish delis all across America. Learn more about the little-known Jewish history of Judy Garland and many popular video game characters.
The Last Word
"Unfortunately, Senate Republicans just filibustered [The Paycheck Fairness Act]. I guess they like their daughters making less than their sons."

- Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)
Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a pro-Israel PAC with a domestic agenda. We support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and advocate for reproductive health and the separation of religion and state and incorporate other issues of importance to the Jewish community, including gun violence prevention and climate change. In addition to providing financial support for U.S. Senate and House campaigns, JACPAC educates our membership with outreach events designed to inform and activate their participation in the political process.
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