Wishful New Year’s resolutions for GOP lawmakers (commentary)

I rang in the New Year with my old high school pals like I do every year. When we discussed making resolutions, one friend told us her son creates a list of 100 for himself.

She tried to come up with her own list, but found making even 10 resolutions to be extremely difficult.

I wasn’t about to set myself up for such a grand failure, but we found it easy to think of things we wanted GOP lawmakers to do.

• Take bold action immediately against climate change

Believe the 97% of scientists who agree that human activity is warming our planet and causing our climate to change.

A new report by 11,258 scientists in 153 countries warn that the planet “clearly and unequivocally faces a climate emergency.” They say we have only about a decade to cut greenhouse gas emissions drastically before we come to the point of no return.

Unfortunately, this administration is unraveling our only climate legislation.

• Reclaim the power the Constitution gives solely to Congress to declare war.

Demand a debate and vote in Congress to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran after President Donald Trump ordered the killing of Iran’s top commander.

Prohibit funding for offensive military force against Iran without prior congressional authorization.

• Get the U.S. out of the war in Yemen

Trump claims he’s against endless wars, yet he vetoed a bipartisan resolution that would have forced an end to our military involvement in Saudi Arabia’s civil war in Yemen.

Even though that conflict has killed thousands of civilians and caused widespread famine, only seven Republican senators voted to withdraw those troops. Unfortunately, neither senators from Texas, Ted Cruz nor John Cornyn, were among those seven.

• Pass common sense gun laws that Americans want

A 2018 Quinnipiac University poll found 97% of those polled support requiring background checks for all gun buyers.

Also, according to a 2019 Fox News poll, two-thirds of Americans favor a ban on assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons.

• Stop your war on women

Last week, over 200 Republican members of Congress asked the Supreme Court to uphold a lower court ruling in favor of a Louisiana abortion law.

This law is identical to a Texas law that the Supreme Court struck down in 2016 saying it imposed an obstacle on women seeking abortion services.

If the new court with Justice Brett Kavanaugh sides with Louisiana, abortion services can be eliminated in many states across the country. Women of means will always have access to abortion, it will be poor women who suffer.

• Pressure Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring bills to the floor

Republicans often say Democrats “do nothing,” but the House has passed over 300 bills, many bipartisan, to help American families. Unfortunately, McConnell refuses to bring any legislation to the floor for a vote.

These bills include issues such as climate change mitigation, minimum wage increases, background checks, net neutrality, domestic violence, expanding healthcare and limiting the cost of prescription drugs.

• Stop promoting Russian propaganda

National security and intelligence officials have warned Republicans not to advance the Russian conspiracy theory that Ukraine meddled in our 2016 election.

Unfortunately, they haven’t stopped, and even Texas Sen. Ted Cruz continues to spout this “fictional narrative” for Trump.

• Stop hiding and answer this simple question

“Do you think it is ever OK for a president to solicit or accept foreign election help?”

• Hold a fair trial for Trump’s impeachment in the Senate

Vote to demand witnesses and documents.

• Retake the oath you swore to

It’s to support and defend the “Constitution,” not a “president.”