Stock Up or Pay Up:
Beat the Tariffs Before They Empty Your Wallet
Stock Up or Pay Up:
Here’s the deal: we need to accumulate these essentials now because looming tariffs, world chaos, and supply chain hiccups are about to make everyday stuff pricier and scarcer. Do not panic—it’s just smart shopping before the shelves look like a bad magic trick and prices take a leap.
Here’s a rundown of why each thing is important and where it typically hails:
🥫 Non-Perishable Food
Why: Great for the apocalypse, packed with nutrients, and so simple to whip up even zombies could manage it!
Imported From: Canned tuna (Thailand, Ecuador), beans (Mexico, Canada), vegetables (China, Peru, Italy).
🍚 Rice & Pasta
Why: Cheap, filling foods—because when meat is an arm and a leg, these keep your stomach and wallet happy.
Imported From: Rice (India, Vietnam, Thailand), pasta wheat (Canada, Italy, Turkey).
🛢 Cooking Oils
Why: Prices have skyrocketed before during shortages—turns out frying, baking, and preserving are quite the VIPs of the kitchen world!
Imported From: Vegetable oils (Malaysia, Indonesia, Ukraine), olive oil (Spain, Italy, Greece).
🍞 Flour & Sugar
Why: Cooking and baking basics—because nothing says "market instability" like your bread costing as much as your fuel!
Imported From: Wheat/flour (Canada, Russia, Ukraine), sugar (Brazil, India, Mexico).
🧻 Toilet Paper & Paper Products
Why: We’ve all witnessed the chaos when supply chains go haywire. It’s like watching a game of Jenga collapse in slow motion—messy and disastrous.
Imported From: Pulp often from Canada, Brazil, Scandinavia. Some TP still domestically made but relies on foreign raw materials.
💊 Over-the-Counter Medicines
Why: Small delays in pharma manufacturing or shipping cause big gaps in availability.
Imported From: Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) mostly from China and India.
🧼 Personal Hygiene Items
Why: Vital for survival and self-respect—usually unnoticed until you’re scrambling to find it!
Imported From: Many hygiene products (toothpaste, soap ingredients, feminine care items) are sourced or produced in China, Mexico, and Southeast Asia.
🔋 Batteries & Flashlights
Why: Power outages, emergency prep, off-grid backup—because who doesn’t love a little chaos with their coffee?
Imported From: Batteries (China, South Korea, Japan), flashlight components (China, Taiwan).
🧽 Cleaning Supplies
Why: Germs couldn’t care less about rising prices; they’re always thriving, so keep your defenses clean and strong!
Imported From: Chemicals and containers (China, Germany, India), bleach components (domestic + imported).
🐾 Pet Food & Supplies
Why: Pets are dependent on us. Even when the cupboards are empty, Fido still expects gourmet meal.
Imported From: Pet food ingredients (Canada, China, EU), packaging often imported from Asia.
The big picture? Global trade is like a giant spiderweb, and one tug—be it tariffs or geopolitical drama—can send shockwaves all the way to your grocery cart. Stocking up now isn’t hoarding; it’s just giving your pantry a modern-day survival makeover.
MayDay Protest was a hit!
How to stifle dissent
by Mo Tanner
Call any news stories which are unfavorable “fake news.”
Call those who may have different opinions unpatriotic, terrible persons, and traitors. Use the power of the government to harass and intimidate them.
Attack the independence of the press by having rich allies who control newspapers change editorial policies. Exclude news organizations not hewing to the “party line” from the press pool covering the President.
Retaliate against law firms that have opposed administration policies in court by revoking their security clearances and barring them from federal buildings.
Threaten to sue them for their activities. Remove these sanctions if they agree to provide free legal services to MAGA friendly non- profits.
Eliminate dissent from universities by withholding (or threatening to withhold) federal funds for students at those universities which do not suppress student demonstrations contrary to Presidential policies.
Refuse to grant visas to foreign students wanting to attend these Universities.
Terminate any research grants at which may result in findings which do not support positions taken by the President. Republican states have taken supporting measures. These include attacking tenure so that faculty members having opposing opinions may be fired and eliminating unfavored academic programs.
Eliminate expertise in Federal Agencies which might result in questioning the wisdom of positions taken by the President.
Attack independent commissions such as the Federal Reserve which may take actions which do not make decisions the President likes.
Use tariffs to force corporations to support administration positions. Support the President and you may get tariff relief. One example is the exemption on imports from China received by Apple, whose CEO donated $1 Million to Trump’s campaign. Costco, which has not supported the President, will not receive a similar exemption.
Investigate the small donor fund raising activities of the Democratic Party through ACTBlue for allegedly not having sufficient safeguards against fraud, money laundering, and terrorism. Defending itself against these charges will cost money, hindering the platforms’ ability to influence future elections. The Republican party doesn’t need a similar fund-raising organization*—the have oligarchs and their corporations backing their campaigns.
Added together these are a clear attempt to take reprisals against and intimidate those who may oppose policies of the Administration. Even the Republican Senator from Alaska, who has voted against some of the President’s cabinet selection, has expressed some fear of retaliation.
The only way to end this rogue activity is through exercising our right to express opinions which may differ from Administration policies and through voting at every opportunity.
*Editor’s note - WinRed is the Republican fundraising platform
April 30, 2025 89th TX Lege Update
by Angela Nixon, Legislative Chair
Bad DOGE for Texas
The Texas version of DOGE (SB 14), signed by the Governor on April 23, is the first bill to become law this session . . . because the federal version is working out so well, right?
Billions in State Tax Dollars for Private Schools
The Texas House passed a revised version of the Senate school voucher bill (SB 2) on April 17. On April 24, the Senate agreed to changes made by the House, and the bill has since been sent to the Governor. One amendment proposed by House Rep. James Talarico would have given Texas voters the final say on whether to go forward with the voucher program, but the amendment was shelved by House Republicans. For more on this unconstitutional, multi-billion-dollar state give-away for the wealthy, part of a plan designed to “fix” public education by slowly bleeding it dry, see the April 14 CODA newsletter.
War on Women Some good news
The “death penalty for women” bill (HB 2197) was yanked from the calendar just before it was to be heard in committee last week. The bill grants full legal rights to fetuses from the moment of fertilization and puts anyone who miscarries, has a stillbirth, or seeks abortion care at risk of being investigated for murder. While the bill may have been pulled, it isn’t necessarily gone for good, and there are several other cruel bills where it came from.
More Cruel Bills Against Women
One of these is Senate Bill 2880, which was preliminarily approved on April 29 and will likely soon be considered for final passage by the Senate. SB 2880 targets abortion pill manufacturers, providers, and distributors in an attempt to stop the flow of abortion pills coming into the state. But it doesn’t stop there. The bill places everyday Texans at risk of criminal prosecution and costly lawsuits simply for exercising compassion and support. The bill makes it a felony to help cover the cost of getting an abortion—even if the abortion is obtained in another state where abortion is legal. This means a family member or friend could face criminal charges for buying a plane ticket or paying for abortion medication. SB 2880 includes a number of “abortion vigilante” provisions, deputizing private citizens to sue anyone who aids or facilitates a medication-induced abortion for “statutory damages” of $100,000. The House version of SB 2880 (HB 5510) was heard in committee on April 25. At that meeting, Dem. Rep. Donna Howard asked the bill’s author a question. What if the mother of a 12-year-old rape victim helped her daughter obtain abortion medication. Could that mother be charged or suffer legal consequences under the bill? The author didn’t want to answer, but the answer is yes. Senate Bill 31 (and its companion HB 44) purport to clarify the only exception to Texas’ abortion ban - the medical emergency exception - so that a pregnant woman does not have to be on the verge of death in order to receive treatment for a life-threatening condition. While clarification was necessary, reproductive rights advocates fear the bills could be interpreted as reviving Texas’ Pre-Roe abortion ban, which requires a prison sentence for a pregnant woman receiving a non-medical emergency abortion and for anyone who helps her get that abortion. Lawmakers were asked to amend the bill to make it clear they did not intend to revive the pre-Roe ban. In response, language was added to say the bill should not be construed to “affirm or reject” the validity of the pre-Roe law. SB 31 as amended was approved by the Senate on April 29 and was sent to the House on April 30.
Voting Rights
Republicans have introduced a number of bills to further limit access to the voting booth. Senate Bill 16, which requires proof of citizenship to register to vote, was approved by the Senate on April 1. On April 24, the House Elections Committee took testimony on the House version of the bill (HB 5337). Another set of bills (SB 511 and HB1489) would prohibit counties from sending out unsolicited voter registration applications to unregistered voters.
War on DEI
Many bills have been introduced targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and initiatives. One is SB 12, which would extend the DEI ban to public K-12 schools. The bill prohibits schools from considering or promoting DEI in hiring, policies, or programs. SB 12 was approved by the Senate in March and is currently pending in the House Public Education Committee.
Free Speech
In response to recent protests against the war in Gaza, Republicans introduced SB 326, which requires Texas schools to use a controversial definition of antisemitism in deciding whether students have violated school codes of conduct. The bill passed the Senate on April 14 and was approved by the House on April 29. The bill’s language has been criticized for conflating legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies with antisemitism, and for potentially discouraging students from exercising their first amendment rights.
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From the Travis County Dems TXLege Rapid Response Team, here are some other bad bills being heard in committee this week (April 28 - May 2). Not an exhaustive list:
Repeal the Dream Act (HB 232) - Would repeal the Dream Act, signed by Rick Perry in 2021. Denies in-state college tuition for Dreamers, even if they lived and went to high school in Texas.
Vaccination Opt-Out (HB 1586) - Weakens school vaccination tracking by changing certain “shall” requirements to “may,” making it easier to opt out.
Library Book Ban (SB 2101) - Penalizes libraries for even possessing materials deemed “sexually explicit” for minors under 18 (with broad definitions), while exempting religious materials.
Ten Commandments in School (SB 10) - Forces every classroom to post large display of the Ten Commandments. So much for separation of church and state.
Weapons in Foster Homes (HB 1403) - Limits child welfare agencies’ ability to assess safety of foster homes by restricting disclosure of weapon information.
Another DEI Ban (HB 4552) - Prohibits state agencies, the legislature, and courts from promoting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, falsely framing DEI as “discriminatory.”
No to Smart Growth for Cities (HB 4348) - Blocks cities from redesigning roadways to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. Ties compliance to affordable housing funding.
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If you’d like to join the TC Dems TXLege Rapid Response Team to receive updates and get action alerts on pending bills. You can also look up bills and track their progress on the Texas Legislature’s website.
Join Us at the 2025 Texas Rural Summit – June 13–14 in Bastrop, TX
Location: Bastrop Convention Center | Presented by: The 134 PAC & Coalition of Democratic Allies
Rural Texans face unique challenges—and we’re not waiting for someone else to solve them. The Texas Rural Summit is a two-day gathering of experts, elected officials, community leaders, and everyday Texans committed to forging smart, local strategies for rural resilience.
We’ll tackle critical issues head-on:
The voucher scam that threatens rural public schools
Urban-rural divides and how to build real partnerships
Voices from the front lines: Women who’ve run for office in rural Texas
Insights from rural voters shaping the future
Let’s talk solutions. Let’s organize. Let’s lead.
Want to get involved?
Contact The 134 PAC or CODA for speaker info, panel topics, Sponsorships, Vendor booths, and Friday Tickets, Saturday Tickets, Both Days.
Don’t just talk about change—be part of it.
A couple of quick reminders:
Bastrop Protests every Thursday on the corner of Main and Chestnut 12-1:00
CODA Mobilization Meeting - May 15th @ 6:30 PM Bastrop Public Library
June 6 - 50501 Movement, Veterans to Defend and Support the Constitution
June 6 - Bastrop Pride Festival
June 13-14 Rural Texas Summit, Bastrop Convention Center