Welcome to Our New Legislative Blog
Hi, my name is Robert McDonald, and apart from being Josh Paul’s doppelganger, I also work as the Senior Legislative Researcher here at A New Policy. I’m excited to introduce myself and our new LegiSlate blog to this community and share what I do and why I joined A New Policy.
I began working at A New Policy in January of this year, developing the Legislative Tracker you see on our website and monitor legislation as well as Hearings in Congress. I also contribute to our legislative analyses, and can be called a giant policy nerd.
For me, joining A New Policy was never a question. I first saw the volunteer posting on LinkedIn in November 2024 and immediately applied. Horrified by the genocide in Gaza, the continued denigration of Palestinian human rights, and the role the United States has played, I felt powerless. Sharing social media posts, protesting, and conversations often felt like they changed little. So, when I saw an opportunity to apply the skills I had gained at the International Rescue Committee, working in humanitarian aid, and in the U.S. Congress, I jumped at it. I have not regretted that decision, even when balancing a full-time job with my volunteer work.
My connection to this issue began long before Gaza today. I grew up in the generation that witnessed the humanitarian and political catastrophe of the Iraq war. At a young age I learned about a childhood friend’s father, whose family fled the Armenian genocide to Haifa, only to be displaced again during the Nakba. I’ve been fortunate to learn from people close to me who have been directly or indirectly impacted by what has happened in Palestine. I do this work for not only the people who have taken the time to share their experiences with me, but the children and families hiding from American made bombs dropped from American made planes. When the news feels overwhelming, I think of my loved ones connected to Palestine, and I keep going hoping to help them build a better and safer world.
I also grew up with a mother who believed in the promise of the United States, the idea that we can build a more perfect union. She is someone who worked in a field that helped families who are often forgotten in our society. That belief has helped shape my advocacy and my work. It also informs how I see U.S. policy in Palestine, Israel, and the Middle East: flawed and long overdue for change. We need a new policy rooted in three principles: American values, American interests, and Palestinian self-determination. The last of these, self-determination, has long been ignored in U.S. policy, and it is time to make it central. Every person deserves the right to decide their own future. That principle, embedded in the postwar order, written into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and championed by Eleanor Roosevelt remains our unfinished work.
To answer the question you’re probably wondering about, why are we doing this blog. We are aware that the legislative analysis we publish online are what we send to Congressional staff and members, and those might appear dry or detached to what is happening on our screens. It is because those writings are designed to change policy, but this blog is going to be written for you, so you can see how these pieces of legislation affect you and the people you love. So, we look forward to writing materials for you. From me and those at A New Policy, we thank you for your donations, we could not do this work without you. We also thank those of you for sharing our work with people in your communities and fighting for change.
