Contact Federal Government Officials
Find
your legislators here: https://www.theloyalopposition.net/rep-finder/
OR
OR
OR
Find senators Twitter and Facebook
Accounts here:
Find representatives on Twitter
here:
********************************
If
your senators and reps aren't saved in your phone yet,
text
your US postal address to (520) 200-2223 and get a text back with your
STATE
& FEDERAL legislative rep phone numbers.
*******************************
Many newspapers, including New
York Times and Washington Post require
subscriptions, but without one we can see a few articles each month. We can also check with our local libraries to
find out how to get online access through them.
1.
Let’s listen to Senator Kamala Harris tell us about
what the Graham-Cassidy health care bill means:
https://www.facebook.com/SenatorKamalaHarris/videos/550949648581506/ and then let’s contact our own senators and
tell our healthcare stories, or stories of our friends and family. We did it before, we can do it again. We cannot give up this fight. Let’s also call
the three Republican senators who voted in our interests on health care in the
past: 1) Senator John McCain, (R-AZ)
https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form,
2) Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact/email,
and 3) Susan Collins (R-ME) https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact
2.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan wants Americans to start
2018 with a new tax system. After the Republican-controlled Congress failed to
repeal the Affordable Care Act, the pressure is mounting to pass major
legislation. And Ryan is hoping to win on taxes. Regular readers of The Fact
Checker know we’ve called out politicians before for using dubious statistics
to advance their tax agenda. During his interview, Ryan rehashed several of the
often-cited statistics. But he puts them together in a misleading
way." We can see the "real tax facts" in this article. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/09/18/speaker-ryans-fuzzy-math-on-the-u-s-s-terrible-tax-system/?utm_term=.df8072194ce4
Let's contact the speaker and tell him Americans don't want to be mislead
and we are smarter than his political games. We want the real tax
facts. Contact: http://www.speaker.gov/contact
3.
It is dig-deep-GO-time on health care, again. The GOP
is counting on us to be worn out from summer efforts and distracted by other
issues like Manafort being wiretapped. We can take nothing for granted about
how they might get the destruction of Obamacare completed before the September
30th deadline (after which point they would need 60 votes not
50 in the Senate): https://apnews.com/18bcda43759844e88f5dfec5d5fd9a78 They
are flirting with the 50 vote threshold and some staffers have said that the
phones are much more quieter this time around. Please contact your own MoC and
be in touch with friends who live in states considered in play to ask for them
to pick up the phone too (Arizona, West Virginia, Alaska, Maine, Ohio, etc.)
4.
“Trump administration officials, under pressure from
the White House to provide a rationale for reducing the number of refugees
allowed into the United States next year, rejected a study by the Department of
Health and Human Services that found that refugees brought in $63 billion more
in government revenues over the past decade than they cost.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/us/politics/refugees-revenue-cost-report-trump.html
By jiggering the metric, HHS gave the administration a final version of this
study more to Trump’s liking, citing only the per capita refugee costs for
major HHS programs. The White House apparently believed that the draft
report was “delivered by someone with an ideological agenda”—unlike the White
House: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/351289-trump-administration-officials-rejects-report-on-refugees
Since we can’t trust the account of this administration, let’s urge HHS
to make ALL their findings available to the public: Secretary of Health &
Human Services Tom Price 202-690-7000 or
200 Independence Ave. SW, DC 20201
5.
The Pentagon is going to release a decision on
transgender troops by February per this article on Military.com. Additionally, this article in the Washington Post identifies the
individuals that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has tasked with a recommendation:
Gen. Paul Selva, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), and
Patrick Shanahan, Deputy Defense Secretary. Mattis is looking
for evidence-based recommendations on the way forward. Let's write to
Selva and Shanahan to provide evidence that we care about this issue and that
we believe that all individuals who wish to serve their country should be able
to do so. 1) Gen. Paul Selva, VCJCS, 9999 Joint Staff Pentagon, Washington DC
20318-9999. 2) Patrick Shanahan, 1400 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC
20301-1000.
6.
Senators Kristen Gillibrand and Lindsey Graham have
introduced S.1821: A bill to establish the National Commission on the
Cybersecurity of United States Election Systems, and for other purposes. The
bill would create a commission similar to the one that was created after 9/11
to investigate the terrorist attacks, and would investigate cyberattacks which
took place leading up to and during the 2016 election http://bit.ly/2jvQl7m If
we want to prevent interference in our elections, whether they're local, state,
or national, we have to understand our vulnerabilities and how these attacks
happened in the first place. Let's call our senators and make sure they
cosponsor and support S. 1821. We can also call our representative to make sure
that they have cosponsor and support the House's H.R. 356: Protecting Our
Democracy Act, which would establish the National Commission on Foreign
Interference in the 2016 Election to investigate Russian interference in any
elections for public office in 2016.
7.
Three Democratic congressmen were arrested Tuesday
outside Trump Tower in New York as part of a protest of President Trump’s
decision to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of young
immigrants. Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) and
Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ.) were among at least 10 people arrested, according to a
Gutiérrez spokesman. Those arrested also included New York City Council
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who is Puerto Rican and widely considered among
New York political observers to be a future mayoral or congressional candidate.
The protest Tuesday outside Trump’s home was organized by Make The
Road New York, a progressive, immigrants’ rights group."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/09/19/democratic-lawmakers-arrested-outside-trump-tower/?utm_term=.ba9181f544ee&wpisrc=nl_politics-pm&wpmm=1
Let’s tweet a quick thank you to Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY)
@RepEspaillat, Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL.) @RepGutierrez, Raúl M. Grijalva
(D-AZ) @RepRaulGrijalva and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito @MMViverito.
8.
“The scientist nominated to head the federal
government’s chemical regulatory program has spent much of his career helping
businesses fight restrictions on the use of potentially toxic compounds in
consumer goods. That record is expected to figure prominently in a Senate confirmation hearing for the scientist,
Michael L. Dourson, who critics say is too closely tied to the chemical industry
to be its chief regulator. Mr. Dourson has a popular sideline as a writer of
books that combine Bible stories with his views on science. His series,
“Evidence of Faith,” is an examination of the intersection of evolution and
bible history. At a time when the E.P.A. is in the early stages of putting in
place Congress’s 2016 overhaul of the law governing toxic chemicals, Mr.
Dourson’s nomination to become the agency’s assistant administrator for
chemical safety has alarmed Democrats and some former E.P.A.
officials." https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/science/epa-chemical-industry-dourson.html
Call your senators and ask them to ask
the tough questions and then VOTE NO on his appointment.
State Actions
1.
AL: Roy Moore, the Republican front-runner in next
week’s special Senate election in Alabama, referred to "reds and yellows
fighting" in a campaign speech, a video shows. Responding to criticism
about his remarks on Facebookl ate Monday, Moore quoted the popular
Bible school song, “Jesus Loves the Little Children," written in
the 1800's. The general election will not take place until December, but given
Alabama's conservative lean, the winner on Tuesday is expected to
become the state's next senator. Moore, who has suggested that the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks were punishment from God, often mixes religion and politics. He
was removed from the state’s top judicial post twice for doing so — the first
time for refusing to remove a statue of the Ten Commandments he had installed
on state property, and the second time for refusing to follow the U.S. Supreme
Court’s ruling allowing same-sex marriage." https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/alabama-gop-senate-candidate-says-reds-yellows-are-fighting-n802461
If we live in Alabama or have family who do, please make sure we and our family
members vote in the primary. Voter turnout is crucial. A candidate that
has shown he does not respect the law should not be a political leader.
2.
AR: "The latest effort to undo Obamacare, the
Graham-Cassidy legislation, would shift federal support for health coverage to
a block grant system to the states. Bad news for Arkansas. Block grants would
be doled out equally — no advantage to states that adopted the Medicaid
expansion. States like Texas, which rejected the Medicaid expansion would
benefit hugely. Arkansas? Loser. A Center for Budget and Policy Priorities analysis puts
the loss to Arkansas at more than $1 billion a year by 2026. The bill
eliminates federal subsidies for the Medicaid expansion in 2020. Conventional
Medicaid also faces cuts. Democrats in Congress are seeking a full
Congressional Budget Office analysis of the legislation before a hurryup vote.
The legislation reported is near the votes needed for passage." https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2017/09/18/latest-obamacare-repeal-bill-would-hit-arkansas-treasury-hard If we live in Arkansas, let’s call our
senators and asked them to reject this bill. It's no good for Arkansas. It's no
good for our country.
Other Actions
1.
"Jerry Brown, the governor of California,
huddled on Sunday night with European, Brazilian and small-island
leaders — gathered here for the 72nd session of the United Nations General
Assembly, which formally begins on Tuesday — and pledged to work with
them on climate change. Analysts said it would be the first real test of
whether governors can persuade world leaders that efforts by American states
might be able to take the place, at least in part, of federal government
action. The goal, the governors say, is to assure other countries that they,
along with and hundreds of cities and businesses, remain committed to cutting
greenhouse gas emissions and meeting the goals of the Paris accord. "You
have allies in the United States. You shouldn’t put your foot on the brake or
even tap it just because we have a climate denier in the White House. You’re
not alone,” Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington said he would tell world leaders this
week." https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/climate/climate-change-unga-governors.html Let’s check with our city and state to make
sure they on board to protect us against climate change issues.
2.
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo has announced a
plan to pay for all Rhode Island DREAMers' DACA renewal fees, so that they can
meet the Department of Homeland Security's October 5th deadline http://bit.ly/2w4IuiV We've
sent Governor Raimondo thank you's in the past for ending conversion therapy in
her state, protecting scientific and academic researchers, and for joining the
United States Climate Alliance to declare her state's commitment to the Paris
Agreement. Let's thank the Governor again, for standing up for Rhode
Island's DREAMers: on her website contact form or by mail: Office of the Governor 82
Smith Street Providence, RI 02903Phone: (401) 222-2080
3.
The Trump White House is putting its full weight behind
yet another attempt to strip health insurance from millions of Americans, and
we need to keep up pressure on crucial swing votes (http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/19/politics/trump-graham-cassidy-obamacare-repeal/index.html).
NextGen America is running a texting campaign to protect health care starting
today to fight back. We can join them in opposing Obamacare repeal by signing
up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezxPFYpCPN-VRPi8YQa3wZvoJcLiye47RkWOYW3RNBLJ6PVw/viewform.
4.
Gerrymandering has given Republicans as many as three
extra congressional seats in Florida, as well as a built-in advantage in state
legislative races (https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2017/05/19/different-maps-same-destination-floridas.html).
That makes it all the more important to put in the extra work it will take to
start clawing our way back to power to stop the regressive GOP agenda there.
There’s a special election for a key state senate seat in Florida on September
26th. Let’s check out this blog post from Flippable on how we can help win
it: https://blog.flippable.org/how-to-flip-the-sunshine-state-blue-1f3668b32f2b.
5.
Here’s a cool tool to fight the truly awful Graham
Cassidy ACA (Obamacare) repeal bill: https://www.trumpcareten.org/calls-to-kill-trumpcare If
we live in a state with Democratic senators, we can use this tool to call
pro-Obamacare voters in the states of swing Republican senators and then patch
them through to their senators’ district offices. We’ll only be calling people
who will be sympathetic to the cause. Let’s give it a try!
Petitions
1.
Let’s join the League of
Conservation Voters and tell Congress to pass the Dream Act: http://p2a.co/qFblCRS?p2asource=c4gaemdaca
2.
Friends of the Earth
knows it is wrong to allow national parks and monuments to big industry. So do we.
Let’s sign so here: http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=22323
Marches/events/teleconferences
to attend/organize
Reading/Watching
1. Lauren Duca continues to hit it out of the
park at Teen Vogue. Read her latest about the normalization effect of having
Sean Spicer at the Emmy Awards:https://www.teenvogue.com/story/sean-spicer-emmys-2017-cameo-normalization-thigh-high-politics-lauren-duca/amp
2. Morgan Freeman explains Russia’s plot to
undermine the U.S. -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2av__s-598
3. “Koch network 'piggy banks' closed until
Republicans pass health and tax reform” -- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/26/koch-network-piggy-banks-closed-republicans-healthcare-tax-reform
Rogan’s
List is a participant in and strategic part ner of the Action Alliance,
a loosely-federated group of organizations that, in
the wake of the
2016 election, are sharing daily or weekly calls to
action.
Other
member sites are listed here: https://www.actionalliance.co/ --scroll down and click through and you'll
find many more opportunities to make a difference.
******
Rogan’s List is also part of RISE Stronger’s United States of
Resistance
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.