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1/14/19 

Contact Federal Government Officials


1.   This week in Congress:  The House will consider seventeen (17) bills this week. The new Majority Leader's Schedule has not yet been updated but we can review these bills on GovTrack.us.  On Monday, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.1, the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act. (Source: Senate Floor Schedule) According to this update at GovTrack.us this bill is provisionally dead due to a failed vote for cloture on January 10, 2019. We can check the Senate Floor Schedule daily for updates for the next day.

2.   This weekend was a roller-coaster news cycle with the New York Times breaking a story about the FBI opening a counterintelligence investigation against Trump (after he fired Comey) to explore whether he is a Russian asset and the Washington Post following up with a story about Trump’s efforts to block sharing content of his private meetings with Putin including taking an interpreter’s notes. Needless to say, Trump is reacting about as well as expected: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/12/trump-tweets-fbi-russia-new-york-times-james-comey  So, yes, the question has formally been raised as to whether the POTUS is a Russian asset. If we have Democratic MoC, let’s ask them to stay strong and speak out. If we have Republican MoC, let’s be in touch straight away to say that now is the time to decide which side of history they intend to be on and that we expect them to fulfill their oaths. For all our preparatory efforts in the event of Mueller’s firing, it does seem like we have reached a critical schism.

3.   As of press time on Sunday, the government shutdown continues with no end in sight: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shutdown/government-shutdown-breaks-record-with-no-end-in-sight-idUSKCN1P60J1  It is now the longest government shutdown on record and 800,000 of our fellow citizens (and their families) are suffering because of it. In light of the Russia news over the weekend, it is easy to see Trump’s chaos in a different light. Let’s particularly be in touch with our Republican Senators (if we have any) to say that the time to stand up to Mitch McConnell is already in the rear-view mirror and we expect them to take action – their constituents are hurting. If we have Democratic Senators, let’s ask them to stay resolute.

4.   “Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today led a group of senators in introducing the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 [S.66], an updated bill to ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.”  https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=EFC76859-879D-4038-97DD-C577212ED17B  Let’s make sure our senators are co-sponsors to this important legislation.  

5.   Senator Jon Tester (MT- D) gave a powerful speech last week regarding the shutdown which calls out his Republican colleagues for their obstruction: https://www.c-span.org/video/?456789-14/senator-tester-government-shutdown  Let’s thank Senator Tester for his clarity: https://www.tester.senate.gov/?p=offices

6.   James Hines of Sierra Club has reported, “I just got off the phone with several of the executive staff at the U.S. Dept of the Interior which oversees the National Park Service and other federal land management agencies. They tell me that the White House wants to keep America's national parks closed and not staffed for as long as possible. The reason is that this will allow mining and oil drilling companies to set up their operations in our national parks without any national park service personal oversight How sad is this, using America's national parks as a political game to get what the extraction industry both domestic and foreign companies to get what they want. @POTUS open and staff America's national parks.” Despite the shutdown, the Dept. of the Interior continues to issue permits:  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/12/us-oil-drilling-government-shutdown-trump-administration  Let’s make sure that our MoCs know that this is not how we want this to play out.  Save our national parks!

7.   Seven Republican Congressmen (yes, they were all men!) voted against allowing federal workers to receive backpay after the shutdown is over.  https://thehill.com/homenews/house/424942-the-7-republicans-who-voted-against-back-pay-for-furloughed-government-workers. If we live in their districts, (or perhaps, even if we don’t) let’s make sure to contact Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Glen Grothman (Wis.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Chip Roy (Texas) and Ted Yoho (Fla.) and express our disgust at their insensitivity to American workers. Let’s also remind ALL our Republican MoCs that we are holding them completely responsible for blocking and/or voting against legislation that would re-open the government.

8.   Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke planted a kind of bomb before losing his job. His appointee to the Interior Department's office for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, a Koch brothers crony named Daniel Jorjani, is quietly trying to enact new rules that would allow the department to simply ignore many FOIA queries (https://www.outsideonline.com/2380381/interior-department-foia-record-access-change). Transparent government requires honoring the FOIA, and even if the management of our public lands isn't our biggest concern right now, rest assured that these proposed rule changes are a trial balloon, one that other government agencies will mimic if we don't challenge them now. Public comment is being accepted until January 28, and response thus far has been lackluster, so let's light 'em up! 

9.   Attorney General nominee William Barr has a troubling history of discrediting the rights of whistleblowers. He’s written that they are “an encroachment on executive power” and a threat to the executive’s constitutional authority. https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/425096-william-barrs-troubling-history-with-whistleblowers. Let’s make sure to ask our Senators to insist that Mr. Barr clarify his position and commit to taking the Justice Department’s role in litigating claims of fraud against taxpayers seriously, including allegations of fraud by government entities, should he be confirmed as Attorney General. Crooked Media’s What a Day from last Friday includes additional warnings about Barr:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lxg5kZsr_6A1qQEiNqN7VxMH3yoLpH5hEQqepNUwnpM/edit?usp=sharing

10. “Thousands of requests by men to bring in child and adolescent brides to live in the United States were approved over the past decade, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press. In one case, a 49-year-old man applied for admission for a 15-year-old girl.”  https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/apnewsbreak-us-approved-thousands-child-bride-requests-60307255  These were all legal.  Let’s ask our MoCs to amend The Immigration and Nationality Act to protect these young girls. 

11.  “With the partial government shutdown on the verge of becoming the longest in U.S. history, many housing advocates fear thousands of low-income Americans are at risk of being evicted. More than 1,000 government-backed housing contracts have already expired and potentially more will do so in the coming weeks. Since the shutdown began last month, approximately 1,150 federal rental assistance contracts have not been renewed due to funding lapses at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. These lapses impact Project-Based Rental Assistance agreements between private property owners and the federal government. These landlords are contracted to house low and very low-income residents. The property owner charges tenants modest rents and HUD kicks in subsidies to make up the difference.”  The only “crisis” is the one that trump is creating by not signing a bill passed by the House that he promised his GOP Senators he would sign.  Tell trump to stop the #trumpshutdown.  

12.  The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has called for the removal of Representative Steve King (R-IA) from his committee assignments for his recent statements questioning why white supremacy is considered racist.
 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/425063-congressional-black-caucus-calls-for-steve-king-to-be-removed-from-committees Let’s contact our US House Reps and tell them that we support the CBC’s stance on King and demand that he be removed from his committee assignments.

13.“Mexican authorities uncovered another tunnel in Nogales, Sonora — across the border from Nogales, Arizona — which they suspect was used to smuggle drugs and people across the U.S.-Mexico border. It's the third time they have made such a discovery in less than a month, and comes amid President Donald Trump's demand for funding to build more physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. However, the vast majority of the drugs that he alludes to, including heroin, are increasingly caught at the legal ports of entry, which would be unaffected by the construction of additional physical barriers.”  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/amid-border-wall-debate-third-drug-tunnel-found-in-less-than-a-month-along-arizona-border/ar-BBS8b6P  We already know that a WALL can be crossed in many different ways. Technical security and more personnel is a better solution than a WALL.  We need to keep the pressure on our senators, governors and call the WH and tell Trump, NO WALL, there are better solutions. 

14. From one of our own:  We have a second chance to object to including the citizenship question on the Census by January 27. Submit comments and recommendations to 2020_Census_Comments@ omb.eop.gov or fax to (202)395–5806. You can keep it short and just say that the primary purpose of the US Decennial Census is to count all people as required by the constitution and adding a question on citizenship will make the data less reliable because people won’t return the form, will leave non-citizens off, or will lie.

15. From one of our own: [for other public comment info] This week in gov't shutdown - federal sites aren't being updated, including regulations.gov, and public meetings to discuss regulations are on hold though open comment periods are still working. Regulations.gov directs you to look instead to Federal Register, which I did - looking specifically for the Medicaid State block grants threat (reduces funding) and the redefinition of The Waters of the United States - I searched by docket # and found nothing new, really - though some news articles. Here's this week’s list:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=16TnPvadqccwDtFLcn0DFIfsveio4mwM-

16. “A federal government shutdown might seem like a great way to save money: When agencies aren’t open, they aren’t spending tax dollars. But history shows us that closing the government actually costs more than keeping it open. Shuttered parks can’t collect entrance fees. Furloughed workers will ultimately get paid for not showing up to work. And the government will wind up having to pay interest on missed payments to some contractors.”  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/us/politics/shutdown-government-costs.html Let’s get the country moving again. Let’s call the WH and tell them we can’t afford this shut down, it costs us all too much! 

Election/Voting

Other Actions

1.    From one of our own:  The Mobile Medical team [of Immigrant Justice Now] in Tijuana requested chewable multi-vitamins for all the malnourished children that are waiting for their asylum request numbers to be called by CBP. They will then have to enter the frigid ICEBox for 5-7 days as their claims are processed. 
Immigrant Justice Now is using some of your donations to make this cruel process less harmful.  We are helping to build their immune systems & going to give them thermal underwear sets & thermal socks to wear as they enter our immigration system. Please donate to help us bring dignity & humanity to this malicious immigration process, even $5 will make a difference:  

2.   NSA Whistleblower Reality Winner has the opportunity to take a full load of college courses this Spring from prison. Toby Annika Blauwasser has organized a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help with Reality's tuition and books. They have a goal of $3000, We can check it out here. If they have not yet reached their goal, let's contribute if we are able. We can stay up to date on Reality by following the FaceBook group "Friends of Reality Winner"

3.   While it should be no surprise to us that Trump continues to make his case for a border wall by spreading lies and misinformation, many people believe in the underlying stereotypes he’s perpetuating about immigrants. Let’s make sure to fortify ourselves with facts when talking to friends, acquaintances, or family members who are being swayed by commonly held beliefs by reading this important article from pbs that summarizes the government’s own data about drugs, terrorism, and illegal immigration. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-theres-a-crisis-at-the-border-heres-what-the-data-says.  

4.   The brutal murder of journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi happened over 100 days ago.  “An independent investigation into the murder by a credible international body will help to ensure separation from the political interests of any individual country, and will form a stronger basis for eventual accountability for his death.”  Let’s sign this joint letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres calling for an immediate investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi:  https://pen.org/justice-for-jamal/

5.   Facing History and Ourselves whose mission is to “to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry”, has a number of resources we can use if we are middle or high school teachers, or we can share with teachers we know.  Let’s check them out here:  https://www.facinghistory.org/educator-resources/current-events

6.   From one of our own:  If we are looking for a good place to start with our postcarding group this week, here’s one to check out:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UWqvgzEEF3mCQ0nvuYj1BnBGqR9-iTgj0U-F5Cz_E9Y/edit

State Actions

1.    CA:  If sharing our address could put us in life-threatening danger, we may be eligible to register to vote confidentially. For more information, we can contact the Safe at Home program at (877) 322-5227 or visit www.sos.ca.gov/registries/safe-home/  We can share this with our friends on social media. 

2.   KY:  Representative Jim Glenn needs our help. The House did not officially seat him on the first day of the 2019 Session, choosing to give credence to the objection of the losing candidate.  Glenn won his election in Owensboro over opponent DJ Johnson by one vote, a result that’s been certified twice. Rather than accept both the county clerk and the State Board of Election certifications of Glenn’s victory or the will of the people of his district, House leadership convened a committee to hear the election contest filed by losing candidate DJ Johnson. Here’s what Jim needs us to do: call our state representatives at 1-800-372-7181 and tell them to vote to accept the findings of both the County Board of Elections and the State Board of Elections who certified Rep. Glenn as the winner of the election in the 13th House District.  We cannot let this go unanswered. The stakes are too high.   Let’s call our state reps now at 1-800-372-7181.  Rep. Glenn needs us!

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.    The Indigenous Peoples March will be held on Friday, January 18, in Washington, D.C.  We can find more information here:  https://indigenouspeoplesmovement.com/

2.   Another Women’s March is coming up.  Whether we align ourselves with March On, or Women’s March Alliance, or WoMen for All, or with no group at all, we have an opportunity to make history and march once again on Saturday, January 19, 2019.  Let’s check with our favorite organization or local group and find out how we can help.

Reading/Watching

1.    Ten Counterproductive Behaviors of Well-Intentioned People:  Common mistakes made in social justice conversations and how to correct them - https://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/ten-counterproductive-behaviors-of-well-intentioned-people-20160217

2.   Where Does Illegal Immigration Mostly Occur? Here's What The Data Tell Us - https://www.npr.org/2019/01/10/683662691/where-does-illegal-immigration-mostly-occur-heres-what-the-data-tell-us

3.   The Exceptions to the Rulers:  When people of color enter elite spaces, they’re often attacked as undeserving charlatans. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is no different - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/why-conservatives-cant-stop-talking-about-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/579901/








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