Contact
Federal Government Officials
Fax legislators
for free:
Or use Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
Or use StampsLicked to have messages
hand-delivered to our own legislators: https://stampslicked.org/
White House
contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
1. This
week in Congress: The House will consider twenty (20)
bills this week. The new Majority Leader's Schedule has not yet been updated
but we can review these bills on GovTrack.us. On Tuesday, 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)
Per govtrack.us this
bill is provisionally dead due to a failed vote for cloture on January 14,
2019. Cloture is required to move past a Senate filibuster or the threat of a
filibuster and takes a 3/5ths vote. In practice, most bills must pass cloture
to move forward in the Senate. We can check the Senate Floor Schedule
daily for updates for the next day.
2. On
Saturday afternoon, Trump put out his “compromise” plan for the shutdown and
the wall. It has not been favorably received:
https://www.apnews.com/f118593282134d518b59067492f6faf0 and https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/trump-losing-shutdown-battle/580870/
Let’s continue to let our MoC know that holding 800,000 Americans and
their families, not to mention all the people who are feeling the trickle down
effects, financially hostage for over thirty days as leverage for a racist
fever dream is not acceptable. It is time to open the government. Fact check of his words: https://apnews.com/dd1e833a94604feaafd70cccbe959a59
3. Congresswoman
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s idea of raising the top tax rate to 70% in order to
pay for the Green New Deal has been pooh-poohed by both the Democrat and
Republican the political establishment; https://thehill.com/policy/finance/425008-ocasio-cortez-sparks-debate-with-talk-of-70-percent-marginal-rate,
however, the majority of Americans, including 45% of GOP voters, think this is
a good idea. https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/425422-a-majority-of-americans-support-raising-the-top-tax-rate-to-70?userid=200565.
Let’s remind our MoCs that tax rates used to be as high as 90%, and were at 70%
as late as 1980, and ask them to start working for more progressive tax reform
so we can use the revenues to save our planet.
4. It
has come to light that ex-Breitbart contributor Robert W. Patterson, now acting
associate commissioner at the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Office of
Strategic and Digital Communications, once worked in communications for George
W. Bush, resigned a social welfare position under then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom
Corbett in 2012 after the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that he’d proposed that
women become shrill and suicidal unless they’re in “contraceptive-free
marriages,” opposes working mothers, and lauded Rodney King's police
assailants; before all that, he worked for two virulently anti-LGBTQ
organizations: https://www.bustle.com/p/trump-official-robert-w-patterson-once-said-using-condoms-robs-a-woman-of-good-semen-15793704
Perhaps it’s time we tell SSA that Patterson should not be involved in
“Creat[ing[, develop[ing], facilitat[ing], implement[ing], oversee[ing] and
evaluat[ing] all SSA communications and [public affairs] activities, both
internal and external” (https://www.ssa.gov/org/orgOCOMM.htm):
Nancy A. Berryhill, Acting Commissioner of SS, 800-772-1213 or FAX 410-597-0118
or 6401 Security Blvd, Windsor Park Bldg, Baltimore, MD 21235.
5. From
one of our own: Here’s where to look for
issues needing public comment -- Regulations.gov is taking comments - it went
dark for a couple of days this week but the disclaimer about the site not being
maintained has been taken down but added to the Federal Register site (aren't
these people fun?) The big ones this week are the Navy assault on marine
mammals and new- weakening the ACA. Also - because it was closing and now
extended to Jan. 28 the NLRB joint employer rule which holds subcontractors
liable and not the overall contractor (think of Energy Transfer Partners behind
KeystoneXL and several other damaging projects and their hundreds, if not
thousands, of subcontractors whose workers get no benefits, are often injured,
and under this, can't sue. This week's list: https://drive.google.com/open?id=16dstcm50fkSETyPMCnnOTj0SWQ7pGfY2
6. Just
two months after a wildfire wiped out Paradise, California,
officials are gearing up for this year’s fire season and fear the government
shutdown could make it even more difficult than one of the worst in history. The winter months are critical for wildfire
managers who use the break from the flames to prepare for the next onslaught,
but much of that effort has ground to a halt on U.S. land because employees are
furloughed. Firefighting training courses are being canceled from Tennessee to
Oregon, piles of dead trees are untended in federal forests and controlled
burns to thin dry vegetation aren’t getting done. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/government-shutdown-stalls-training-other-prep-for-wildfire-season.
There are so many fallout issues from the shutdown and here is another one that
most don’t think about. The domino effect of the shutdown is growing. Let’s
continue to call our governors and senators and ask for action to open
the government.
7. The
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts is at risk of losing its reservation.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act—HR
312—is legislation that will
protect the tribe’s ancestral homeland.
https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/mashpee-wampanoag-tribe-hails-new-reservation-re-affirmation-act/ and
https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/standwithmashpee/ Let’s
tell our US reps to co-sponsor the bill.
Election/Voting
Other
Actions
1. Last Friday, a group of high school boys from Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, KY wearing MAGA gear
attending a March for Life Rally in Washington DC taunted a native American
veteran who was attending the Indigenous People’s March at the Lincoln Memorial
who had stepped in between the school boys and a small group of African-American
protesters. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covington-catholic-high-school-kids-in-maga-hats-mocking-native-american-vietnam-veteran-during-indigenous-peoples-march-caught-on-viral-video-2019/
and https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/01/20/native-american-leader-nathan-phillips-recounts-incident-video/2630256002/ It is heartbreaking and evocative of photos
of school integration and lunch counter protests during the Civil Rights era
and we can see how far we have left to go. If we haven’t already, let’s be in
touch with Covington Catholic High School (they have locked down much of their
webpage and directories etc. but mailing address available: https://www.covcath.org)
and the Diocese of Covington (website also locked down: 1125 Madison Ave,
Covington, KY 41011) to let them know that these students must be dealt with in
accordance with the grotesqueness of their actions but also that the school and
diocese need to explore deeply the systemic issues at hand. Then let’s ask them to share what they learn
and do with other schools. We can also
sign this petition from a graduate of the school: https://www.change.org/p/rev-bishop-foys-immediate-change-at-covington-catholic
2. If we are furloughed Federal employees or
know people who are, we can turn to this guide from Congressman Eli Cummings.
It features federal, state, county, city, and corporate resources to help
us make it through the #TrumpShutdown.
3. The League of Women Voters is a leader in the
struggle against voter suppression. Let’s sign up so we can help whenever the
League needs us: http://participate.lwv.org/c/10065/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12567
4. On New Year’s Eve, all works first published in
the United States in 1923 entered the public domain. It has been 21 years since
the last mass expiration of copyright in the U.S. Much the same will
happen every January 1 until 2073, revealing long-overlooked works from the
Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression, World War II and beyond. We can read
more at Smithsonian.com.
Let's take a look to see what is now in the public domain.
5. Due to the shutdown, many federal employees
can't afford diapers:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/federal-employees-diapers-government-shutdown_us_5c3f6714e4b0a8dbe16ce0dc
We
can donate to the National Diaper Bank Network here: https://www.nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/
6. A new poll shows that Trump's support is down
because of the ongoing government shutdown, but so is support for congressional
democrats! This shows that we have to work harder to show people that this
struggle is more than just a partisan political spat, and that Democrats
are fighting for truth (the wall is a waste and a non-solution to undocumented
immigration) and our highest values (support for those in need, faith in
America's promise of a better life for all). Let's spread the word to whomever
we can reach, but especially to our reps and senators from both parties.
7. A St. Louis newscaster used a slur during a
newscast when saying the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/426074-st-louis-newscaster-apologizes-for-saying-slur-in-martin-luther Let’s
let KTVI know that an apology is insufficient and that one does not slip his
way into that kind of slur: https://fox2now.com/contact/
8. From one of our own: Trump is running television ads to ask people
to call 800-350-6647 and press 1 to DEMAND that Pelosi and Schumer fund the
wall. Buried at the end, the announcer says, "press 2 if you do NOT
support funding the wall. Friends, you
know what to do. P.S. You don't have to
listen to Trump's voice. When the spiel starts just press "2".
State
Actions
1. CA: From Momtivist: If we are looking
to donate some of our excess items, especially kid stuff, Momtivist has a great
list of places in the LA area that would be happy to receive them: A) Baby 2 Baby - Donate gently used kid’s
clothes, toys and necessities. Drop off locations throughout LA - www.baby2baby.org,
B) Big Sundays - Donate gently used clothing of kids books. Drop off location
in Hollywood. https://bigsunday.org/get-involved/other-ways-to-help/,
C) One Toy At A Time - They collect gently used toys and donate to needy kids
worldwide. They’ll pick up from you or you can drop off in Van Nuys - www.onetoyatatime.org/donate,
D) Mend Poverty - They’ll take gently used clothing (for kids and adults). Drop
off location in Pacoima (just up the 5 freeway) - www.mendpoverty.org/get-involved/donate/clothing-donations-accepted,
and E) Dress for Success - They’ll take gently used women’s professional
clothes and accessories. Drop off location is downtown - https://worldwidewest.dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/donate/
2. MA:
The Fair Share Amendment would change the Massachusetts Constitution to provide
increased funding for education and transportation through an additional 4% tax
on annual income above $1 million. It’s an important reform aimed at decreasing
economic inequality and uplifting the poor and middle class. It nearly passed
as a citizen-initiated effort but was thwarted by the MA Supreme Judicial
Court. It is now being advanced by the State Legislature, and should therefore
pass constitutional muster: https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/01/18/supporters-look-revive-millionaires-tax/r9mupOLW05ZSZ0f8K3hbMJ/story.html Here
are two actions we can take to help move it along: A) Tell our State Senator and State
Representative to co-sponsor the Fair Share Amendment (contact info: https://openstates.org/),
and B) Sign up with Raise Up Massachusetts, an organization that is advocating
for the Fair Share Amendment, so we can be ready to help with a phone call or
postcard or signature when needed. https://action.raiseupma.org/page/s/join-raise-up-ma
3. NJ:
Let’s expand voting rights in New Jersey. Governor Murphy supports reforms that
will allow on-line voter registration and early voting up to 30 days before an
election; same-day voter registration; people on parole and probation to vote;
and 17-year-olds who turn 18 by the general election to vote in primaries.
Let’s tell our state legislators: https://openstates.org/,
to support these measures.
4. NM:
Seven bills to expand voting rights have been introduced in the New Mexico
House of Representatives, https://taosnews.com/stories/how-could-proposed-legislation-affect-your-right-to-vote,54288 .
Let’s contact our state legislators: https://openstates.org/, and
tell them to co-sponsor these bills: A) HB
55: agreement to elect the president by national popular vote, B) HB 84 and SB
50: automatic voter registration, C) HB 57: restore voting rights for ex-felons,
D) HB 86 and SB 52: allow voter registration up to three days before an
election, and E) HB 93: allow voters without party affiliation to vote in
primaries
5. NY:
After all the work it’s taken to get early voting passed in the NY legislature
and after its ostensible endorsement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the governor
conveniently failed to include any funding for this measure in his executive
budget: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Proposed-budget-omits-specific-funding-for-early-13538977.php
With one of the worst voting systems in the nation (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/09/new-yorks-worst-in-the-country-voting-system/570223/ ),
we New Yorkers must apparently continue to demand that our putatively
progressive governor fund not just early voting but the whole array of voting
reforms that would guarantee full enfranchisement; let’s call Cuomo at (518)
474-8390 or Governor of NYS, NYS State Capitol Bldg., Albany, NY 12224.
6. VA:
Governor Northam is proposing legislation to expand voting rights and reform
campaign financing, https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2019/january/headline-837622-en.html .
If we’re in Virginia, let’s tell our state legislators: https://openstates.org/ ,
to support these measures, which include no-excuse absentee voting, repeal of
photo-ID requirements, limitations on large campaign contributions, a ban on
direct contributions from corporations or businesses, and prohibition on the
personal use of campaign funds.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms
to attend/organize
Reading/Watching
1. Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Speaks at 2019 Women's March in New York City: "Justice
is about making sure that being polite is not the same thing as being
quiet." - https://www.teenvogue.com/story/rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-speech-2019-womens-march-new-york-city
2. Are We Really Where We Are? - https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/are-we-really-where-we-are-trump-putin-and-washingtons-unbelievable-new-normal
3. How Tax
Brackets Actually Work - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJhsjUPDulw
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