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.
This week in Congress. Fifteen (15) bills are
coming to the House floor this week. Let's check them out at govtrack.us.
Let's remember to check Countable.us later on Monday for links to each of
these bills pro's and con's. We can check out house.gov for the House committee schedule for the
week.
2.
We hit a new low over the weekend as Trump went on a
tweet-storm blaming the leaders and people of Puerto Rico for the depth of
their hurricane troubles while he went golfing: https://www.apnews.com/abb7420d56a840c3bb03d54f0fa8bd79/Trump-criticizes-media,-San-Juan-mayor-in-Puerto-Rico-tweets James
Fallows of The Atlantic penned a powerful perspective on this even-lower
downturn to help remind us what we are up against: https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2017/09/from-donald-trump-a-new-low/541647/ Let’s
1) Let Trump know that much, much more is expected of his office: The White
House, 1600
Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500 or on Twitter
@RealDonaldTrump then 2) Continue to support causes that are doing work on the
ground in Puerto Rico to save lives: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/can-help-hurricane-victims-puerto-rico/ and
3) Be in touch with our MoC to state that Trump is unfit to serve.
3.
We have again broken the record for the deadliest
massacre in the US. The tragedy last
night in Las Vegas adds to the growing number of unnecessary deaths in our country. http://abcnews.go.com/US/las-vegas-shooting-suspect-stephen-paddock/story?id=50225619 A few years ago, the Nevada legislature
passed a bill that would have required background checks on the private sale of
guns, but the governor vetoed it citing Second Amendment rights. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2013/06/13/nevada-gop-governor-vetoes-gun-background-checks-bill/?utm_term=.0b5a9f76b752 We believe that the right to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness trumps the Second Amendment. Let’s tell our state and federal legislators
that it is time to pass legislation that saves lives and keeps guns away from
those who should not possess them.
4.
On Friday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom
Price “resigned” because of the controversy about the amount of taxpayer money
he spent on private air travel: http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-cabinet-flights-20170929-story.htmlWe
can hope this puts a wrench in the GOP’s efforts to continue to do damage to
Obamacare. In the meantime though, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (https://www.doi.gov/contact-us ),
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt (https://www.epa.gov/home/forms/contact-epa ),
and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (https://www.treasury.gov/connect/Pages/contact-us.aspx )
have been engaging in the same behavior: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/353181-trumps-cabinet-and-charter-flights-what-we-know-and-dont-know Let’s
let them know that we expect them to resign too.
5.
While working for or against the repeal/replacement of
the ACA, Congress let the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expire
over the weekend. Nine million children
across the country get healthcare under the program that has been in effect for
20 years. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/10/01/9-million-kids-get-health-insurance-under-chip-congress-just-let-it-expire/?utm_term=.1a8a057b98d7 Let’s let our MoCs know that we find this
unacceptable and ask what they are planning to do about it.
6.
In case we were strangely hoping that the GOP Tax
Reform would focus on benefitting lower and middle classes, it does not: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/29/trump-tax-plan-benefit-richest-1-percent Let’s
let our MoC know that we have much more important priorities in our nation than
helping the wealthy get wealthier.
7.
Representative Carolyn Maloney has introduced the
Supporting Working Moms Act, or SWMA (H.R. 3255), which would amend the Fair
Labors Act to include salaried employees in being provided reasonable break
time for breastfeeding moms http://bit.ly/2g03hhE Currently,
the law protects non-salaried workers, which leaves nursing mothers in
professions like teaching to face incredible challenges when trying to find
time to pump breastmilk throughout the work day. Let's use the link above to
contact our MoC and ask that they support this legislation.
8.
September 30th has come and gone, and Congress has
completely missed the opportunity to renew the Children's Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) before it was set to expire http://lat.ms/2fAn5HU Let's familiarize ourselves with
CHIP, then call our MoC, to let them know that this should be a top priority,
and we expect immediate renewal of this essential program http://bit.ly/2xKCe3s
9.
The Department of Homeland Security has published a new
rule which calls for the collection of social media information of immigrants,
naturalized citizens, and permanent residents http://n.pr/2xFC1it The rule is set to go into effect
on October 18th, but until that time, it is open to public comment. For
those of us who have not done so, let's make sure we leave a comment and let
Homeland Security know how we feel about surveillance, overreach, invasion of
privacy, and/or limits on free speech.
Less than 1900 of us have commented at this point. Let’s do so here: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DHS-2017-0038-0001
10. On
Monday at 3pm, the Senate resumes consideration of the
nomination of Ajit Pai to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC). A vote is expected during this session. Pai joined the FCC as
a commissioner in March 2012 and was elevated to chairman by Trump in January.
Pai would be forced to leave at the end of this year if the Senate does not
reconfirm him to a new five-year-term. In April, Pai proposed overturning
the landmark 2015 net neutrality rules. We can read more at Reuters. Let's make some last minute calls to our Senators
telling them to oppose reconfirming Ajit Pai because of his threat to net
neutrality.
11. From
one of our own: Vets are a prime target
for for-profit college recruitment. The V.A. is considering rolling back
ethics rules that prevent their 330,000 employees from investing in for-profit
colleges. The rules prevent possible conflicts of interest, including steering
vets to colleges in which even high-level V.A. officials have a financial
interest. Congress has recently opened inquiries into an increase of abuses of
vets by for-profit colleges. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/29/business/veterans-affairs-ethics.html
Let’s contact our MoCs to make sure the rules hold.
12. The
Air Force Academy superintendent addressed cadets, faculty, staff and cadet
candidates in the wake of racial slurs found written on the dormitory message
boards of five African American cadets at the Academy’s Preparatory School. “If
you’re outraged by those words, then you’re in the right place,” said Lt.
Gen. Jay Silveria. “That kind of behavior has no place at the Prep School, has
no place at USAFA and has no place in the United States Air Force.” We can read
the story from the Air Force Academy's site. We can send "thank
you's" for his leadership to: Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, Superintendent, US
Air Force Academy, 2304
Cadet Dr, Colorado Springs CO 80840.
13. "The
tax framework that President Trump and congressional Republicans rolled out
this week would reduce federal revenues by $2.4 trillion in its first 10 years
and provide the biggest tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, according to an
analysis released Friday by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center (TPC).
The plan would also cost $3.2 trillion in its second decade, the TPC said.
Trump and several members of his administration have claimed that their plan
would provide no benefit for the rich. “I guess the short answer is we don’t
agree with them,” said TPC co-director Eric Toder."” http://thehill.com/policy/finance/353126-analysis-tax-plan-would-cost-24t-benefit-wealthy-most
Let's pick up our phones and tweet, email and call our Reps to tell them this
is not a tax plan that works for us. We did it for healthcare. . . We can STOP
this "Tax Plan."
14. Michael
Stewart endured three months of night sweats, vertigo and weight loss before he
finally went to a free health clinic in San Francisco. Blood and urine tests
showed nothing, so the clinic staff sent him to San Francisco General Hospital.
That’s when the bills began accumulating — blood test, X-ray, endoscopy, two
colonoscopies, two MRIs, two CAT scans and 10 days in intensive care. And the
48-year-old Stewart didn’t have health insurance. The full-time actor was
thousands of dollars in debt before he even received his diagnosis: stage three
colon cancer. He turned to a popular fundraising website to raise money. Nora
Kenworthy, a researcher at the University of Washington who, along with
colleague Lauren Berliner, has studied hundreds of GoFundMe medical campaigns,
said the cost of health care is driving more people to fundraising sites. http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Health-care-costs-driving-more-patients-to-12239305.php We
need a bipartisan approach to solving the ACA issues so Americans can have a
health insurance system that works for all of us. Crowd funding is not an
insurance plan. Let's ask our Reps to get to work in a bipartisan approach to
improve the ACA.
15. Oklahoma
officials are blaming the Trump administration for rising health-care premiums
in the state after the administration missed a deadline to approve a key waiver
for the state under the ACA. In a letter addressed to Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price,
Oklahoma's health commissioner rips the administration for missing a final
deadline for a State Innovation Waiver, which would be used to lower premiums
around the state. The waivers provide federal funds "to implement
innovative ways to provide access to quality health care that is at least as
comprehensive and affordable as would be provided absent the waiver,"
according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Cline
blamed the administration for causing higher rates for "thousands" of
Oklahoma residents. "The lack of timely waiver approval will prevent thousands
of Oklahomans from realizing the benefits of significantly lower insurance
premiums in 2018."
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/353205-oklahoma-blames-trump-admin-for-higher-premiums?amp"
The ACA is law but Trump continues to try to implode the program by reducing
the enrollment period, ordering long website maintenance on weekends,
cancelling advertising and now rejecting the State Innovation Waiver for OK. Is
our state rejection next? Let's call our Governors and senators and ask them to
speak up on supporting the ACA. These games are affecting the health and lives
of so many American citizens.
16. From
one of our own: Scott Pruitt, the EPA
administrator is threatening to use his executive power to undermine the
Justice Department's work enforcing anti-pollution laws. The EPA has, for
decades, allocated funds to the Environment and Natural Resources Division
(ENRD) of the Justice Department to litigate cleanup of Superfund sites. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/us/politics/scott-pruitt-epa-justice-department-funding.html The Acting Attorney General of the Division
is Jeffrey Wood, a former environmental counsel to Senator Jeff Sessions and
others not friendly to environmental health. According to the page with the organizational
chart for the Department of Justice, "The mission of the Environment
and Natural Resources Division is, through litigation in the federal and state
courts, to safeguard and enhance the American environment; acquire and manage
public lands and natural resources; and protect and manage Indian rights and
property." Let’s contact Acting AG Wood and
demand that he defend his Division's need for continued level funding so that
his division may fulfill its mission. We can call (202)514-2701 or use this link
to contact: https://www.justice.gov/contact-us Let’s
also contact our MoC's and ask them to make sure this line item of funding is
made a permanent item in the EPA's budget. Let’s also make sure our local media aware
of this proposed defunding, and ask them to report on how a Superfund site near
us was prosecuted and litigated.
17. After
a public outcry, Trump finally announced late last week that the United States
will lift foreign ship restrictions to Puerto Rico as it did with hurricanes in
Texas and Florida… but only for 10 days (http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/28/politics/puerto-rico-governor-white-house-jones-act-waiver/index.html).
With a majority of Puerto Rico’s hospitals without electricity, more than 95%
of Puerto Rico’s cell towers out of service, and 1.5 million people without
drinking water, recovering will take much longer than this, and we must allow
the resources people need to survive to arrive in a timely manner until all
recovering is complete. Since Trump won’t act, we must turn to Congress. Let’s
contact our reps and ask them to indefinitely lift foreign ship restrictions on
Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands to help aid get in ASAP.
18. Trump
and the Republicans are claiming we can’t afford to protect our air and water
or to ensure Americans get the health care they need… but that we simply must
spend $10 billion on a border wall (http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/27/congress-funding-trump-border-wall-243221).
Let’s contact our reps and remind them we don’t want Trump’s wall, and we’re
not going to pay for it.
State Actions
1.
CO: If we, or
anyone we know, are among the 6,500 people in Colorado who cancelled their
voter registrations in order to prevent our Secretary of State from sharing
information with Kobach’s sham commission?, let’s make sure to re-register immediately at www.govotecolorado.com so we can vote in the 2017 election.
2.
MS: Social worker Kathryn Rehner is running (against
Missy McGee) for a seat in the Mississippi State House of Representatives for
District 102. http://www.kathrynrehner.com/ “Although
candidates in Mississippi run without political affiliation, [Rehner] declared
she will caucus with the Democrats.” http://elections.flippable.org/elections?id=SMSH102 If
we’re in Mississippi District 102, let’s be sure to vote for Rehner in the
special election on Tuesday, October 3.
3.
WI: The state continues to violate the constitutional
voting rights of its citizens by failing to live up to a federal court ruling.
The ruling addressed Wisconsin’s strict voter ID laws and its ID Petition
Process, which continues to be too slow—six to eight-weeks—in issuing voting
credentials to residents. https://www.thenation.com/article/wisconsin-is-systematically-failing-to-provide-the-photo-ids-required-to-vote-in-november/ If
we’re in Wisconsin, let’s tell the following officials that Wisconsin’s
Department of Motor Vehicles is failing to provide prompt—within six
days of applying—voting credentials as required by law, and that we expect
these credentials to be issued to all who are eligible to receive them in
advance of November’s elections:
c)
WI Administrator of the Division of Motor Vehicles
Kristina Boardman, 608-266-1113 or Kristina.boardman@dot.wi.gov, http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/about-wisdot/who-we-are/dept-overview/div-bio.aspx#dmv
Other Actions
1.
Let's continue to support victims of Hurricane Maria in
Puerto Rico. PBS has published a great resource which shows us how we can help,
whether it's by donating cash, supplies, volunteering, or helping to spread the
word http://to.pbs.org/2fwM2HHLet's
check it out, then use those suggestions to help any way that we can.
2.
On Sunday, September 24th, Michigan State Police
Director Kriste Etue posted a meme on social media, referring to NFL players
who kneel during the anthem as "ingrates," and "anti-American
degenerates." http://bit.ly/2kf1rhl The
ACLU of Michigan is asking for Etue's resignation, stating "In too many
parts of our state, there are two kinds of policing: one to serve and protect
white communities and one that unfairly criminalizes communities of color. This
is a moment where public leaders should demonstrate behaviors that facilitate
dialogue, implement needed reforms, and serve to regain trust. Instead,
Director Etue undermined her leadership and may have irreparably damaged MSP's
ability to carry out its responsibilities.” " http://bit.ly/2fIRSFX Let's
.join, the ACLU, Michigan Legislative Black Caucus, and Color of Change in
asking for MSP Director Etue's resignation. We can sign Color of Change's
petition https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/gov-snyder-fire-mich-police-director or
call/mail Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's office directly: 517-373-3400 Governor Rick
Snyder P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, Michigan 48909
3.
Carbon footprint reduction begins at home. Nearly every
state has a no- or low-cost program for in-home energy audits, accompanied by
no- or low-cost remediation of wasted energy. https://energy.gov/energysaver/home-energy-audits
Let’s use this document to help us find home energy saving programs we can use
in our state: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PAeVlsoWuRcLA90CpqEGvC_8RVvNEOYSrPwVrk7CnmE/edit
4.
As the Trump/Republican administration continues its
efforts to ethnically cleanse America of immigrants, “Sanctuary in the Streets”
(SiS) is a movement that organizes peaceful public actions to protest
deportations and labor abuses. Here’s one example: the Pioneer Valley Workers
Center of Western Massachusetts offers training for citizens to become SiS
activists. https://pvworkerscenter.org/sanctuary-in-the-streets/ SiS
members will be called upon to bear public witness to ICE raids, quickly rally
against acts of discrimination and labor exploitation, and more. More about the
SiS movement here:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2017/09/27/sanctuary-group-offers-rapid-response-ice-raids/OCugJkSV2Lbm2EtytCMcyH/story.html Let’s
learn more about Sanctuary in the Streets and consider forming a coalition
where we live and work.
5.
Now that help is getting to Puerto Rico, help is needed
to get it distributed throughout the country. If we are truck drivers, or know
someone who is, we are needed. We can
find out how here: http://www.truckersnews.com/trucking-bottleneck-stalls-puerto-rico-relief-efforts/
Petitions
1.
Democracy for America has mounted a petition drive for
Puerto Rican disaster recovery AND debt relief—including an end to the “control
board” created by Congress and made up of Wall Street cronies. We should
seriously consider signing this petition, which addresses not just the
hurricanes but the latest phase of US exploitation of Puerto Rico: https://act.democracyforamerica.com/sign/puerto-rico-relief/
2.
While Tom Price resigned last week, he is not the only
person in the Trump administration who is misusing public funds to pay for luxury
transportation that is generally handled in other ways. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Interior
Secretary Ryan Zinke, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have all done the
same. It’s time for them to resign, too! Let’s
sign this Friends of the Earth petition to seek
just that: https://us.e-activist.com/page/3471/petition/1
Marches/events/teleconferences
to attend/organize
1.
Learn how to organize a distributed phone banking
campaign using Action Network and CallHub. The webinar will take us through all
the steps on creating two types of phone banking campaigns: automated virtual
phone bank and collective calling.
sign up here: https://callhub.io/webinars/.
Next trainings: October 3rd & October 5th.
2.
Yesterday, ACLU
launched its Let People Vote campaign, a new effort to expand voting rights in
all 50 states. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article174293861.html
Let’s find an event we can
attend, or find out how to host an event, here:
https://map.peoplepower.org/#zipcode=&distance=50&sort=distance&f%5B%5D=launch
3.
Let’s learn how to join the virtual march to support passage of a clean DREAM Act:. http://virtualmarch.us/
4.
We can still register for the Women’s Convention,
sponsored by the Women’s March. It will be held in Detroit October 27 – 29,
2017. Let’s find out more here: http://www.womensconvention.com/
Reading/Watching
1.
Experts in authoritarianism advise us to keep a list of
things subtly changing around us, so we’ll remember. Amy Siskind is
keeping that list for us. Amy writes, "This week the country turned to a
humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, where 3.5mm Americans lack basics like water,
food, medicine and electricity. At least 16 have already died. Trump seemed
split between denying the crisis altogether, and blaming Puerto Rico, its
officials and the media. The regime’s late and inadequate response to Hurricane
Maria is the clearest fallout of Trump’s unstaffed federal
agencies." Let's review Amy Siskind's list week 46.
2.
“Trump fired up female candidacies — but only for one
party” http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-pol-gop-women-politics-20170930-story.html
3.
RISE Stronger’s United States of Resistance newest
edition: http://mailchi.mp/risestronger/healthcare-taxes-immigration?e=b1c76e5791
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
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete