Contact
Federal Government Officials
********************************
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.
The
federal spending budget ends this Friday with no replacement worked out
yet. Trump is scheduled to meet with
Congressional leaders on Thursday in hopes of avoiding a government shutdown on
Saturday. Republicans have offered a
two-week stop-gap bill to extend the time period for collaboration. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-04/trump-to-meet-with-democrats-gop-thursday-for-budget-talks Let’s tell our MoCs that unlike their
behavior on the tax bill, we want them to approach budget talks with us in
mind.
2.
After
two of the worst mass shooting in US history, our NRA -led Congress is acting
to put us into even MORE danger. Tomorrow, the House is set to vote on the
Concealed
Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. This dangerous law would override
existing state laws and allow people with dangerous backgrounds and no training
to carry loaded handguns in public. Let’s call our representative and send a
message to them using this link from Everytown for Gun Safety; http://every.tw/2nrzxR7
3.
Apparently,
since the tax bill was rushed through so hastily last Friday night, no one
realized that some of the corporate tax provisions were not clearly thought
through and so now the Senate and House versions are so different that instead
of the House just voting to approve the Senate version of the bill, it will now
go into reconciliation which could take a week or more. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-amt/house-senate-republicans-face-challenge-over-corporate-amt-tax-idUSKBN1DZ01P This means we have more time to contact ALL
of our MoCs and continue our calls for more consideration for the working
class.
4.
The
Senate TaxScam Bill is a 500 page, scribbled over mess, with lots of hidden
poison pills. Fortunately, Aditi Juneja, co-creator of Resistance
Manual,
explains it for us in clear, excruciating detail here: http://bit.ly/2kleQVL We can find out more about the bill by
reading the articles Juneja cites here: https://amp.cnn.com/money/2017/12/02/pf/taxes/senate-tax-bill-passed/index.html
and here https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/senate-tax-bill-how-it-affects-four-families/
5.
Even
as the Republican tax bill moves toward passage, it is clear that the
Republicans plan to use the increased deficits their giveaway to the wealthy
ensures as a pretext to undoing the “entitlements” put in place by the New Deal
and the Great Society. Sen. Marco Rubio, speaking to business leaders
last Wednesday, was perfectly clear about the long-term Republican plan: “Many
argue that you can’t cut taxes because it will drive up the deficit,” he said.
“But we have to do two things. We have to generate economic growth, which
generates revenue, while reducing spending. That will mean instituting
structural changes to Social Security and Medicare for the future.” Though
Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan claim Congress will waive them, the $1.4 trillion
deficit increase the Congressional Budget Office predicts the tax bill will incur
over the next decade will trigger pay-as-you-go requirements that Congress cut
spending. Medicare alone, for example, would face a $25 billion cut for the
current fiscal year, but Social Security, welfare, Medicaid will likewise be on
the chopping block. http://www.newsweek.com/tax-plan-social-security-medicare-welfare-republicans-rubio-729133 Unless
we act now. Call, fax, write, tweet and let's deluge the Republicans with
our outrage--at the tax scam itself and the plans to do away with the social
safety net for the poor, the old, the ill.
6.
“I
think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, as
opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether
it’s on booze or women or movies.” This dreadful little gem comes to us from
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley who was defending the Senate tax bill:
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/03/grassley-tax-booze-women-movies-277764 Let’s
use this information as a motivation about the attitudes that undergird this
hideous bill and let’s let Sen. Grassley know what we think of his perspective
on estate taxes and on the middle class: https://www.grassley.senate.gov/contact
7.
Need
more talking points when contacting our MoC about the tax bill? The editorial
board of Bloomberg (!) said this, “The Republicans have managed to make a
terrible plan worse.”https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-12-02/congress-achieves-the-impossible-on-tax-reform Let’s
light up those MoC phones, inboxes, and Twitter feeds because this process is
not over yet.
8.
On
Sunday, Trump tweeted that the FBI was in tatters and its reputation was the
worst in history. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-amt/house-senate-republicans-face-challenge-over-corporate-amt-tax-idUSKBN1DZ01P We know this is deflection and to make
himself look less guilty, but we know better.
Let’s thank the tireless workers at the FBI for their work to keep us
all safe: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us
(use any location)
9.
TAX
PLAN - Impact on moving jobs overseas. The tax bills now before
Congress would fundamentally change the way that foreign profits of US
multinationals are taxed, from a worldwide to a territorial approach. But the
design of the new approach would encourage the offshoring of US jobs and
factories. Let's read this article at Brookings
to understand more. If keeping and growing American jobs is one of our
priorities, let's be sure to mention this issue in our tax plan calls to our
MoCs.
10. TAX PLAN - Let's oppose these provisions:
The House and Senate GOP tax bills also include numerous provisions on health
care, oil and gas drilling and other issues that aren’t strictly related to
cutting taxes or reforming the tax code. These include: 1) Repeal of the ACA
healthcare mandate. Senate Republicans inserted a measure in their tax bill
that would eliminate the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that most
Americans have health insurance or pay a penalty. Scrapping the
mandate would have a huge impact on health care. The Congressional Budget
Office (CBO) estimated that 13 million people could lose their health insurance
by 2027, and it could also increase premiums and spur insurers to
offer cheaper, less effective plans. 2) Arctic drilling. The
Senate tax bill would open part of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or
ANWR, to oil and gas exploration. Drilling in this pristine environment has
long been opposed by environmentalists. 3) Redefines when life begins. The
Senate tax bill includes a provision that explicitly allows parents to use
tax-free college savings plans, known as 529s, for a “child in utero.”
According to the measure, “an unborn child means a child in utero.” People can
already use the college savings accounts for children they do not yet
have. Including the language is a victory for the pro-life movement. It
has angered critics who say Republicans are using the tax bill to
protect the views of abortion opponents. 4) Allows churches to
endorse candidates. The GOP tax plan would also repeal the Johnson
Amendment, which bans non-profit groups from engaging in political
activism. Opponents say this crosses the line between church and
state. Let's read more at PBS News Hour.
Let's use these talking points in some of our tax scam opposition calls to our
MoC's. We can use this link to NARAL to
make a call to Paul Ryan to tell him "NO!" or we can dial 1-844-818-1258 directly
to be connected to his office. Let's fight to get these items out of the
bill that the GOP seems determined to pass.
11.
TAX
PLAN - Renewable Energy Impact: Renewable energy trade groups are concerned
that the tax bill could have devastating consequences for wind and solar
energy. They have written a letter to the Senate with their concerns
which begins, "We
are writing on behalf of the thousands of leading
investors, developers, manufacturers, and corporate energy consumers in the
U.S. renewable energy sector to alert you to urgent concerns with the Base
Erosion Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT) provisions in the Senate Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
As drafted, the BEAT program would have a devastating, if unintended, impact on
wind and solar energy investment and deployment. While we are grateful
that the Senate tax proposal leaves the current phase-down schedules for wind
and solar energy tax credits unchanged, the bill's BEAT provisions undermine
our capacity to use renewable energy tax credits, which have value only if they
can be monetized. For multi-national companies covered under the BEAT
provisions, the renewable tax credits would, as drafted, be subject to a new
100 percent tax. Not surprisingly, major financial institutions have indicated
that, under such a regime, they would no longer participate in tax equity
financing, the principle mechanism for monetizing credits. The tax equity
marketplace would collapse under these provisions, leading to a dramatic
reduction in wind and solar energy investment and development."
Let's read more at EcoWatch. We can also join the trade groups
by calling our Senators to ask, "that the BEAT program be amended to
exempt the production and investment tax credits from the calculation of the
base erosion tax, just as the research and development tax credit is exempted
from the provision in the current draft."
12. GOP Representatives Carlos Curbelo (R-FL)
and Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) have both stated that they
will not support a spending bill unless Dreamers are
protected. Ros-Lehtinen said, “We need to help these young men and women
who are as American as apple pie. Congress must come through with a legislative
fix for those who want to positively contribute to the only country they know.”
Let's read the full story at the Miami Herald.
Let's contact our own representatives to ask that they join Curbelo and
Ros-Lehtinen in calling for Dreamer protection in the spending bill.
13. A bipartisan group of house members
announced legislation (H.R.
4494) that would end the practice of using
taxpayer money to settle claims of sexual harassment on Capitol Hill. Republican
Reps. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) were joined by
Democratic Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) Jim Cooper (D-TN) and
Kathleen Rice (D-NY). Along with ending the use of taxpayer dollars to
settle claims of sexual harassment, the legislation would require the
disclosure of all settlements going back to 1995. The bill would allow
victims who received settlements to make information public if they had filed a
nondisclosure agreement and would prohibit the use of nondisclosure agreements
as a condition to initiate any claim. Let's read more at RollCall. Let's tell our own representatives that
we support DeSantis' bill HR4494 and don't want our tax money used to settle
sexual harassment claims.
14. Not content with withdrawing from the Paris
Agreement on climate change and repudiating UNESCO, the Trump administration
has now withdrawn from the UN’s global compact on migration, the New York
Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, days before a global conference on migration
was to begin. The Declaration aims to ensure the rights of migrants, help
them resettle and gain access to education and jobs; it calls for the
negotiation of a global compact to be adopted next year. It was endorsed last
April by all 193 members of the UN, but now UN ambassador Nikki Haley—like
Trump, apparently an opponent of global action, no matter how crucial the
issue—explains: “our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by
Americans and Americans alone.” http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/03/politics/us-global-compact-migration/index.html
As migration to the US becomes more and more difficult and far less prized,
perhaps we should let Haley and Trump know what we think about the current
administration’s refusal to work with the rest of the world on matters
concerning human survival: 212-415-4062 or
US mission to the UN, 799 UN Plaza, NY, NY 10017.
15. Donald Trump today announced he will shrink
both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Sierra
Club and other environmental groups will sue to prevent this misuse of the
Antiquities Act, but his allies in Congress are trying to undercut them and
strengthen Trump’s attack on our public lands with bills like H.R. 3990, which
will rewrite the law to allow Trump to get away with reducing the boundaries of
national monuments (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-poised-to-shrink-two-national-monuments/).
Let’s contact our members of Congress and tell them we want to safeguard our
national monuments, and we want them to oppose any effort to make it easier for
Trump to abandon them.
16. Congressional Republicans have made their
priorities clear again in recent weeks, ramming forward a tax cut for the
wealthy with minimal debate while letting the health care access of nine
million children and pregnant women disappear. States are ready to let folks
across the country know that congressional inaction on funding the Children’s
Health Insurance Program will lead to the expiration of their coverage (http://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/tns-connecticut-chip-notices.html).
Let’s contact our members of Congress and again remind them that they need to
put kids before billionaires and focus on restoring funding to CHIP.
17.
Trump is working around his own Chief of
Staff:
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/362990-trump-has-given-staffers-assignments-and-told-them-not-to-tell-kelly Let’s
ask General John Kelly what he is still doing in role: The White House, 1600
Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500
18. The ethnic cleansing taking place in Burma
against the Rohingya people has its roots in longstanding discrimination that
spans decades http://theatln.tc/2fPtnE5 Violence
against the Rohingya is escalating, however, which the Human Rights Watch cites
in its report on sexual violence against Rohingya women and girls http://bit.ly/2iIXY7MThe
United States must pass legislation to help protect the Rohingya people; the
Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act (S.2060)
and the BURMA Act (H.R.
4223) have been introduced with bipartisan support.
Let's call our MoC and ask that they cosponsor and support this legislation,
and pass it as quickly as possible to get the Rohingya people the help they so
desperately need.
19. The Senate Banking Committee is working on
legislation to deregulate big banks and chip away at Dodd-Frank's consumer
protections: http://politi.co/2mTvjBe https://bloom.bg/2zFw7N1 By
including some relief for smaller banks, the legislation has gained the support
of nine Senate Democrats, as well: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2155/cosponsors If
we have Democratic senators who cosponsored the bill, let's contact them and
ask them to withdraw their support; we do not need to rollback regulations for
big banks. For the rest of us, let's contact our senators and ask them to
oppose Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S.
2155).
20. “Opening the Arctic to drilling as part of
this tax plan is simply shameful. The Arctic Refuge isn’t a bank—drilling there
won’t pay for the tax cuts the Senate just passed,” National Audubon
Society President and CEO David Yarnold said in a statement Saturday.
The American people don’t support drilling in the Arctic and it’s up to the
House to reject this flawed bill." http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/362923-audubon-society-blasts-gop-tax-bill-for-allowing-arctic-drilling
Please make this part of your talking points when calling congress to ask
them to vote NO on the tax bill changes.
1.
With
the new information that “71 percent of Alabama Republicans say the allegations
against Roy Moore are false, and those who believe this also overwhelmingly
believe Democrats and the media are behind those allegations.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alabama-republicans-allegations-against-moore-false-cbs-news-poll/ The actions below become even more important.
2.
Just
seven days until the Special Election in Alabama for a Senate seat. Here is
some additional information about the current environment for this
election: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/03/roy-moore-alabama-polls-274628 and https://www.npr.org/2017/12/03/567797304/alabamians-fear-roy-moore-is-bad-for-business It
is still not too late to help the Jones’ campaign by volunteering or
donating: https://dougjonesforsenate.com and,
if you can move swiftly, it is not too late to write postcards for Jones via
Postcards to Voters:
3.
From Wall of Us: In Alabama, it is essential that we
get Black voters to turn out. That’s why this week we are amplifying the
NAACP’s work to empower Black voters in Alabama. They have created phonebanks
which will allow you to contact African American voters in urban Alabama as
well as the rural “Black Belt”. Let’s
light up those phones for Doug Jones this week! Here’s how: 1) Volunteer to phonebank here,
2) Check out NAACP’s Alabama
chapter here,
and support their work, and 3) Donate to
Doug Jones here
State
Actions
1.
NY:
The resistance makes a joyful noise! Let’s go hear the Resistance Revival
Chorus today, Dec 5, at the City Winery, New York
City, 6PM-10PM. Take a listen here and we’ll see that resisting these
women is futile:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E32D9SW5nEk We
can purchase tickets here: http://www.citywinery.com/newyork/resistance-revival-chorus-12-5.html
2.
CO: Non profit organizations are central to the
resistance, and many are local or have local branches. Those of us in CO can
give online *today* and get a little more bang for our buck. "Community
First Foundation and FirstBank are presenting Colorado Gives Day
on Tuesday, December 5, 2017. This annual statewide movement celebrates
and increases philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. The $1 Million
Incentive Fund created by the partners is one of the largest giving-day
incentive funds in the country." Let's strengthen CO's state nonprofits,
including ACLU Colorado and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (and many
others!) and give here if we can: https://www.coloradogives.org/cogivesday
3.
CA:
“On Election Day next November, the nation will be watching California to see
whether the Democrats can retake the House of Representatives. Nearly one-third
of the congressional districts represented by Republicans that Hillary Clinton
carried in 2016 are in the Golden State, and if the Democrats are to regain the
gavel in the House, they’ll need to win most of those districts.” http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-meyerson-gop-turnout-20171201-story.html It’s
up to us, Californians! Let’s help by signing up with these groups: A) California Democrats https://www.cadem.org/take-action,
B) Red to Blue California
https://www.redtoblueca.org/,
or C) Progressive Democrats of America California
http://chapters.pdamerica.org/home/california/ Know of more groups? Tell Rogan’s List!
4.
NY:
The New York congressional delegation (US House) was all over the map on the
GOP Tax Scam. To help kill this bill, we need the following representatives to
stick with their no votes or to flip from yes to no. Let’s call and, if we can,
let’s visit their offices. Let’s ask our New York friends and neighbors to
help, too!
Other
Actions
1.
“The
fate of our national monuments is in the hands of the Trump administration.
Public lands—from Maine to Hawai’i—provide enormous cultural, ecological and
recreational value, and they are at risk. Removing protections for these wild
places to open them up for development will not make us energy independent, and
history shows that when states control these lands, they are sold to the
highest bidder. This is not a chance we are willing to take….In an illegal
move, the president just reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. This is the largest elimination of
protected land in American history. Tell
the Administration that they don’t have the authority to take these lands away
from you.” Let’s join Patagonia in their
efforts to save our national treasures: http://www.patagonia.com/protect-public-lands.html Next, let’s thank Patagonia: 259 W Santa Clara St., Ventura, CA 93001 or
(805) 643-8616
2.
Better
Angels is a nonprofit that formed after the 2016 presidential election to
foster constructive dialogue between ordinary Americans who identify as
conservatives/Republicans or liberals/Democrats. Let’s read this news report
about them, https://www.npr.org/2017/12/02/567336148/group-uses-marriage-counseling-methods-to-help-bridge-political-divide ,
and check out their website and consider getting involved: https://better-angels.org/ .
3.
New
allegations of sexual harassment/misconduct keep surfacing in Congress,
especially on the Democratic side. Calls for offenders to resign are loud and
warranted, but we need to deliver justice to the survivors and hold the
offenders accountable in a way that doesn’t politically cripple the
liberal/progressive initiatives that are so important to the nation at this
critical moment. For many states with a Republican governor, losing a
Democratic senator would mean ceding that seat to a Republican appointee, while
any state losing a US representative is guaranteed to lose all representation
in that district for 3-6 months while a new election is held (https://www.thoughtco.com/how-vacancies-in-congress-are-filled-3322322).
One suggestion is for the offender to finish the term, but promise not to run
for re-election, and to instead endorse, mentor, fundraise and stump for a
candidate who prioritizes gender equality (a female candidate, if at all
possible). Other possible responses are most certainly being considered as
well, so let’s start a dialog by raising the issue among our virtual and actual
communities, so that we can devise a remedy that will work for all of us.
4.
From
ACLU’s People Power: We're asking small business owners across the
country to demonstrate their support for the principle that customers should be
treated equally by putting up an #opentoall poster in their window. But we need
your help to spread the word. Let’s check it out here: https://peoplepower.org/opentoall/
5.
In
Utah, protesters spelled out “Go Home Trump” on the lawn of the Utah State
Capitol just one day before Trump traveled to the state to announce that he is
shrinking our national monuments. The protesters wore white jumpsuits and laid
out on the state capitol lawn to form the message. Organizer and artist Cat
Palmer said she was motivated to hold the protest to share the voices of people
who feel they aren't being represented in the federal government. Here's
more, including a photo, at The Hill.
We can thank Palmer for organizing this artistic action at cat@catpalmer.com
Petitions
1.
“The
Trump administration is once again proposing devastating cuts to essential
Great Lakes funding -- and the cuts in the 2018 budget are even more
devastating than were proposed for 2017.”
Let’s tell Congress NO: https://www.protectthelakes.com/
2.
The
DREAMers' time is running short. We need
a clean Dream Act. Let’s tell Congress
and Trump to get working on it! https://www.thepetitionsite.com/490/127/325/support-daca-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms
to attend/organize
1.
As
Mueller continues to investigate and seek indictments, talk is that Trump is
getting nervous about what he will find. Some think that Trump wants to
find a way to negate Mueller’s work and dismiss him. We must encourage
all our MoCs to support Mueller. March for Truth, partnered with
MoveOn.org, Public Citizen, Indivisible and many others, have a plan to prepare
emergency "Nobody is Above the Law" rallies that will
happen directly following the firing should it occur. Let’s check
here to see if there is a rally planned near us, or how to plan one and get it
listed: https://act.moveon.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/
Reading/Watching
1.
Billy
Bush penned an op-ed in the New York Times to emphasize that the Access
Hollywood tape is true: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/03/opinion/billy-bush-trump-access-hollywood-tape.html
2.
With
219,000 women now incarcerated in the United States, the Prison Policy
Initiative and ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice have released a report that
offers a deeper understanding of the fastest-growing segment of the
incarcerated population: women. The report, Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
2017, provides important
perspective on how incarcerated women fit into the nation’s larger
incarceration crisis, and critical insights into drivers of women’s
incarceration. The publication comes at a critical time, as policymakers and
reform advocates across the country seek solutions to reduce the nation’s jail
and prison population.
3.
From Brookings.edu
"The Real Costs of a Barrier between the United States and Mexico." Brookings goes into detail on 1)
Price Tag 2) Smuggling 3) Crime 4) US Economy and 5) Communities and
Environment, and shows the flaws in the administration's arguments for a wall.
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