Contact Federal Government Officials
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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. Thirteen (13) bills are on the House schedule this week.
Let's check them out here. On Monday the Senate will
convene at 5:00 pm to consider the nomination of Andrei Iancu to be
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the
United States Patent and Trademark Office. They are expected to proceed to a
vote. Iancu has already been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee
(source: WIPR). The Senate only releases schedule
information for the following day so let's check the Senate floor schedule for information about Tuesday.
2.
As the Nunes memo was released, Trump said that “a
lot of people should be ashamed.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2018/feb/02/donald-trump-says-people-should-be-ashamed-after-memo-is-declassified-video Little did
he realize that it was the GOP who should be ashamed. Let’s not be distracted by memos. It is about Russia. It has always been about Russia. The Sacramento Bee had a strong
editorial prior to its release that outlines the issue of the Nunes memo well:
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article197906014.html and then
Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein said this: “What we are seeing here is a
demagogic, authoritarian president who is using this red herring to contend that
there is a ‘witch hunt’ going on when, in fact, there is a legitimate
investigation into what the Russians did, and whether or not the president of
the United States and his cohort and aides and family may or may not have been
involved in helping the Russians.”: http://thehill.com/homenews/media/372133-watergate-reporter-nunes-memo-is-a-red-herring Additionally,
House Intelligence Committee Member Adam Schiff wrote a clear op-ed in Esquire
about what is at stake: http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/amp16560965/schiff-trump-fbi-instrument/ Some are concerned
that we are watching a repeat of the “Saturday Night Massacre” from the
Nixon era but in slow motion. Let’s be in touch with all our MoCs to say that
the weaponization and politicization of our intelligence community is degrading
our republic minute by minute. Let’s
also tell them that we stand with Mueller and Rosenstein and that unless they
also stand up for them and call for the Russia sanctions to be enforced that we
will find them complicit with the election interference and smear campaign.
3.
The
House and Senate passed a continuing resolution (CR) last month to keep the
government running through Feb. 8 on the strength of a promise from Sen.
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to have a “free and open debate” on immigration next
month if the issue hasn’t been resolved by then. It has not happened
yet, and time is nearly up. Even if it means another government shutdown, our
GOP lawmakers must be told that the onus will be on them if they do not pass a clean
Dream Act (S.1615/H.R.
3440)and
a reasonable immigration plan this week.
Our Democratic lawmakers need to know that we do not want them to
backdown and that we support a shutdown until the GOP is ready to talk. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/369634-dems-should-walk-from-any-deal-without-clean-dream-act The Dreamers are counting on us.
4.
While
CHIP was reauthorized for six years as part of the continuing resolution (CR),
another 26 million of us were left in the healthcare lurch, as community
healthcare centers were not funded. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/2/16936916/community-health-centers-congress Many CHIP recipients are seen at these
healthcare center: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/370983-sorry-congress-funding-chip-is-meaningless-without-funding Our legislators need to know that we want
this funding for this valuable program reauthorized as part of any budget
talks.
5.
Paul
Ryan (or a hapless intern) took to Twitter over the weekend to say this: “A
secretary at a public high school in Lancaster, PA said she was pleasantly
surprised her pay went up $1.50 a week… she said [that] will more than cover
her Costco membership for the year.” http://thehill.com/homenews/house/372165-ryan-slammed-for-tweet-on-gop-tax-bill He was slammed far and wide for this
brand of “let them eat cake” idiocy regarding the tax cut and it was quickly
deleted but broadly shared. Let’s take a moment to let Ryan know what we think
of his tweet https://www.speaker.gov and on Twitter at @PRyan and
@SpeakerRyan We can also consider a donation to his leading Congressional
opponent Randy Bryce: https://www.randybryceforcongress.com Many gave $1.50!
6.
Need a
pause in the bad news for something hopeful? There are some sanity guardrails
holding when it comes to Trump’s nominees/confirmees: K.T. McFarland has
withdrawn her name for consideration for Ambassador to Singapore: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-mcfarland/trump-pick-k-t-mcfarland-withdraws-nomination-as-envoy-to-singapore-idUSKBN1FM2L8 CDC
Director Brenda Fitzgerald has resigned (due to tobacco investments while
running anti-smoking campaigns): https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/31/cdc-director-resigns-fitzgerald-azar-380680 and the Trump administration has dropped
Kathleen Hartnett White from consideration for environment advisor (she is a
climate-change denier): https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/04/kathleen-hartnett-white-dropped-trump-environment-adviser Let’s continue to make noise
about off-the-rails nominees.
7.
The
Department of Labor is continuing its assault on Obama-era worker protections,
drafting a new rule that will force restaurant workers to pool their tips. Last
week Bloomberg reported that they are doing so in spite of internal analysis
showing that tipped workers could lose billions of dollars in wage (https://bnanews.bna.com/daily-labor-report/labor-dept-ditches-data-on-worker-tips-retained-by-businesses). Today is the FINAL day we can submit
comments to the Department on this proposal. Let’s let them know that tips
belong to the workers who have earned them, and we don’t want to see a pathway
for employers to keep the tips for themselves at this link: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/12/05/2017-25802/tip-regulations-under-the-fair-labor-standards-act-flsa#open-comment.
8.
State
after state has listened to the majority of Americans and legalized marijuana.
Jeff Sessions, formerly a champion of states’ rights, is ending the Obama-era
policy that allowed states to move forward with change without federal
interference. He said he would leave it up to individual federal prosecutors
how aggressive they would be: http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/04/politics/jeff-sessions-cole-memo/index.html Now,
it’s the Senate’s turn to protect us. Trump’s U.S. attorney nominees need to be
confirmed. Let’s contact our senators, especially those of us represented
by members of the Judiciary Committee, and tell them we want them to oppose any
U.S. attorney nominee who does not explicitly promise to respect the rights of
states that legalize marijuana. (We can also sign this petition from Color
of Change.)
9.
Last April, “After a number of ethics complaints,
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, announced today that he will step aside
from leading the House Intelligence Committee's probe into Russian meddling in
the 2016 presidential election.” http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rep-devin-nunes-steps-russia-probe/story?id=46620555 As recent
events reveal, he has not done so. He is
no longer able to carry out his role as chair of the House Intelligence
Committee. http://thehill.com/homenews/house/372052-hoyer-calls-on-ryan-to-remove-nunes-after-release-of-memo Let’s join in the voices asking for Nunes’ removal
from that significant committee by calling one of Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI)
offices: https://paulryan.house.gov/contact/officeinformation.htm
10.
The Money Follows the Person (MFP) program has enabled
people with disabilities to transition out of institutions, in order to live in
less restrictive environments, become more independent, and integrate into
their communities:
http://bit.ly/2E2h0ml http://kaiserf.am/2s7cL31 However, in
2016 the program was never renewed, and now states are set to lose federal
funding for the program. Senators Rob Portman and Maria Cantwell have
introduced S. 2227: EMPOWER Care
Act, which will reauthorize the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program.
This is a straightforward, bipartisan piece of legislation that will help us
take care of a large part of our population, who are often ignored. Let's call
our senators and ask them to cosponsor and support the EMPOWER Care Act.
11.
Genocide is still taking place against the Rohingya
in Myanmar. AP has published a report detailing the discovery of mass graves
following the continued massacre of the Rohingya people http://bit.ly/2EwHYPZ Let's make
sure that we are urging our members of Congress to speak up and do everything
they can to stop the ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. We can ask that our
representatives support H.Con.Res. 90 and H.Res. 528, and that our
senators support S.Res. 250.
12.
The Senate will soon vote on Trump’s nomination of
Eric Dreiband to head the DoJ’s Civil Rights Division. According to an August
statement from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, "Dreiband has devoted most of
his career to defending corporations in employment discrimination cases and
advocating for weaker antidiscrimination protections in the workplace.” "He
also” the statement goes on, “has a troubling lack of experience, having done
no significant work in other issue areas central to the Division's mission,
including urgent priorities like voting rights and policing reform." https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/01/politics/eric-dreiband-justice-department-civil-rights-lgbt/index.html Given our
critical need for an end to gerrymandering, the limitation of police power, and
equity in the workplace, we must urge our senators to vote against this
nomination.
Election 2018 -
General
1.
Postcards
to Voters' Campaign 50 for Democrat Conor Lamb in
Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district (PA18) continues with almost 10,000
addresses requested and assigned every day. We can support the
Democrats and Conor Lamb by writing five (5) postcards to Democratic voters in
PA18. The special election is March 13. Let's join the fun by emailing:
JOIN@TonytheDemocrat.org or checking the Postcards to Voters website for texting instructions.
2.
Feeling
frustrated about Devin Nunes? Many (frequently in the amount of $20.18) have
taken this as opportunity to support the front-runner opposition candidate in
that November 2018 Congressional race in the California 22nd, Andrew
Janz: https://www.andrewjanzforcongress.com/
3.
“Other
than voting - Becoming a Poll Worker (or Poll Watcher) is one of the best ways
to help the Democracy thrive and ensure fair elections throughout your State.” Thanks to Postcards for America, we can find out what our state requirements
are and how to sign up: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wEmy6ny4L-rQcR2eqwIYMYJ7kGFtLg2vWSn-g2TxTF0/edit
Election 2018 –
By State
Other Actions
1.
“The
Immigrant Yarn Project [is] a massive-scale work of public and democratic (made
by the people) art honoring our immigrant past and diverse future. It is made
of thousands of small squares and pieces knitted or crocheted by immigrants and
their descendants representing their personal stories from across the country -
compiled and sewn together in a single colossal display of yarn-based protest
art. It will be displayed at Fort Point in San Francisco in November 2018.
Senators Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris are supporting this project as are
dozens of organizations and individuals. We have started knitting circles in
retirement centers, schools and girl scout troops in the Bay Area and beyond
and the response has been incredible.”
Let’s see what we can do to help this creative endeavor: https://enactivist.org/
2.
As if
divesting from Wells Fargo due to their funding the Dakota Access Pipeline was
not enough: http://www.defunddapl.org/defund, “the Federal Reserve announced Friday that
it is restricting Wells Fargo's growth and demanding the replacement of four
board members in response to "widespread consumer abuses and compliance
breakdowns" at the bank.” https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/03/583014020/fed-slaps-unusual-penalty-on-wells-fargo-following-widespread-consumer-abuses Let’s
find a bank or credit union we can respect to work with.
3.
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, "Critical stories about Russia’s slow creep into our country
and Trump’s refusal to impose sanctions were the most alarming stories this
week yet received little attention. Nor did the stories about the continued
dismantling of our executive branch agencies, and ICE ramping up their heinous
activities, unchecked." Let's review Amy
Siskind's list week 64.
4.
After
the hurricanes, Home Depot crushed one million pounds worth of goods on St.
Thomas island, according to Waste Management records. The goods were sent
to a local landfill and claimed on the company’s insurance rather than sorted
for hurricane survivors. (Source: WSBTV/Atlanta) Let's write to Craig
Menear, Chairman, CEO and President, Home Depot USA, Inc., 2455
Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta,
Georgia 30339 to
tell him how disappointed we are. Let's consider choosing to purchase
from a different hardware store in the future.
5.
Forced
labor, human trafficking, and hazardous child labor taint our seafood supply.
Now, there’s a new online tool to help businesses “ferret slavery out of the
supply chain.” https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/02/01/582214032/was-your-seafood-caught-with-slave-labor-new-database-helps-retailers-combat-abu Let’s send a tweet to the following
companies telling them to use the Seafood Slavery Risk Tool:
www.seafoodslaveryrisk.org/ and take necessary corrective action if
they find that their suppliers or partners are violating human rights: A) Kroger,
@kroger, B) Safeway, @Safeway, C) Whole Foods, @WholeFoods, D) Hy-Vee, @HyVee,
E) Walmart, @Walmart, and F) Red Lobster, @redlobster
6.
We have
a right to counsel in criminal cases, but not in civil cases—even though civil
litigants can face life-damaging consequences like homelessness, denial of
medical benefits, domestic violence, hunger, family break-ups, deportation, and
incarceration. Let’s check out this list of pending federal and state
legislation:
http://www.civilrighttocounsel.org/legislative_developments , and let’s advocate to close America’s
justice gap. More info from the National Coalition for a Civil Right to
Counsel, www.civilrighttocounsel.org/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
Democracy for America (DFA) is hosting phone banking and needs our help:
“Can you sign up to call your fellow DFA members and ask them to contact
Congress and demand a clean DREAM Act now?
Calling DFA members is fun and easy. We will provide you
with a script and all of the training you'll need, and our DFA Dialer will connect
you with other members automatically.”
Details and sign-up here for Monday-Thursday this week: https://www2.democracyforamerica.com/events/dfadialer/daca-action
2.
Wednesday, Feb. 7 is National Day of Action for a
DREAM Act Now. Details here for the
Washington, D.C. rally: https://www.facebook.com/events/877004879138672/
3.
In the event that Trump should let Mueller or
Rosenstein go, let’s make sure we are signed up with the Rapid Response people
to find our closest (or create one) response rally: https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/
States
1. MI:
Promote the Vote is launching a campaign to collect 425,000 signatures in order
to get a proposal on the November 2018 ballot, amending the Michigan
Constitution to include protections for voting rights. While the official
kickoff is February 21st, Promote the Vote needs volunteers to sign up to
help collect the necessary signatures. Let's help expand voting rights in
Michigan; we can learn more and sign up to volunteer at: https://promotethevotemi.com/
Reading/Watching
1.
“Study Finds Postcard Writing a Powerful
Political Engagement Tool in Virginia’s 2017 House of Delegates Elections“ - http://bluevirginia.us/2018/02/study-finds-postcard-writing-a-powerful-political-engagement-tool-in-virginias-2017-house-of-delegates-elections
2.
Following outcry from numerous members of
Congress on both sides of the aisle, FEMA has reversed its decision to end
distribution of food and water in Puerto Rico http://n.pr/2rQdAgy
3.
And, as usual, our weekly dose of “Small
Victories” - https://mailchi.mp/peaceisloud/small-victories-a-new-era
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