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4/23/18


Contact Federal Government Officials

Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu

Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC

Fax legislators for free:  Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php


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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: Nine (9) bills are scheduled for the floor starting Tuesday on the House Majority Leader's Schedule. Let's be aware of what's coming up this week.

2.      The Senate will convene on Monday at 3pm to resume consideration of the nomination of Stuart Kyle Duncan, of Louisiana, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit. (Source: Senate floor schedule.) According to a report from the Alliance For Justice (AFJ), Duncan has spent his career fighting reproductive rights for women and civil rights for LGBTQ Americans, defending discriminatory voting laws, and dismantling protections for immigrants. Let's read more about Duncan at AFJ and then contact our Senators to let them know we oppose this nominee with his "ideologically-driven positions." Let's specify positions that we personally find particularly disturbing.

3.      By Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security will decide the fate of thousands of immigrants from Nepal who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) following a devastating earthquake in April 2015 (http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2018-04-03/grant-tps-status-to-nepalis-in-new-york-says-nyc-mayor.htmlhttps://cliniclegal.org/resources/temporary-protected-status-nepal). So far, the Trump administration has shown little compassion for folks given safe haven here, and we need to keep making sure our MoCs know that’s unacceptable. Let’s call our reps and tell them we want them to lobby DHS to preserve TPS for Nepalis. We can use the following script: “I support the Nepali community and request that Representative/Senator [NAME] support TPS for Nepal by sending a letter or calling DHS directly. DHS will make a decision on Nepal TPS by April 25, so we need your office to tell DHS to renew TPS for Nepal now. Thank you.” (Via the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights)

4.      March 31 began the 60-day comment period for a new State Department rule seeking to require all non-immigrant visa applicants to turn over five years' worth of social media history, including social media usernames on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, as well as previous email addresses, phone numbers, and a record of international travel: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-set-request-years-social-media-history-visa/story Estimates are that this change will affect 14.71 million applicants, including those who apply as students, for business trips, or for vacation.  Let’s be sure to tell the State Department what we think of this new attempt to discourage foreign visitors: Mike Pompeo, Secretary Designee, 202-647-4000 or 2201 C St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20520 or the official website from which we can submit comments: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/03/30/2018-06496/60-day-notice-of-proposed-information-collection-application-for-nonimmigrant-visa

5.      The devastation suffered by Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria is turning out to be far worse than the government has said. Researchers say more than 1,000 people died due to the Hurricane, as opposed to the official estimate of 64 (https://www.axios.com/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-death-toll-underreported-lack-of-data-99fb8e1c-cd76-442f-bb8d-7b1c5daa9698.html). It is well beyond time for our country to treat Maria like the catastrophe it really was and help Puerto Rico recover. Let’s tell our MoC to move forward the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Equitable Rebuild Act (H.R. 4782/S. 2165) to ensure folks get the assistance they need.

6.      The ethics violations against EPA Chief Scott Pruitt continue to grow. Over the weekend it was reported that he used a shell company to buy a home from a top lobbyist in Oklahoma, whom he later sided with on a key deregulatory bill (http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/384279-nyt-pruitt-gave-top-epa-positions-to-oklahoma-business-partners). Let’s continue to insist to our MoCs, the White House, and the EPA (202-564-4700) that Pruitt must resign. We can use this 5calls script.

7.      Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, has started a new protocol that has resulted in the dismissal of 500 civil rights cases (http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/384235-education-dept-takes-steps-to-dismiss-hundreds-of-civil-rights, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/us/politics/devos-education-department-civil-rights.html). The provision allows the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to “throw out cases that signal "a pattern of complaints previously filed with OCR by an individual or a group against multiple recipients," or that place "an unreasonable burden on OCR’s resources." http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/384235-education-dept-takes-steps-to-dismiss-hundreds-of-civil-rights. The new rules also eliminate some appeal provisions. Let’s express our concerns to the DOE and our MoCs, and insist on due process for all individuals who file civil rights cases: U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-1100 Phone: 800-421-3481 Email: OCR@ed.gov

8.     The current Farm Bill expires September 30th; the House Agriculture Committee has just passed the new version of the bill, which includes stringent food stamp eligibility and work requirements that anti-hunger groups and others say will lead to 1.6 million people losing the essential but extremely modest safety net that currently provides about $1.40 per person per meal (https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Bay-Area-food-banks-say-2018-Farm-Bill-will-12846069.php). Close to two-thirds of SNAP participants are children, elderly, or disabled, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, while the remainder, mostly low-wage workers, are more likely than other workers to experience periods of unemployment or see their monthly earnings drop (https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/most-working-age-snap-participants-work-but-often-in-unstable-jobs). Whatever its possible virtues for family farmers (http://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/383809-future-of-american-agriculture-depends-on-2018-farm-bill), food stamp benefits make up a majority of spending under the Farm Bill, and the purpose of this version seems to be to throw people off of SNAP, as some Democrats, like Rep. David Scott (D-GA), have made clear. We need to tell Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue what we think of this partisan scheme to make poor people poorer: 202-720-2791 or 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250. Let’s also tell our Representatives to demand a 2018 Farm Bill that maintains food security for those who need assistance.

9.      The Ammunition Background Check Act (S. 2627/H.R. 5383) will “require instant background checks for the sale of bullets to prevent criminals from illegally purchasing ammunition,” and potentially “reduce the national firearm mortality rate by a staggering 81 percent,”( www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article208756199.html) (http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/380293-democrats-introduce-bill-to-require-background-checks-on-ammunition). Let’s read more about where our current ammunition laws and policies stand at the Giffords Law Center, then let’s tell our MoCs to pass this law.

10.  The Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act (S. 2700), introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), will provide $100 billion in federal funding over ten years to fight the opioid epidemic. The funds will “support local decision-making and federal research programs to prevent drug use while funding evidence-based treatments and recovery support services.” (https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-cummings-introduce-comprehensive-legislation-to-combat-opioid-epidemic). Let’s tell our MoCs to support this needed legislation.

11.   "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is reportedly looking to hold longer workweeks as a way to keep vulnerable Democratic senators off the campaign trail." (http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/383855-mcconnell-looks-at-longer-workweeks-for-senate-to-keep-dems-from-campaigning). Let's assure our Democratic incumbents that we will keep up with them on social media and can communicate with them that way.


Election 2018 – General

1.       This Tuesday's special elections include six (6) campaigns for which Postcards to Voters volunteers sent cards to get out the vote. 1) AZ -US House District 8: Campaign 60-Hiral Tipirneni. This US congressional race is expected to be close. We can read more about this election at ABCNews. 2) NY -State Senate D37: Campaign 58-Shelley Mayer. 3) NY -State Assembly D102: Campaign 70-Aidan O'Connor Jr. 4) NY -State Assembly D10: Campaign 71-Steve Stern. 5) NY -State Assembly D74 (in Manhattan): Campaign 73-Harvey Epstein.  6) NY -State Assembly D5: Campaign 75-Deb Slinkosky.  If we are voters in any of these districts, let's make a plan to vote on Tuesday. To write cards for on-going and future campaigns, we can sign up as a Postcards to Voters' volunteer here.  

2.      The Arizona Eighth Congressional District is deep red, and Trump won it by more than 20 points. And yet the Republicans are running scared ahead of tomorrow’s special election (https://www.npr.org/2018/04/20/603632677/after-special-election-upsets-gop-takes-nothing-for-granted-in-arizona-race). ER doc and cancer research advocate Hiral Tipirneni's message on protecting Medicare and Social Security has struck a chord, and the national GOP is pouring money into the race to protect her scandal-tarred opponent. Let’s help Dr. Tipirneni get out the vote. We can sign up to text or call for her here: http://hiralforcongress.com/gotv

3.      Tomorrow’s special election in New York’s 37th Senate District will be closely contested, and the outcome could determine whether Democrats maintain their newly established hold over the New York state senate (http://wamc.org/post/democrat-shelley-mayer-discusses-her-bid-nys-senate-seat). Let’s make sure we help Shelley Mayer win! We can sign up to phonebank for her at this link. (H/t Flippable)

4.      Founded as Grandmothers for Obama in 2008, Grandmothers for a Brighter Future is gearing up to flip the US Senate in the 2018 midterms with a two-step postcard campaign. Let’s sign up: http://www.grandmothersforabrighterfuture.com/stories-from-grandmothers-2/


Election 2018 – By State

1.       NY: April 24 is a big day for state legislative special elections:
Let’s check out the Democratic candidates for each district at Ballotpedia, then show up to the polls! We can find our district numbers here: www.elections.ny.gov/district-map/district-map.html#/?radius=1


Other Actions

1.      A brilliant and disturbing New York Times report has traced how riots and lynchings around the world are linked to propaganda and hate speech being spread on Facebook. Let’s a.) Read the report, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/21/world/asia/facebook-sri-lanka-riots.html, b.) Share it far and wide on Facebook, and c.) Tell Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg to get this under control; this is the stuff that leads to genocide. Facebook Board of Directors, Facebook Corporate Secretary, 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025.

2.      Another seemingly innocent app, Relieve Stress Paint, has led to more Facebook hacks (http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/383964-malware-campaign-infects-thousands-of-facebook-accounts-researchers-say). More than 40,000 Facebook accounts had their information harvested, including user credentials and stored payment methods. If we’ve recently had our Facebook account hacked, or know some who has, let’s read this article from Lifehacker about what steps we can take to secure our data and to prevent future attacks. Even if we have not had our accounts breached, we can find ways here to protect it.

3.      The AP reports that the six largest banks in the U.S. have saved at least 3.6 billion in one quarter, as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/20/the-associated-press-big-banks-saved-3-point-6b-in-taxes-last-quarter-under-new-law.html). Meanwhile, that same bill is adding an estimated $1.5 trillion to the annual deficit (https://www.forbes.com/sites/beltway/2018/04/10/five-take-aways-from-cbos-budget-outlook/#7fe896646d93). As we head toward the midterms, and the GOP continues to tout the tax bill, let's take note of the damage it is doing and remember how our MoC voted in the House and Senate.

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       "What if the first step to uniting as Americans is simply having a real conversation?  From April 20th to 28th, Americans from all over the country will connect with each other."  https://www.facebook.com/bridgealliance/  Let's learn more and join Bridge Alliance and its partners by signing up to be part of this national conversation:  https://bridge.ivn.us/conversation

2.      Higher Heights, an organization building political power and leadership among Black women, is offering the webinar, “Campaign Budget & The Treasurer: The Mechanics of a Financially Compliant Campaign,” April 24, 7pm-8pm ET. If we’re leaders in candidates’ campaigns for elected office, let’s sign up to learn the basics of handling campaign funds: www.higherheightsforamerica.org/spring_2018_webinar_4


States

1.       All: "Enshrining gender equality into the Constitution would close the legal loopholes and serve as a systemic solution - not only for preventing sexual harassment in the workplace, but also advocating for issues like equal pay and bodily safety. It would give women the legal recourse to fight back against gender-based discrimination and violence—and win. It is a signal to the courts and the country that gender equality is a mandate."  https://www.forbes.com/sites/break-the-future/2018/03/07/the-time-is-now-for-the-equal-rights-amendment/#4804d9665e71  Only two more states need to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.  Let's check out this site to see how we can help make this happen:  https://equalmeansequal.org/

2.      MA: The House FY 2019 budget contains many anti-immigration amendments that must be voted down (https://malegislature.gov/Budget/HouseDebate). We need to tell our legislators to vote NO on Amendments 112, 113, 227, 347, and 508, which would extend police authority in detaining immigrants, withhold aid to sanctuary cities, and prevent immigrants from receiving public assistance. We should also encourage our legislators to support Amendments 715, 867, 950, and 1282, which would increase immigrant access to adult education, English and citizenship classes, legal assistance, and in-state tuition. Let’s make sure our legislators receive a loud and clear message that we want them to support our immigrant community. We can contact them here.

3.      ID: Idahoans are working to put Medicaid expansion on the ballot in 2018, but first they need to get enough signatures (https://ballotpedia.org/Idaho_Medicaid_Expansion_Initiative_(2018)). Right now, they are 6,000 signatures shy. If we are registered to vote in Idaho, let’s check out the Medicaid for Idaho website to find out where we can sign the petition. We can also check out the volunteer toolkit, and learn how we can help collect signatures. For those of us who are not registered to vote in Idaho, we can still help by spreading the word about the initiative, or by contributing to the Reclaim Idaho campaign.


Reading/Watching

1.       As usual, our weekly dose of Small Victorieshttps://mailchi.mp/peaceisloud/small-victories-the-point-of-utopia?e=86890239c4

2.      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, Trump became increasingly frantic about the fed raid on Michael Cohen, as innuendo swirled that Cohen could cooperate with federal prosecutors if indicted."  Let's review Amy Siskind's list week 75.  

A new report from the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank focused on the needs of low- and middle-income workers, disputes the common claim that increases to the minimum wage cause job losses. Let’s read the report and be prepared to defend raising the minimum wage. https://www.epi.org/publication/bold-increases-in-the-minimum-wage-should-be-evaluated-for-the-benefits-of-raising-low-wage-workers-total-earnings-critics-who-cite-claims-of-job-loss-are-using-a-distorted-frame/

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