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1/28/19 

Contact Federal Government Officials


1.     The House will consider thirteen (13) bills this week. The new Majority Leader's Schedule has not yet been updated but we can review these bills on GovTrack.us.  On Monday, the Senate will again 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. We can check the Senate Floor Schedule daily for updates for the next day.

2.     The government shutdown finally came to a close on Friday but has been punted down the field for three weeks:   https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/427004-trump-agrees-to-end-shutdown   Let’s thank our Democratic MoCs for being resolute throughout and let our Republican MoCs know now that we the people will not stand for another shutdown in three weeks.

3.     Before a congressional committee can begin its work, it needs a quorum-ready roster of members.  Whether it is a stalling tactic, a power grab, or obstruction, the Republicans have yet to name members to the following crucial committees:  A) Ethics, B) House Administration, and C) Intelligence.  Let’s ask Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy what the hold up is.  There is a lot of work to do.  Contact:  https://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/contact/offices

4.     Trump has given a bipartisan congressional committee three weeks to present a compromise on the matter of his Wall; if they fail to present a “compromise” he likes, he threatens another shutdown or an emergency declaration, which would, in theory, allow him to draw wall funding from the military or some other source:  https://www.nbcnews.com/video/trump-announces-deal-to-end-shutdown-reopen-government-1432039491576  He is clearly hoping the rank-and-file Democrats on this committee will fold.  The folks who do this work do not want a wall. https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-border-sheriffs-there-is-no-crisis-and-we-dont-want-trumps-wall/  We must tell our representatives and senators we expect them to stand firm and refuse to waste $5 billion of our tax dollars that could go to health care, education, environmental protection, or the alleviation of poverty on Trump’s vanity project.

5.     After seeing Fox News’ spin on the story, Trump began tweeting about rampant voter fraud in Texas.  However, a clearer reading of the issue, again shows his willingness to be led by the wrong sources.   https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/427133-trump-returns-to-rampant-voter-fraud-theme-following-texas  While we cannot change his TV viewing habits, we can let our MoCs know that we know that the real voter fraud in this country looks more like voter suppression. 

6.     Beginning January 26, asylum-seekers who come to the San Ysidro port of entry will be sent back to Tijuana with a notice to appear in court in San Diego; on their court dates, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will transport them to immigration court, but due to the backlog in U.S. immigration courts of more than 800,000 cases, asylum-seekers currently have to wait months or even years to see a judge; the Department of Homeland Security said the “expedited” cases of the asylum-seekers affected by the new policy should have to wait no more than a year.  This is *not* a bi-national agreement with Mexico. 
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/dhs-plans-begin-turning-asylum-seekers-back-mexico-await-court-n962401   We must call our MoCs and tell them not to bargain with the safety of asylum-seekers and immigrants and make sure DHS head Kirstjen Nielsen knows what we think: 202-282-8495 or Sect of Homeland Security, Washington DC 20128.

7.     Today is the last day to submit a comment on the change in Title IX regulations. These changes would make it much harder for victims of sexual assault to bring charges against perpetrators. https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2018/09/12/campus-sexual-harassment-amy-carleton. Let’s make sure to go to the federal register and submit a public comment. For other upcoming public comment deadlines, we can click here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IjRnzG1ANDdUKMibe3w_jcW_jmFa-N54/view

8.    The children are speaking and begging us to save the earth.  Greta Thunberg, age 16, spoke on behalf of the children of the world at Davos 2019 last week:  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/25/our-house-is-on-fire-greta-thunberg16-urges-leaders-to-act-on-climate  Let’s make sure our MoCs know that even if the current administration is anti-science that the world is counting on us to do our share. 

9.     As Mueller’s investigation continues, it becomes ever more important to tighten any possible loopholes that would prevent justice from being served. To help ensure a fair outcome, we can tell our Reps to support House Joint Resolution 8, an amendment to the Constitution limiting the pardon power of the President. Congressman Steve Cohen, the bill’s author, declares, “Presidents should not pardon themselves, their families, their admin or campaign staff. We can find out more about this proposal here, including whether our Representative has cosponsored it yet.  Let’s check this from Postcards for America for more info and ask our representative to support this:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xj9yIU6ganrnbFNqNRC8JVvIIVBj89uf2ZGGkcL0a8c/edit

10.  While all the noise from the White House is about the violent danger of immigrants, a study shows that all the extremist killings in the US last year had links to right-wing extremism.  https://www.businessinsider.com/extremist-killings-links-right-wing-extremism-report-2019-1  Let’s ask our MoCs to divert their efforts to where the danger truly is evident. 

11.   Immigrant rights activist Eduardo Samaniego has been in ICE detention for over 100 days and recently had to be transferred to a mental health facility due to abuse he’s suffered while imprisoned. On Friday, Eduardo was denied due process in court and forced to accept “voluntary deportation.” https://www.facebook.com/PVWorkersCenter/photos/rpp.1437804753150958/223889763049449/?type=3&theater. Ironically, Eduardo would have been covered by the bipartisan supported Dream Act of 2017, which never came up in Congress for a vote. As Eduardo’s legal team ponders its next steps, let’s make sure to keep calling ICE Atlanta Field Director, Sean Gallaghar: (404) 893-1206 and Asst. Director, Kristen Sullivan: 404-893-1203 and ask for Eduardo’s immediate release. We should also write to DHS Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen, 800 K Street, NW #1000, Washington, DC 20528. We should make to sure to reference Eduardo’s A number (A#: 206-862-839). We can also sign a petition and those of us who are faith leaders can sign a letter. Finally, we can donate to Eduardo’s emergency fund here.

12.  Polls are showing that most Americans would like to see Trump’s tax returns made public. https://thehill.com/policy/finance/427132-most-americans-say-new-dem-majority-should-publicize-trump-tax-returns-poll. Yet the new House Ways and Means Committee Chair, Richard Neal (D-MA) is not making this a priority, claiming that the move must be carefully planned to avoid legal challenges. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/02/congress-trump-tax-returns-richard-neal-1056839?fbclid=. While there are likely truths to this statement, Neal is not known for being progressive, and may need to be pushed to get things in motion. Let’s contact our House Reps. and ask them to put pressure on Chairman Neal to put things in process to make Trump release his tax returns as soon as possible. We can also contact Neal directly at 202-225-5601.


13.  Whatever one might think of Nicolas Maduro or his recent election, two things are clear: Venezuela is in the midst of a crisis, and the US has learned nothing from its previous disastrous interventions in Latin American politics; first, Trump formally recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó who unilaterally declared  himself interim president at demonstrations yesterday in Caracas, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied Maduro’s “legal authority to break diplomatic relations with the United States or to declare our diplomats persona non grata”and refused to comply with Maduro’s ejection of US personnel, and, finally, a senior administration official told reporters that all options are on the table--and we know what that means--if any actions are taken against Americans, U.S. interests, or violence against Guaidó, prompting an equally belligerent retort from Russia: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-recognizes-venezuela-opposition-leader-juan-guaido-interim-president-n961771   We might suggest to Trump and Pompeo--#SecPompeo or 202-647-4000 or Dept of State, 2201 C St, NW, DC 20520--that they respect Venezuelan sovereignty and stay out of  Venezuelan politics rather than try to manipulate them for US ends.

Election/Voting

Other Actions

1.   On Day 33 of the government shutdown, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson along with the heads of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the Air Line Pilots Association sounded their alarm over air safety; on Day 35, the FAA was forced to slow air traffic for safety reasons, snarling national and global air travel. On Friday, Nelson issued a statement celebrating the end of the government shutdown; it concluded this way: “To all Americans: if there is anything this shutdown has taught us, it should be that labor rights matter. We must work together to improve rights for working Americans. Our democracy depends on it." 
https://www.afacwa.org/flight_attendant_union_statement_on_deal_on_end_to_shutdown  This is indeed the lesson to be learned! Let’s express our gratitude to the Association of Flight Attendants: 501 3rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 or 202-434-1300 or 1-800-424-2401

2.   Democrats won the House in 2018, but it's time to start thinking about the 2020 elections! "We can unseat Trump while electing Democrats in all of the most important races facing our country. It's about winning the White House and the Senate." Who's "we"? Well, us! Swing Left is a grassroots organization that "helps you find the most impactful things you can do to help Democrats win the most important elections." On February 2nd and 3rd, they're launching the 2020 election season by encouraging us to find the nearest SwingLeft 2020 Kickoff House Party (or host one ourselves). Let's find out about their game plan, and how we can help swing those seats, here:  https://swingleft.org/feb-houseparty

3.   “In a letter to employees headlined “Difficult Changes”, the BuzzFeed founder and chief executive, Jonah Peretti, said the company would reduce headcount by 15%, or about 250 jobs, to around 1,100 employees globally.  At the same time, Verizon said it would trim 7% of headcount, about 800 people, from its media unit, which includes HuffPost, Yahoo and AOL. Another signal of distress came on Friday when Warner Media announced it would close its digital investment arm, WarnerMedia Investments.   
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/jan/26/huffpost-buzzfeed-layoffs-digital-journalism  Excellent News reporting has been our savior during this administration. If your bank account can afford it, please support a reliable online news source and get a subscription. 

4.   If we are still looking for places to donate extra items, we can donate them to Foster Care Closets for foster parents. These closets consist of donated items meant to offset the costs of new clothing and other necessary belongings for children in care. Many of them offer used clothing, toys, furniture and baby accessories. If we, or people we know, have some of these things to donate, they will serve a good purpose here:  http://www.fostercoalition.com/foster-care-closets

5.   The expected and welcomed diversity in the Democratic presidential candidates is beginning to show.  https://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/426522-the-memo-diverse-democratic-field-lines-up-for-2020  We must be extra careful this year to be positive about who we support and to refrain from bashing candidates that do not meet our exact expectations.  Let’s also remind our personal and online friends that refraining from bashing candidates will make us all stronger.  We can peaceably let the primary season play out helping the candidates we choose to help. 

State Actions

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.    From MoveOn:  As you've likely seen, Donald Trump announced a deal with Congress to end the government shutdown and reopen the federal government for three weeks with no funding for Trump’s wall.  This is a great win, and it’s due to the grassroots pressure we were able to leverage. After checking in with partners and allies, we’ve made the strategic decision to cancel our January 29 Day of Action events.

Reading/Watching 
1.    Roger Stone’s Arrest Is the Signal for Congress to Act:  Robert Mueller is looking for crimes. It’s up to legislators to safeguard the country - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/what-roger-stone-indictment-demands-congress/581272/

2.   Trapped in a hoax: survivors of conspiracy theories speak out - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/23/conspiracy-theories-internet-survivors-truth

3.   How conservative ‘supersharers’ drove fake news in the 2016 election - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/how-conservative-supersharers-drove-fake-news-in-the-2016-election

4.    Pelosi Statement on Special Counsel Indictment and Arrest of Trump Campaign Advisor Roger Stone - https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/12519-4/





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