Contact
Federal Government Officials
Find
elected officials: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Fax legislators
for free:
Or use Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
Or use StampsLicked to have messages
hand-delivered to our own legislators: https://stampslicked.org/
White House
contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
1. Nancy
Pelosi has been elected to her second speakership of the House of
Representatives which makes her the first and second woman to serve
in that role: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/423717-house-elects-pelosi-to-second-speakership Let’s
take a moment to thank her for her service in challenging times: https://pelosi.house.gov/contact-me
2. The
first piece of legislation the new Democratic House majority will
introduce is a sweeping democracy reform bill, known currently as HR1.
The bill will improve American government by modernizing our elections and
curbing the influence of big money in political campaigns. Let's read about the
key elements of the bill as compiled by the League
of Women Voters then contact our
representatives to let them know that we support HR1 and want them to support
it as well.
3. The
Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled William Barr's confirmation hearings
for January 15th and 16th (https://n.pr/2Qkwva9).
Barr has been nominated by Trump to replace Jeff Sessions as Attorney General,
which some point out may
be because of his outspoken views of
the Mueller investigation. While this in itself is cause enough for senators to
demand that he recuse himself from the investigation if he is confirmed, The
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has taken a look at Barr's
record and noted his troubling positions on LGBTQ issues, justice reform,
immigrant rights, and reproductive freedom. Let's read through the letter that
they, along with 74 other organizations, sent to senators detailing Barr's
positions. Then, let's contact members
of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asking them to either
outright oppose his nomination, or to oppose his nomination unless he recuses
himself from the Mueller investigation. Then, let's call on our own senators
with the same ask. 5calls.org has
a simple call script we can use: https://5calls.org/issue/barr-recuse-attorney-general-russia
4. While
the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, (H.R. 6545),
was set to be temporarily extended through early February, the partial
government shutdown has caused VAWA to expire (https://n.pr/2GERBRj).
Let's contact our MoC and tell them that allowing this act to expire months
after the reauthorization bill was introduced is a complete failure, and that
we want this legislation to be made a priority.
5. Just
before the government shut down, the administration made a move to rescind an
Obama regulation that limits the level of mercury emissions from coal plants, a
move that even utilities have stated should remain in place. https://www.npr.org/2018/12/28/679129613/trump-epa-says-mercury-limits-on-coal-plants-too-costly-not-necessary.
Let’s make sure to keep monitoring these moves and submit public comments, once
they are published in the Federal Register, which should happen soon after the
government re-opens. We can find get more information on how to comment on the
mercury regulation proposal here.
6. From
one of our own: Yet another child has
died in US custody: https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/25/us/guatemalan-boy-dies-in-us-custody/index.html and https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2018/12/28/migrant-children-deaths-health-warnings-came-months-earlier-border-patrol-jaklein-caal-felipe-gomez/2416379002/ The staffing cuts, lack of medical care and
oversight and the slow trickle of refugees allowed into this country are
causing children who have already lived a lifetime of suffering to lay languishing at
the border and they are dying This is unacceptable from the wealthiest country
in the world. This is not how we treat refugees. When will Congress start
protecting these poor people?! Call your
members of Congress: A) Demand the reallocation of funding toward increased
staffing and resources at the border. This administration has dramatically cut
staffing to process asylum seekers which is why they are only coming in at a
trickle and staying in unsanitary camps outside the border where conditions can
breed disease. B) Demand adequate medical care and staffing at ports of entry
and independent medical oversight of this care. When migrants do get in there
is insufficient medical care at ports of entry for vulnerable children who have
been enduring these conditions and there is no independent medical oversight to
assess quality of care. C) Demand humane conditions in processing centers.
When they first get here migrants are kept in processing covers the first few
days where it is so cold they are referred to as ‘ice boxes’ , where the water
is said to taste like bleach , the lights are left on 24hrs a day and the food
is said to be partially frozen when served . Not acceptable.
7. GEO
Group and CoreCivic, for-profit companies that run immigration detention
centers, spend millions to lobby the federal government. These and other
private prison companies have made large donations to Trump’s campaign and
inauguration. And while they run lucrative businesses, they pay slave wages to
the detained immigrants languishing in their facilities. https://www.thedailybeast.com/dollar800-million-in-taxpayer-money-went-to-private-prisons-where-migrants-work-for-penniesLet’s
tell our MoCs that we want the US House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform to investigate this matter.
8. While
there are many things to look forward to about Democrats taking control of the
House of Representatives, we need to make sure that our new representatives stand
for our values. The recent announcement of the limitations of the Select
Committee on Climate Crisis should therefore be extremely concerning to us. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/423492-house-dems-formalize-climate-committee-plans-without-green-new-deal.
Let’s remind our MoCs that it was our people power that got them elected and
tell them we want to see strong and definitive environmental action, not a
do-nothing committee, and let’s ask our Reps. what they will personally do to
advocate for strong environmental legislation. We can go as far as telling them
that they will not receive our support if they do not act.
9. Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos is trying to impose Title IX rules that would encourage
and even require schools to be complicit in sexual harassment and violence.
Fortunately, Enough
is Enough has a simple way for
us to help us speak out against this. We
can join them in advocating for survivors by completing handwritten postcards
telling DeVos to keep her #HandsOffIX. When we click this link, we’ll get
a toolkit with postcards and scripts here: https://bit.ly/2EcRrxv If we are looking for more information on the
proposed changes, we can take a look here: https://bit.ly/2LU1N5z
and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXthPJPgNts&t=3s Deadline
for public comment on this rule change is January 28. We can comment here: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=ED-2018-OCR-0064-0001
10. We
all know generally that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating
Russia's interference in our 2016 election, but knowing some specific details
makes that interference's insidious and corrosive nature much clearer
(https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/17/us/politics/russia-2016-influence-campaign.html).
Whatever the final effects on the election and our fractured society are, this
was a malicious attack on the nation that must be fully revealed, despite
concerted efforts by some to bury it. So, when pressing our MoCs to
support Mueller's probe, let's be sure to push in the right ways while
avoiding the wrong ones. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-the-democratic-house-majority-could-help-mueller-or-trip-him-up/
11. For
one tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the government shutdown comes
with a price tag: about $100,000, every day, of federal money that does not
arrive to keep health clinics staffed, food pantry shelves full and employees
paid. The tribe is using its own funds to cover the shortfalls for now.
But if the standoff in
Washington continues much longer, that stopgap money will be depleted. Later
this month, workers could be furloughed, and health services could be pared
back. https://www.bustle.com/p/the-government-shutdown-affects-native-american-communities-in-a-huge-way-heres-how-15643101 It might be a minor inconvenience for most of
us but it’s paychecks, food, medical care and more for many including our
Native American populations. Call your reps today and ask that they pass
the bills to open the government.
Election/Voting
1. Asking voters to request vote-by-mail ballots is
still one of the most effective get out the vote strategies there is. Postcards
To Voters (P2V) is starting 2019 will Campaign
142: Florida Vote By Mail (VBM) Enrollment,
Miami-Dade County. Florida's Pasco County saw their VBM enrollment among
Democrats go from a little over 400 before P2V volunteers started writing to
over 1,200 after we had finished. Let's request 5 addresses today. If we are
new volunteers, we can sign up here.
2. A new year brought the swearing-in of newly elected
officials in Harris County, Texas, and among them were
17 black female judges. The group of women, who were part of a local democratic
campaign called "Black Girl Magic Texas," first made history -- and headlines --
when they won their respective midterm elections in November. Together, they
make up what is believed to be the largest group of black female judges to be
elected at the same time in Harris County history. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/03/17-black-female-judges-take-seats-harris-county-texas-magic/2470667002/ Just
a note of good news entering 2019. Be inspired and keep resisting . . . It’s
working.
Other
Actions
1. As we near the two-year mark for Trump’s
presidency, we are also reaching the two-year mark for resistance actions
against his administration. In the spirit of the New Year, let’s pause to
consider how we want to prioritize our resistance energy; what we want to focus
on this year; and how we are going to build more breaks and self-care into the
mix. What we hoped would be a sprint is turning into an ultra-marathon.
2. In its continuing war on the environment, the
administration plans to open up drilling in the Alaskan arctic as early as this
summer. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/422289-new-trump-plans-could-open-alaskan-arctic-to-drilling-by-next.
Let’s submit a public comment to
the Alaska Bureau of Environmental Management. We can find talking points here.
3. If we are Progressives thinking about running
for local, state or federal office, we can check this free two-day training
workshop offered by The Progressive Change Campaign Committee. Training
will “cover the A to Z’s of running for office, including pivoting to core
message from curveball questions, having presence in the room, expanding your
donor list, hiring experienced staff, winning local endorsements, earning great
press, motivating volunteers, polling, and more.” We will also get a chance to
take headshots, design logos, build a website and network with other
Progressives from our state. We can find out more about where and when
workshops will be held and then, if we decide to, apply here: https://www.nationalcandidatetraining.com
4. From Lawyer Moms of America: We
are pleased to announce that Lawyer Moms Foundation has partnered with Lawyers for Good
Government to re-launch our
airline miles donation program, allowing us to help reunite more immigrant
families AND send more lawyers to the front lines of the immigration crisis to
help asylum-seeking families. If you
have unused airline miles and would like to pledge them to this very important
cause, please go to:
5. “Progressive Shopper empowers consumers to shop
their values by providing current data on the political contributions of the most
popular brands. Corporations spend billions each year funding political
candidates, and while the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) collects this data
and makes it available to the public, it lives in large databases that are hard
to access, until now.” https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/announcing-progressive-shopper-a-new-platform-for-the-socially-conscious-consumer-300761901.html If we are using Chrome as our browser, let’s learn
more about this extension: https://progressiveshopper.com/
6. We're always looking for good sources that can
analyze the news in an accessible way. Just Security, based at the Reiss
Center on Law and Security at New York University School of Law, is one such
source, specializing in "(1) crisp explanatory and analytic pieces
geared toward a broad audience; and (2) deep dives that examine the
nuances of a particular legal issue." Topics of recent articles range from
impeachment to the withdrawal of US forces from Syria. Visit their website, or
sign up for their newsletter, here: https://www.justsecurity.org
State
Actions
1. TX: A
number of bills have been filed to fix voting in the state:
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2018/12/26/online-registration-ballot-receipts-lawmakers-ways-fix-problems-voters-saw-polls
If we’re in Texas, let’s tell our state legislators to co-sponsor the following
bills: A) Online voter registration and
automatic voter registration (Rep Eric Johnson D-Dallas + 4 other Democrats),
B) Allow auto-registration for college students (Rep Shawn Thierry, D-Houston),
C) Voting by mail for residents who are elderly, sick, confined in jail, or
will be out of their voting county on Election Day (Rep Evelina Ortega D-El
Paso), D) Recognize photo ID from a tribal organization as a valid form of
voter ID (Rep Alfonso Nevarez D-Eagle, E) Require four-year universities with
more than 10,000 enrolled students to have a polling place on their main campus
(Rep Gina Hinojosa D-Austin), F) Require Texas to develop a strategic plan for
increasing voter turnout in Texas (Rep Evelina Ortega), and G) Allow a person
who will be 18 on the date of a general election to vote in the primary that
year (Sen Judith Zaffirini D-Laredo, and Rep Donna Howard D-Austin). Bonus points for thanking Brianna Stone, the
Dallas News reporter who wrote the story bringing attention to these proposed
reforms: Brianna.stone@dallasnews.com
2. VA:
The gun safety group March for Our Lives is urging us to support State Senate
Bill 1096, which will be introduced in the Virginia legislature in 2019. The
bill will encourage safe storage, raise the age of gun access from 14 to 18,
and toughen laws against irresponsible gun owners.
https://twitter.com/mfolswva/status/1079107620131217408 If
we’re in VA, let’s tell our state senators to co-sponsor this bill, and let’s
tell our state reps to file analogous legislation in the House. https://openstates.org/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms
to attend/organize
1. The Indigenous Peoples March will be held on Friday,
January 18, in Washington, D.C. We can
find more information here: https://indigenouspeoplesmovement.com/
2. Whether we align ourselves with the Women’s March, or March On, or
Women’s March Alliance,
or WoMen
for All, or with no group at all, we have an
opportunity to make history and march once again on Saturday, January 19, 2019. Check with your favorite organization or
local folks to help or to find out what is happening.
Reading/Watching
1. When
Crafts Become Activism: A More Beautiful Movement - https://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/when-crafts-become-activism-a-more-beautiful-movement-20181218
2. A 10-Step
Plan for Congress to save the Climate –
3. How I
Finally Came to Understand My White Privilege - https://www.patheos.com/blogs/shanephipps/2017/07/02/finally-came-understand-white-privilege/
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