Contact Federal Government 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.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT/GUN REGULATION: As the House prepares to pass the Violence
Against Women Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1585), the National Rifle Association (NRA) has
announced that it will be docking grades for lawmakers who vote in favor of the
legislation (https://bit.ly/2HJ9SMT, https://bit.ly/2U2nlpK). The bill includes red flag provisions, which
would help keep firearms out of the hands of those who commit domestic
violence; a bipartisan safety measure which the NRA opposes. For those of us
with Republican representatives, let's be sure to call them and tell them that
we expect them to support VAWA, with its red flag provisions, and to prioritize
their constituents over the NRA. For those of us with Democratic
representatives, let's check to see if they have cosponsored the bill yet.
If they have, we can thank them, but if not, let's ask them what's stopping
them.
2.
IMMIGRATION: “Department
of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will ask Congress for the
authority to deport unaccompanied migrant children more quickly, to hold
families seeking asylum in detention until their cases are decided and to allow
immigrants to apply for asylum from their home countries, according to a copy
of the request obtained by NBC News.” https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/dhs-ask-congress-sweeping-authority-deport-unaccompanied-migrant-children-n988651?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma Let’s
tell our MoCs that we do not want any money spent on any of these
initiatives. We want money spent to help
process these cases faster and more humanely.
3.
HEALTH CARE: First, it was just protections for people with
“pre-existing” conditions, but now the Trump administration insists that
the entirety of the Affordable Care Act should be struck down in the courts,
and the Justice department concurs: https://www.npr.org/2019/03/26/706869835/trump-administration-now-says-entire-affordable-care-act-should-be-repealed We should seize this moment when the
Republicans are making clear their disdain for our health and well-being to
urge our MoCs to support Representative Pramila Jayapal’a (D-WA) Medicare for
All Act (H.R.1384).
Indivisible has provided all the information about this act we might
need: https://indivisible.org/resource/tell-your-member-congress-support-medicare-all
4.
BERNHARDT NOMINATION: By August 2017, the Fish and Wildlife Service had
completed a comprehensive study finding that the much-used pesticides malathion
and chlorpyrifos are so toxic that they “jeopardize the continued existence” of
more than 1,200 endangered birds, fish and other animals and plants; the NY
Times reports that instead of tighter regulation of these chemicals, the
Department of Interior, largely at the behest of then-deputy David Bernhardt,
blocked the release of this report: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/435828-trumps-pick-to-lead-interior-dept-stepped-in-to-block-study-on Zinke was bad, but Bernhardt is worse. We
must implore our senators TODAY to block his confirmation as secretary of DOI.
We can also sign the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) petition: https://www.nrdc.org/stop-david-bernhardt
5.
DISABILITY RIGHTS: Representative John Katko (R-NY) has
introduced the Marriage Access for People with Special Abilities (MAPSA)
Act (H.R. 1529) to protect Supplemental Security Income benefits
for couples with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities, who marry.
Right now, couples may have to choose whether to get married, or risk losing
their benefits, since they are required to report their combined income (https://bit.ly/2F8pZBl). Let's call our representatives in the
House and ask them to support this legislation.
6.
VOTING MACHINES: “Four senior senators have called on the
largest U.S. voting machine makers to explain why they continue to sell devices
with “known vulnerabilities,” ahead of upcoming critical elections. The
letter, sent Wednesday, calls on election equipment makers ES&S,
Dominion Voting and Hart InterCivic to explain why they continue to sell decades-old
machines, which the senators say contain security flaws that could undermine
the results of elections if exploited.” https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/27/senators-security-voting-machines/
Let’s contact our senators and raise this issue
with them, too. We do not need to
knowingly sabotage our elections.
7.
NET NEUTRALITY: The Save the Internet Act (H.R. 1644), which restores Net Neutrality, has made it out of
subcommittee. https://www.cnet.com/news/democrats-hit-the-gas-on-net-neutrality-bill/Now it is up to us to get it passed and Free Press
has several ways we can help, including calling lawmakers, sharing on
social media, collecting petition signatures, writing a
letter-to-the-editor meeting with our rep's office and more. When
we click this link, we can volunteer to help pass the bill: https://act.freepress.net/survey/internet_volunteer
8.
TRUMP’S FED RESERVE NOMINEE: According to many prominent economists, Steven
Moore, Trump’s expected pick to lead the Federal Reserve has a dangerous record
of making decisions that manipulate and threaten the healthy functioning of the
economy solely for political purposes. In addition, Moore owes the IRS $75,000
in unpaid taxes. https://www.npr.org/2019/03/27/707312764/economists-forecast-stephen-moore-wouldnt-be-good-for-fed-post. Let’s get our MoCs on board now and call for a
strong rejection of Moore, based on partisanship, bad economics, and a clear
disregard of the American taxpayer system.
9.
TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN: The House voted yesterday to condemn Trump’s ban on
transgender people serving in the military. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/436235-house-votes-to-condemn-trumps-transgender-military-ban. Let’s thank the 5 Republicans who
voted with all the Democrats. Let’s also ask our Senators to do what they can
to force a vote to condemn this in the Senate.
10. AFFORDABLE
CARE ACT: (CORRECTION) The
Department of Justice is now siding with a Texas District Court that ruled last
December that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional and must be
repealed. Previously, they only wanted to allow insurance companies not to
cover pre-existing conditions and to charge higher premiums. https://www.axios.com/justice-trump-court-affordable-care-act-unconstitutional-ab8bf281-65fc-4b91-8606-d1f3f65818d6.html. Let’s tell the DOJ (202-353-1555) that
we see this decision as reckless and insensitive to the health care needs of
millions of Americans who depend on the ACA. And let’s tell our MoCs
that we want them to do everything they can to assure that every American has
health care, which includes considering how to implement Medicare for all.
11.
DREAM ACT: On March 12, the House re-introduced the Dream and
Promise Act, HR6. Let's read more at The Hill. The bill currently has 224 Democratic
co-sponsors. Let's contact our representatives to let them know we
support HR6.
12. RED FLAG
GUN LAWS: After the tragic suicides of gun violence survivors,
even Republican Senators are willing to consider passing Red Flag Laws that
would get guns out of the hands of likely offenders. http://fortune.com/2019/03/26/red-flag-laws-senate-gun-control/ Everytown
has made it easy for us to contact our lawmakers and push for real reforms but
we must act now. We can click this link to connect with our Senators
and tell them to pass Red Flag Laws now:
https://act.everytown.org/call/call-your-senators-red-flag-laws-now We can read more about Red Flag Laws on the
state level here, then call our state legislators to demand Red Flag Laws for
our states too: https://everytownresearch.org/red-flag-laws/
13. LEGALIZE
CANNABIS: The Marijuana Justice
Act, S597, would make cannabis legal on the federal
level and get rid of marijuana possession charges nationwide. Let's read more
at Wikileaf. Let's contact our Senators in support of
S597.
Elections
1.
APRIL ELECTIONS: “So far in April, there are 29 elections scheduled.
If one of these is in your district, make sure you vote! For everyone else,
please share this with your network to spread the word in order to increase
awareness and turnout!” Let’s check
this out: https://politicalcharge.org/2019/03/28/elections-in-april-2019/
2.
WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT ELECTION: Swing Left is hosting a national call night this
Sunday, March 31st, where participants will be phone banking for Wisconsin
State Supreme Court Justice nominee Lisa Neubauer. Once we register, Swing Left
will provide training materials and an invitation to a webinar, so we can be
fully prepared to make those calls. Let's sign up:
3.
NEW POSTCARD CAMPAIGN: Let's help Postcards
To Voters reach
registered Democrats in Frisco TX with Campaign 150: Cleveland and Parna for
City Council. Frisco is one of the fastest growing cities in America where
a majority of its new residents are Democrats. However, the City Council is
comprised entirely of Tea Party people. With our help, we can give Stephanie
Cleveland and Mukesh Parna a winning edge on Saturday, May 4th. Let's
request 5 addresses today.
Other Actions
1.
FACEBOOK AND WHITE NATIONALISM: While
Facebook has not always done the right thing, this week “Facebook is banning
white nationalism and white supremacy from its social network following
criticism that it had not done enough to eliminate hate speech on its platform.” https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-bans-white-nationalism-after-pressure-civil-rights-groups-n987991
Let’s thank Facebook for this positive move
and encourage them to be more proactive in the future: 1 Hacker Way Menlo Park, CA 94025
2.
CAMPAIGN HELP: “Campaigns can be devastated by opponents
pretending to be volunteers and donors. These ten free background research
services help reveal the truth.
It's advisable to first test the accuracy of a service first by
querying it about a person you know. Make sure to conduct your research
in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting
Act (FCRA) guidelines.” Let’s
check out these resources that could help campaigns: https://mailchi.mp/thedemlabs.org/backgroundchecks
State Actions
1.
AZ: BILL TO PURGE EARLY VOTERS: “Republican lawmakers are moving to
effectively strip the word “permanent” from laws that allow voters to enroll on
the permanent early-voting list. Foes say all this does is throw another hurdle
in the path of voters. Some testimony suggested the bill would immediately dump
more than 200,000 from the early voting list if it becomes law. “We think the
word ‘permanent’ should mean something,” Sandy Bahr, chapter president of the
Sierra Club, told lawmakers. https://tucson.com/news/local/bill-progresses-to-purge-some-from-permanent-early-voting-list/article_80302516-f010-58c3-9562-166291cb9596.html Please
call your Reps and let them know this is not a good idea. Ask them why they are
suppressing the Vote in AZ.
2.
FL: INCREASE
VOTER REGISTRATION: Former Tallahassee Mayor and Florida gubernatorial
candidate Andrew Gillum has launched Bring It Home Florida, a
grassroots organization that seeks to boost voter registration in the
state in order to help elect Democrats to local, state and federal offices.
We can read more at The Hill. Let's check out Bring It
Home Florida and
sign up for email updates to
find ways we can support the effort.
3.
MA: CONVERSION THERAPY BAN: The Massachusetts House recently voted 147-8 on a
bill banning conversion therapy on issues of sexuality or gender identity for
minors. https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/03/massachusetts-house-votes-to-ban-conversion-therapy-for-minors.html. Now the bill heads to the Senate. https://www.wcvb.com/article/senate-to-take-up-house-passed-lgbtq-conversion-therapy-ban/26944970. Republican Governor Charlie Baker says that he is
inclined to support it, but he may be facing pressure from conservative
constituents who oppose the bill. Let’s make sure that our State Senators vote for
this bill in a timely manner, and let’s call Governor Baker (617) 725-4005 to
let him know that we support a ban on this abusive practice and expect him to
sign the legislation.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
EARTH HOUR: Tomorrow,
Saturday, March 30 at 8.30PM to 9:30PM local time, is Earth Hour where millions
of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show
their steadfast commitment to protecting nature. Let’s learn more here: https://www.earthhour.org/
2.
POOR PEOPLES’ CAMPAIGN: Dozens of
states are organizing bus tours from late March to mid-May to hear the stories
of the 140 million poor and low-income people who are too often ignored and
bring attention to impacted communities.
These tours are about breaking the isolation of impacted communities and
bringing us together to fight for our demands. Let’s sign up for an event
near us and be a part of this leading up to the Poor People’s Campaign Moral
Action Congress in June. https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/events/ Fight
poverty, not the poor!
Reading/Watching
1.
Confronting racism is not about the needs and
feelings of white people - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/28/confronting-racism-is-not-about-the-needs-and-feelings-of-white-people
2.
Barbara Bush: Did she still consider herself a
Republican? 'I'd probably say no today.' - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/03/27/barbara-bush-blamed-trump-heart-attack-leaving-gop-the-matriarch/3270187002/
3.
US denied visas to women trying to participate in UN
women's conference: report - https://thehill.com/policy/international/435126-us-denied-visas-to-international-women-trying-to-participate-in-un
4.
I went undercover to expose the US, Australia gun
lobby - https://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/americas/2019/03/undercover-expose-australia-gun-lobby-190325120818734.html
