6/11/19
CONGRESSIONAL
SCHEDULES: We can stay up-to-date on Congress by checking out their
schedules. a) The House publishes a weekly schedule at The Weekly Leader
(published and dated Friday) as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b)
The Senate updates their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule.
FOREIGN POLICY/SAUDI
ARABIA: At the end of April, Trump vetoed S.J.Res.7, which would have
directed the U.S. to end military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Now, Trump is taking his support for Saudi Arabia's military forces in Yemen
even further, approving an $8.1 billion arms deal ,
which would include precision-guided bombs and access to other sensitive
technology. While the Senate did not have the votes to override Trump's veto,
it is still pushing back against continued arms deals. A bipartisan group of senators are cosponsoring a series of joint resolutions of disapproval over
the export and transfer of defense services with Saudi Arabia and other
countries. "Sens. Chris Murphy
(D-CT) and Todd Young (R-IN) are using a provision in the Foreign Assistance Act to request a report from the administration on Saudi Arabia’s
human rights record, which could eventually trigger a vote to halt billions in
arms sales which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is moving forward despite
congressional opposition."
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/09/arm-sales-senate-saudi-arabia-1358440
Let's contact Chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee, Senator James Risch (R-ID), and ask him to pass each of these
resolutions out of committee, for a full Senate vote: 483 Russell Senate Office
Building Washington, DC 20510, Phone: 202-224-2752, Fax: 202-224-2573. Let’s also contact our House Reps and Senators to tell them we agree that Congress
should have a say in such deals. We can do so by phone or send a message
to our reps through this convenient form set up by Win Without War:
CLIMATE CHANGE: “The White House blocked a State Department
senior intelligence analyst's congressional testimony on climate change being
"potentially catastrophic" this week because it didn't
"jibe" with the Trump administration's views on the matter. . . The
move comes as prominent scientists, senior military officials and intelligence
staffers have doubled down on their efforts to warn the White House of the
potentially disastrous impacts of climate change on America's national
security, a position that Trump has vehemently opposed.” https://www.newsweek.com/white-house-blocks-testimony-calling-climate-change-possibly-catastrophic-because-it-didnt-1442964
Trump may not believe in climate change, but scientists do and their information
needs to be made public so that proper steps can be taken to mitigate damage. Let’s tell our MoCs that we are counting on
them to make sure that the blocked testimony is made public and included in the
Congressional Record.
DISABILITY RIGHTS/SUBMINIMUM WAGE: From the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network: The Department of Labor is seeking public comments on section 14(c), the outdated system companies and providers use to segregate disabled workers while paying us less than minimum wage—sometimes less than a dollar per hour. The sheltered workshop industry will be flooding the comments, trying to drown out the voices of people with disabilities who want real work for real pay. Help us make sure our community is heard by submitting a comment before June 14th.
MUELLER
REPORT HEARINGS: House Judiciary Committee
meetings began Monday to explore the findings of the Mueller Report and include
interviewing John Dean – a pivotal figure in the Watergate hearings:
https://apnews.com/df1bd1a601fa4ce688eda76178244332 Let’s continue to let our MoC know that we expect a continuous and
forceful response to the corruption and lawlessness of the president.
CONFLICTS
OF INTEREST--MITCH MCCONNELL: Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell’s wife, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, has fast-tracked all
projects concerning Kentucky in order to help get her husband re-elected. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/10/mcconnell-elaine-chao-1358068?. Let’s complain to our MoCs and the Office of Government Ethics and ask them to investigate this clear
conflict of interest.
MUELLER REPORT: Additional ways to have access to the Mueller
report include: 1) a free pdf version here: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5955118-The-Mueller-Report.html
, 2 ) a facsimile reproduction of redacted edition,
including both Volume I and II, is available on Amazon for about $10 in both
Kindle and hard copy, and 3) a graphic novel version: https://minsky.com/muellerreportgraphicnovel.htm
PROPOSED RULE
CHANGES - PUBLIC COMMENTS NEEDED: Here is this week’s
list of comments and actions week
ending June 16, 2019 includes Sage Grouse Habitat, Redefining how the
government measures things - poverty rates, pollution index. LGBTQ and Trans
rights, RoundUp, HUD targeting undocumented residents, exposing miners to
diesel exhaust, ACA, Election integrity & voting systems: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kxBvnHgkj9xCOb4q7BqVP2m5J2_Ggs7X/view
TELL THE NEW YORK TIMES NOT TO BAN
POLITICAL CARTOON: In a
stunning act of self censorship, the New York Times will no longer publish in
house political cartoons after this July. Acting in response to a controversial
cartoon it published, then disavowed, the paper has chosen not to improve its
editorial process but to abandon in house political cartoons altogether. As
long time cartoonist Patrick Chappette states, “Political cartoons were
born with democracy. And they are challenged when freedom is.” We can read more of Chapette’s take on
the issue here, then contact Editor Dean Baquet dbaquet@nytimes.com to
demand that The New York Times reverse its ban on in house political
cartoons: https://www.chappatte.com/en/the-end-of-political-cartoons-at-the-new-york-times/
CONFLICTS
OF INTEREST--TRUMP: Trump’s detour to
Ireland to play golf at one of his own properties and produce a promotional
video of himself teeing off cost taxpayers $3.6 million. https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-travel-costs-ireland-trip-2019-6 In all, Trump’s golf trips to his own properties since he took
office have cost over $100 million. Furthermore, Trump continues to benefit
economically from hosting foreign dignitaries and their large staffs, which is in violation
of the emoluments clause. Let’s make
sure our MoCs know that we are disgusted by this ongoing corruption and that we
support them in investigating these ethical violations and misuse of our tax
dollars.
IMMIGRATION--MIGRANT
CHILDREN: The U.S. just opened a new
“emergency” detention center in Texas for unaccompanied migrant children, and
is planning to open up more in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Montana. https://apnews.com/259d11069cbd4a34be9b4e7a187352da
Classifying these detention centers as emergency
facilities allows the government to keep children here for more than the 20-day
limit imposed by the Flores Act. Furthermore, the U.S. has just cut the budget
for education, legal services, and recreation at these centers https://www.npr.org/2019/06/05/730082911/administration-cuts-education-and-legal-services-for-unaccompanied-minors, making
them even more prison-like. Let’s keep
calling our MoCs and tell them that they need to call unequivocally for a shut
down of all these centers, and ask them to do whatever they can to make sure
that new centers aren’t built. If we live in GA, OK, or MT, let’s contact our
state officials and ask them to intervene in creating new facilities. We should
also ask the what they are doing to make sure that any child held in detention,
at any facility, is not held for more than 20-days in accordance with federal
law.
POSTCARDING ISSUES: For
a ready-made list of issues for our postcarding groups, we can take a look at
this and consider using it: https://www.whatifknits.com/
CLIMATE CHANGE CANDIDATE DEBATE:
The leadership of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has determined
that there will not be a Democratic presidential candidate debate devoted to
climate change, however some members of the DNC are urging the group to do
so. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/447528-members-petition-democratic-chairman-to-hold-presidential-debate-on-climate
Given what we know now about climate change and the fact that climate change
was virtually ignored in the 2016 presidential debates, it is important that we
learn more about how candidates will address this crisis. Let’s contact the DNC and ask that they
reconsider their decision or at least include climate questions in all the
debates: https://my.democrats.org/page/s/contact
Let’s also sign this petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-democratic-national-committee-hold-a-climate-debate
STATE SPECIFIC ISSUES:
LOCAL & STATE ELECTIONS: Everyone wants to dump Trump in 2020, but focusing too hard on this one race undermines what made us so successful in the 2018 midterms: the overwhelming energy we brought to local & state races. To really undo the damage of the last 2 years, and to truly point ourselves towards an ethics/science/fact-based future, let's each commit some of our time (and treasure!) to races & issues close to home, with coordinating organizations like Every District (https://www.everydistrict.us/) and Future Now (https://www.futurenow.org/) as our guides.
VA:
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND VOTING: With reproductive rights and freedoms being attacked every week
in state legislatures across the country, it is more important now than ever to
elect Prochoice Champions at every level of office to stand for the 7 in 10
American voters who believe in the right to bodily autonomy. With the Virginia Primary elections today,
let’s use this voter guide and social media toolkit to inform our choices and
get the word out.
WA: HELP RESTORE OVERTIME PAY
PROTECTIONS: If we are
wondering why it seems people are working more, yet earning less, we can look
at what has happened to overtime pay. The national overtime
threshold, the salary level at which businesses can force people to work
more without paying any additional wages, is urrently $23,660 (the
equivalent of $11.38 an hour) and it covers less than 7% of workers.
Fortunately, our Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
announced a rule change to restore overtime regulations within the
state, raising the overtime threshold to 2.5 times the minimum wage
in 2025, a salary of about $73,000. In
the coming weeks and months, the State will hear public comment and provide the
opportunity for testimony at public hearings, setting the example for
states throughout our nation. We can click here to learn more about
the Restore Overtime Campaign, get information on submitting public comments,
attending local hearings, and find talking points, videos and
graphics to share on social media, developed by Civic Action and DemCast: https://demwritepress.com/restore-overtime/
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
RALLY IN SUPPORT OF MIGRANT CHILDREN:
The American Friends Service
Committee, Bend the Arc, and several other organizations are sponsoring a week
of events to end child detention form June 9-16, ending with a
march at the Children’s Detention Center in Homestead, Florida on Father’s Day, June 16. Let’s check out this and other related events and consider attending if we’re able to travel, or if there’s
an event in our area.
IMPEACH
TRUMP PROTESTS: MoveOn.org is hosting a National Day of Action on Saturday, June
15thwith nationwide protests with a unified message to “Impeach
Trump”: https://act.moveon.org/event/impeachment_day_of_action_june15/search/
Let’s get inspired by the recent protests in London against
Trump and the protests in Hong Kong against extradition to China and take to
the streets to say “Impeach Trump”. We can join or host an event in our
area to send a strong message to Congress: Trump is not above the law.
TO READ:
Why Elizabeth Warren Matters: She is, by far, the most important Democrat running
for president - https://thebulwark.com/why-elizabeth-warren-matters/
Better Schools Won’t Fix America: Like
many rich Americans, I used to think educational investment could heal the
country’s ills—but I was wrong. Fighting inequality must come first - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/07/education-isnt-enough/590611/
Call immigrant detention centers what they really are:
concentration camps - https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-katz-immigrant-concentration-camps-20190609-story.html
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