7/16/20
NATIONAL
ISSUES
Contact all Federal
Members of Congress
(includes contact info and
links to social media)
Fax
legislators for free:
Or use Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
Purchase stamps, postcards,
and other mailing supplies:
White
House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
|
GUARANTEE
PUBLIC ACCESS TO COVID-19 DATA: The
Trump administration recently announced a new method for collecting COVID-19
data that would bypass the CDC and instead require hospitals to send all
information to a central database run by the Department of Health and Human
Services. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/cdcs-politicization-extremely-dangerous-for-americans-says-its-former-head
and https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-nw-nyt-covid-cdc-data-trump-20200715-aizxwwrqlbaufjsjig3rlvx7qy-story.html.
Four former CDC heads do not agree with
this decision. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/14/former-cdc-chiefs-trump-agency-guidelines-360527
Considering Trump has continually tried
to downplay data and wish this virus away, public health experts legitimately
fear that scientific researchers and the public will lose access to transparent
data. Let’s make sure that HHS (202-205-5445; https://www.facebook.com/HHS/;
Twitter: @HHS.gov) knows that we know about the change in data collection and
ask them what they are going to do to make sure this data remains transparent
and accessible. Let’s also ask our MoCs what they can do to make sure that
COVID-19 data is not hidden or sanitized as the election approaches.
PPE SHORTAGE? “The US
could soon face another shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and run
out of items like gloves, goggles, and body bags. Health
and Human Services Department documents obtained by NBC News show that
national bodies in charge of distributing such equipment have vastly depleted
stocks.” https://www.businessinsider.com/us-could-face-new-ppe-shortage-coronavirus-surge-2020-7 and https://www.wwnytv.com/2020/07/14/calls-grow-trump-administration-aid-ppe-production-amid-shortage/
Due to the lack of a national response to COVID, this is already an issue,
but reports are it will get worse as the surge continues. Let’s ask our MOCs what they are doing to address
this urgent need. States should not be
competing against each other and the federal government for needed
supplies.
RELEASE VOL.
5 OF THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORT: The 5th
and final report of the senate intelligence committee contains material that is
highly indicative that the president is a true national security risk. The report was sent to the Office of Director
of National Intelligence (ODNI) for review on May 15. https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/498031-senate-panel-submits-final-volume-of-russian-interference-probe-for If this material is released before the
congressional break in August, it may be the quickest way to end this national
nightmare. The Senate committee sent the
report to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, directed by a
Trump supporter, John Ratcliffe, for redaction. THE ODNI IS SITTING ON THE
REPORT. Let’s consider this direct
campaign: Contact John Ratcliffe and ask for the expedited release of Vol 5 of
the Senate Intelligence Committee Report: Mailing Address: Office of the
Director of National Intelligence, Washington, DC 20511 Phone Number: 703-275-3700
(public affairs line)
COVID-RELATED
EVICTIONS AND HOMELESSNESS: “We
have never seen this extent of eviction in such a truncated amount of time in
our history. We can expect this to increase dramatically in the coming weeks
and months, especially as the limited support and intervention measures that
are in place start to expire. About 10 million people, over a period of years,
were displaced from their homes following the foreclosure crisis in 2008. We’re
looking at 20 million to 28 million people in this moment, between now and
September, facing eviction”. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/10/looming-evictions-may-soon-make-28-million-homeless-expert-says.html The need for another COVID-relief bill is so
necessary, yet the Senate is sitting on the House-approved HEREOS ACT (H.R. 6800). Let’s contact our Senators to find out
just what exactly they ARE going to do to aid Americans.
COVID MEDS AND
PROFIT-MAKING: From one of our own: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
must do more to ensure access to potential Covid-19 treatments, including remdesivir. There is a law (28 U.S.C. § 1498) which allows
federal agencies to take control of industry owned patents using a tool known
as government patent use. https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/02/powerful-law-gives-hhs-right-to-control-remdesivir-manufacturing-distribution/
How much of our taxpayer's money has
gone to Gilead Sciences for the development of remdesivir? There should be NO
PANDEMIC PROFITEERING! Gilead will soon begin charging outrageous prices of
more than $3,100 to treat a typical Covid-19 patient with private health
insurance. We need that price to be the price of manufacturing cost of $1.00/day.
Let’s call or write Secretary Azar to
invoke the law (28 U.S.C. § 1498): 202-690-7000 or write to Secretary@HHSGov
POSTAL
SERVICE SUFFERING: “Postal
Service officials, bracing for steep losses from the nationwide shutdown caused
by the virus, have warned they will run out of money by the end of September
without help from Congress. The service reported a $4.5 billion loss for the
quarter ending in March, before the full effects of the shutdown sank in.” However,
“Mail deliveries could be delayed by a day or more under cost-cutting efforts
being imposed by the new postmaster general. The plan eliminates overtime for
hundreds of thousands of postal workers and says employees must adopt a
“different mindset” to ensure the Postal Service’s survival during the
coronavirus pandemic.” https://apnews.com/59c25efd4d325c4895f8ba85517f9bfd In addition to the havoc this could cause for
business and personal uses, it’s easy to see how this could affect people’s
ability to safely vote by mail during the pandemic! The House passed $25
billion for the postal service in the HEREOS ACT (H.R. 6800)
two months ago! Let’s ask our
Senators what they are doing to address this need to continue the Post Office
successfully.
FAULTY DATA
FROM SBA ABOUT PPP LOANS:
Lest you think there is any trustworthy agency left in Washington, “A
[Washington] Post analysis of data on 4.9 million loans released last week by
the Small Business Administration shows that many companies are reported to
have “retained” far more workers than they employ. . . . in some cases, the
agency’s jobs claim for entire industries surpasses the total number of workers
in those sectors. And for more than 875,000 borrowers, the data shows that zero
jobs were supported or no information is listed at all. . . .” https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/07/14/ppp-job-claims-sba/
or https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-07-13/ppp-data-errors-coronavirus and https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/7/13/21320179/ppp-loans-sba-paycheck-protection-program-polling-kanye-west
This is our tax money and we have a right to see it responsibly allocated;
let’s tell the SBA so: US Small Business Administration, 409 3rd St, SW,
Washington DC 20416 or 1-800-659-2955 or disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY RULE: The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) would like to prohibit federal employees from adequate union representation, and the knowledge and experience this brings, at hearings related to discrimination or workplace harassment; the “Official Time” rule would mean that union reps would not be guaranteed official time to work on EEOC complaints, a move that would upend 40 years of precedent and might, in fact, violate the statute establishing the commission: https://www.govexec.com/management/2019/11/eeoc-plans-cease-providing-official-time-union-reps-government-wide/161340/ We have until July 31 to tell the EEOC what we think; the Action Network makes commenting easy: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/official-time-in-federal-sector
POMPEO AND HUMAN RIGHTS: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to unveil a long-awaited but as yet unfinished human rights report from the Commission on Unalienable Rights, presumably to show the world that the Trump administration still believes in them, contrary to all appearances: https://www.wnyc.org/story/mike-pompeo-to-release-human-rights-report The plan is to announce the report with some fanfare in Philadelphia on July 16, 2 weeks before the public comment period is over--suggesting the seriousness with which our comments are taken: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/07/pompeo-human-rights-report-coronavirus-lgbtq-fears-350806 or https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/us/politics/pompeo-state-human-rights.html or https://theweek.com/speedreads/924214/critics-question-pompeos-true-intentions-ahead-human-rights-report There is no sign of this report to date in the Federal Register. Perhaps we should let the Commission know directly what we think constitute “unalienable” rights: commission@state.gov
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY RULE: The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) would like to prohibit federal employees from adequate union representation, and the knowledge and experience this brings, at hearings related to discrimination or workplace harassment; the “Official Time” rule would mean that union reps would not be guaranteed official time to work on EEOC complaints, a move that would upend 40 years of precedent and might, in fact, violate the statute establishing the commission: https://www.govexec.com/management/2019/11/eeoc-plans-cease-providing-official-time-union-reps-government-wide/161340/ We have until July 31 to tell the EEOC what we think; the Action Network makes commenting easy: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/official-time-in-federal-sector
POMPEO AND HUMAN RIGHTS: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to unveil a long-awaited but as yet unfinished human rights report from the Commission on Unalienable Rights, presumably to show the world that the Trump administration still believes in them, contrary to all appearances: https://www.wnyc.org/story/mike-pompeo-to-release-human-rights-report The plan is to announce the report with some fanfare in Philadelphia on July 16, 2 weeks before the public comment period is over--suggesting the seriousness with which our comments are taken: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/07/pompeo-human-rights-report-coronavirus-lgbtq-fears-350806 or https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/us/politics/pompeo-state-human-rights.html or https://theweek.com/speedreads/924214/critics-question-pompeos-true-intentions-ahead-human-rights-report There is no sign of this report to date in the Federal Register. Perhaps we should let the Commission know directly what we think constitute “unalienable” rights: commission@state.gov
NURSING
HOMES IN DANGER: Mitch McConnell is using COVID as a way to
(following many states) slip federal immunity from lawsuits for owners of nursing
home into law. He
has stated he
wants to bring this bill to the Senate floor. Even before the pandemic many
nursing homes “had been unable or unwilling to meet basic health, safety and
staffing standards set by the federal government. Nursing homes, critics say,
owners could use immunity to evade long-standing liabilities. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/06/08/nursing-home-immunity-laws/ and
https://khn.org/news/as-congress-weighs-covid-liability-protections-states-shield-health-providers/
Let’s write to our MOCs objecting to
this bill. If we are in a state that already has such provision,
work to cast light on what it means for our elderly. A discussion could be
made as to whether immunity should cover caregivers or owners of homes or both.
STOP ICE
FROM HOLDING A “CITIZEN’S ACADEMY”: ICE’s latest plan to misuse of our taxpayer dollars is to launch a
“Citizen’s Academy” in September in Chicago, as a pilot for a national model to
“teach” civilians about firearms familiarization and targeted arrests. https://news.yahoo.com/ice-to-launch-citizens-academy-to-teach-civilians-about-targeted-arrests-172430342.html.
Immigration and civil rights activists rightly fear that exposing civilians to
ICE's xenophobic propaganda will encourage people to rat out their neighbors,
in a time when we are supposed to be addressing racism, not perpetuating it.
Think, Hitler Youth? Let’s spread the word and raise our voices in a
huge public outcry, ask our MoCs what they can do to stop this program, and if
we live in Chicago, let’s get in touch with our Mayor and local officials and
tell them we do not want this in our city.
ELECTION/VOTING
2020
ELECTION CALENDAR: This
resource is searchable by date and state - https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2020-state-primary-election-dates.aspx
FOR
HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS—ELECT DEMOCRATS: Blue Ripple Politics has compiled a
list of local, state, and national Democratic candidates who welcome internship
and volunteer help from college and high school students. Let’s look at
the list and get involved: https://blueripplepolitics.org/blog/summer2020
REJECTED
PRIMARY BALLOTS: An NPR
analysis has found that in the primaries held so far this year, at least 65,000
absentee or mail-in ballots have been rejected; they arrived past the deadline,
usually through no fault of the voter. This number constitutes only around 1%
of the vote in most states, but that number could be critical in a close
election in the fall, particularly if, as expected, the coronavirus increases
absentee and mail-in ballots: https://www.wnyc.org/story/signed-sealed-undelivered-thousands-of-mail-in-ballots-rejected-for-tardiness
No surprise, young, black, and Latinx voters are likely to be most at risk for
rejection. Fair Fight https://fairfight.com/, Spread the Vote https://www.spreadthevote.org/ Rock
the Vote https://www.rockthevote.org/ and
the other organizations listed here https://www.bustle.com/p/8-voting-rights-organizations-to-know-before-the-2020-elections-roll-around-13156367 all
work on voter rights and education. Let’s get involved before it’s too
late!
GET
VOTE BY MAIL INFORMATION FOR ALL 50 STATES: With the pandemic still raging, and voter suppression on the rise, the
safest way to vote is by mail. The procedures vary from state to state, but
finding out how to vote by mail in our own state, or sharing accurate voting
information for voters from other states, just got much easier, thanks to
Postcards to Voters’ new website. Postcards to Voters offers us a page
with all the link and information we need to sign up for Vote By Mail in all 50
states: https://www.postcardsforamerica.com/vote-by-mail.html. We
can also find postcards for each downloadable from PfA photo albums: https://www.facebook.com/pg/postcards4USA/photos/ The
information is also here in this GoogleDoc: https://pc2a.info/50StatesVoteByMail
FLIPPING
THE SENATE: As more state
primaries are in the rear-view mirror, the path to flipping the Senate to blue
becomes clearer. Let’s give as generously as we can to as many
campaigns as we can (including Democratic Senator Doug Jones in Alabama whose
seat we need to keep):
MAINE: Sara Gideon: https://saragideon.com/
ARIZONA: Mark Kelly: https://markkelly.com/
COLORADO: John Hickenlooper: https://hickenlooper.com/
NORTH CAROLINA: Cal Cunningham: https://www.calfornc.com/
IOWA: Theresa Greenfield: https://greenfieldforiowa.com/
SOUTH CAROLINA: Jaime Harrison: https://jaimeharrison.com/
MONTANA: Steve Bullock: https://stevebullock.com/
ARIZONA: Mark Kelly: https://markkelly.com/
COLORADO: John Hickenlooper: https://hickenlooper.com/
NORTH CAROLINA: Cal Cunningham: https://www.calfornc.com/
IOWA: Theresa Greenfield: https://greenfieldforiowa.com/
SOUTH CAROLINA: Jaime Harrison: https://jaimeharrison.com/
MONTANA: Steve Bullock: https://stevebullock.com/
GEORGIA: Jon Ossoff: https://electjon.com/
TEXAS: MJ Hegar: https://mjfortexas.com/
ALABAMA: Doug Jones: https://dougjones.com/splash
MICHIGAN:
Gary Peters https://petersformichigan.com/
VOTEFORWARD
NEEDS OUR HELP: VoteFoward
is reaching out to parents. They want to celebrate and recognize all of the
parents out there—the role models, protectors, and providers of the next
generation. They are inviting us to help
build a stronger democracy together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fDWtun8Qqg
Parents or not, let’s join The Big
Send and start writing letters to underrepresented voters to encourage voter
turnout this November from our home: https://votefwd.org/bigsend
STATE/LOCAL
MOST: TELL SCHOOLS
TO USE RISK REDUCTION STRATEGIES IN THEIR REOPENING PLANS: Trump
and Betsey DeVos are pushing to open schools, even though
Increasing evidence about the risks of indoor transmission and
the rising infection rates in many parts of the country, suggest that it is way
too early to safely reopen schools. However, pushed by Trump and Betsey DeVos,
some districts are leaning towards doing so. For the ones that are going to
open anyway, here’s a site that tries to reduce the risks as much as possible.
Safer buildings, policies and procedures are all discussed here. We can
check out strategies to reduce school opening risk here and demand our
districts implement the ones that will keep our schools safe, and only reopen
once that safety can be assured:
IA: HELP QUALIFY INVEST IN IDAHO K-12 INITIATIVE FOR THE
BALLOT: Idaho
has failed to invest in education for several decades, and the results,
outdated textbooks, overcrowded, underfunded classrooms, underpaid teachers and
staff, deprive our children of the education they need to succeed in this
world. With the “Invest in Idaho” K-12 Initiative, sponsored by Reclaim Idaho,
https://www.reclaimidaho.org/our-reclaim-story we
can start to turn things around by giving our schools the support they need to
succeed. Our signatures are needed to help qualify this initiative for
the ballot and we can click here, https://www.reclaimidaho.org/, fill out a form to
then DocuSign the petition, then share this info with our Idaho friends. We can
also read the full petition: here https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59533b4a6a49630a96e933f6/t/5f0b621845628c2a5530b56e/1594581529562/Education+Initiative.pdf,
and, if we have more questions check out this FAQ page: https://www.reclaimidaho.org/faq
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS
LEARN
TO ENGAGE LATINO VOTERS: With
Latino voters projected to make up 13% of the November electorate, earning
their support will be a key factor in beating Trump, and electing Democrats
nationwide. To help us learn more about how to engage these key voters, Field
Team 6 https://www.fieldteam6.org/ is
presenting a one-hour live virtual event TODAY at 8pm Eastern Time.
Political scientist, MSNC contributor, and regular political analyst for
Telemundo, Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto will join Dr. Linda Lopez, CEO of
Impact Strategies with 20 years of expertise in government, philanthropy, and
private sector partnerships. We can sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/event/281437/ Then, if we like, volunteer to phone bank or
text potential voters in key states with Field Team 6 https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/
LEARN
DIGITAL ORGANIZING BASICS: The
Campaign Workshop is
offering a series of free workshops this summer, starting with Let's Get
Digital w/ Sophie Thurber on July 30. In this workshop, we will learn
digital fundamentals and find creative ways to engage with our targeted groups,
using different platforms, creating a strong online presence and integrating
digital communications into our strategies. We can learn more and sign up
for the Campaign Workshop’s Digital Organizing webinar here:
TRAINING
TO WIN 2020: “Got Covid
Blues? Ready to pivot to virus free, online electoral action? Training to Win
2020 has got you covered. We're here to help you navigate pandemic-induced
challenges in traditional grassroots and field organizing, to boost the total
number of voters reached and volunteers recruited in 2020.” We can learn more and sign up for this August 1st (10:00am to 1:00pm PDT) free
virtual training here: https://www.mobilize.us/training2win2020/event/287118/
FREE
ACTIVISIM 101 WEBINAR: Activism 101 is a free, one-hour (ish)
webinar for folks who have very little to no experience with activism and/or
political action. It’s a survey course with one goal: to give those who are
furious and sickened by the state of our, bite-sized actions they can take to
help vote Trump out, flip the Senate, win a bunch of down-ballot races, and
basically make good things happen in November and beyond. Workshop will be led
by Jessica Craven who is a mom, veteran activist, elected member of the Los
Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee, legislative chair of her
Moms Demand Action chapter, and the author of daily actions email “Chop Wood,
Carry Water.” Let’s grab a few
friends and inquire about times: cwcwdailyactions@gmail.com
READING/WATCHING/LISTENING
How To
Find Out What Causes A Company Supports Before You Shop - https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/where-does-money-go-shopping-tools
How
“abolish ICE” helped bring abolitionist ideas into the mainstream - https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/7/9/21307137/abolish-ice-police-immigrant-black-lives-matter
Fauci
says White House effort to discredit him is "bizarre" - https://www.axios.com/fauci-trump-navarro-white-house-coronavirus-c7fa0924-b448-4269-91e1-2ed706065d1e.html
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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
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