December 13, 2024
Say no way to RFK, ending the subminimum wage, shop union-made for the holidays, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: Congress.gov
By US mail: Representatives / Senators
By fax: Representatives / Senators
By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
BLOCK ANTI-VAXXER RFK JR FROM HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Trump’s plan to let Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr “go wild on health” will get people killed. Kennedy is an outspoken conspiracy theorist. He wants to make policies based on misinformation like vaccines causing autism and fluoridation in the water having a negative impact on health and advocates for risky behavior such as drinking raw milk and treating COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine. His anti-vax lies led to at least 83 deaths from a measles outbreak in Samoa and his anti-safe milk stance is particularly alarming in light of the growing threat of bird flu. And on top of all this, he has been accused of sexual assault. More than 75 Nobel laureates are urging the Senate to reject Kennedy, saying he will put public health in jeopardy, and the public sharply disagrees with his views and trusts him substantially less than Dr. Anthony Fauci. Let’s make sure our senators know this appointment must be blocked at all costs, before ordinary Americans start to pay the price.
CONFIRM THESE JUDGES
Senate Democrats only have a few more weeks in the majority, and with another Trump presidency looming, we must make the most of this moment and do everything in our power to safeguard our democracy and our rights. That’s why they must prioritize confirming pro-democracy judges. They’ve put 11 new judges on the bench since Thanksgiving, but they’re running out of time, and confirmations can be slow because there are a number of procedural hoops to jump through in the Senate. But with long hours, they can get this done, and ensure waiting nominees including Noel Wise, Benjamin Cheeks, Serena Raquel Murillo, Rebecca Kanter, Detra Shaw-Wilder and Danna Rae Jackson get a vote. Let’s remind them they need to stay at work as long as it takes to get the job done. Thanks to Indivisible, we can find a sample message and contact our senators here.
BAN ON TRANS KIDS’ HEALTH CARE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES MOVES FORWARD
On Wednesday, the House voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including a provision that would prohibit Tricare, the U.S. military’s health care program, from covering some gender-affirming care for trans kids. This would force those in uniform to choose between their children and their careers, and would be the first time such a restriction on health care for trans people will have been successfully written into federal law. The ACLU and other advocates are pushing back, calling for the ban to be removed or the bill to be blocked. Too many didn’t listen – 81 Democrats joined 200 Republicans in voting for final passage of the bill, which now heads to the Senate. Let’s contact our House members to tell them how we feel about their vote, which we can find here, and let our senators know we want them to step up and demand the trans kids health care ban is cut from the NDAA. We can borrow language from this tool from the ACLU.
END THE SUBMINIMUM WAGE
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor proposed a rule which would phase out the subminimum wage, also known as Section 14c. Originally passed as part of the New Deal under President Franklin D. Roosevelt for wounded soldiers, Section 14c has since been used as a means of paying workers with disabilities well below minimum wage. With an average rate of less than $3.50 per hour, the subminimum wage keeps folks with disabilities in poverty, making those who would prefer to live independently unable to do so, and leaves them vulnerable to abuse. Let's read more about the ethics and efficacy of subminimum wage, then let's submit a comment on the proposed rule before the comment period closes on January 17th. Let's also be sure to contact our representatives and ask them to support the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (H.R. 1263), which would not only phase out subminimum wage, but also provide necessary funding.
UNION-MADE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
A 2023 U.S. Treasury report found that increased unionization can uplift not only workers, but the economic prosperity of the entire country. If gift-giving is part of our holiday tradition, let’s consider giving items that are made in union shops, We can search for gifts with the union label by consulting the AFL-CIO’s Union Made Holiday Gift Guide.
UPDATES
TRUMP JUDGES INTERFERE WITH HEALTH CARE FOR DREAMERS
As we reported on December 9, many recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program—Dreamers—can now enroll in health insurance through the Obamacare Health Insurance Marketplaces, thanks to a Biden-Harris Administration policy. Unfortunately, because of a challenge in the U.S. federal court system, Dreamers in 19 states—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia are not currently eligible for the health insurance plans. Dreamers in these states who already applied for insurance might contact a local immigrant support group for information. Let's encourage the Biden-Harris administration to appeal this decision to block healthcare for more than 160,000 Dreamers. Let's spread the word that Dreamers in other states can still apply for Obamacare until January 15, 2025, and folks with questions can reach out to a marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596.