December 9, 2024
No breaks for the Senate, attacks on the First Amendment, getting involved with Black Voters Matter, 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:
ALL GAS, NO BREAKS FOR THE SENATE
There is still so much to do and so little time left to do it, especially in the U.S. Senate. There are judges to confirm, along with key folks at independent commissions like National Labor Relations Board Chair Lauren McFerran; crucial press protections and a key improvement to Social Security are awaiting final passage; the government still needs funding; and more. The clock is ticking, and it is inexcusable to let these opportunities to secure progress and the nation against Trump pass us by. Let’s reach out to our senators and tell them they need to work nights, weekends and holidays to get as much as they can accomplished before Congress ends on January 3rd – they don’t go home until they have finished as much as they possibly can.
STOPPING TRUMP’S INJUSTICES - AND A FEW MORE
Over the weekend, Trump sat down with Meet The Press’ Kristen Welker for an extensive interview. Among the highlights: he reaffirmed that he plans to pardon the January 6th insurrectionists and repeated his belief that the January 6th Committee members should be jailed. Both of these comments should point the spotlight back at the pardon power and how Joe Biden can use it in his final weeks in office. Advocates have urged him to shield from Trump the January Commtittee and other who he has highlighted as potential targets for prosecution over their criticism of him and his election lies and their efforts to hold him accountable. They’ve also pushed the President to commute the sentences of all those remaining on federal death row and of Leonard Peltier and to issue blanket clemency for women punished for defending themselves against their abusers, those still suffering from unfair sentencing disparities, and the elderly and chronically ill. Let’s contact the White House and urge President Biden to use pardon power boldly and aggressively to protect champions of democracy and to take on the shortcomings of our criminal justice system. (We can also use Resistbot to push him specifically on the federal death penalty, texting PONUOO to 50409 to send this message.)
CONDEMNING AND OPPOSING ATTACKS ON THE FIRST AMENDMENT
The Heritage Foundation, the group behind Project 2025, is a thought leader in the Republican Party and is set to have considerable influence on the Trump Administration. On Friday, The Forward gave us another glimpse of what that might look like by revealing “Project Esther,” their un-American plan to “counter antisemitism” by attacking the First Amendment. Heritage sees the problem of antisemitism as stemming from “masterminds,” including prominent American Jews like George and Alex Soros and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who are attempting to dismantle Western “values and culture,” along with left-wing critics of Israel – and not Christian Nationalists, white supremacists and the far right. Its strategy includes targeting progressive organizers (many of whom are Jewish) engaged in normal political activity and advocacy with deportation and harassment by law enforcement; waging lawfare with civil suits and designating them as terrorist supporters; purging their views and supporters from college campuses and faculty; and the use of state power at the federal, state and local level to crush and bankrupt them, with tools like the nonprofit killer bill HR 9495. This is a massive threat to freedom of speech and the right to protest, and showcases tactics and strategies that can be used against anyone who dares oppose any of Trump’s right-wing extremist agenda. We have to nip it in the bud. Let’s contact our members of Congress, our governors and our state legislators and ask them to publicly condemn this latest Heritage Foundation plot. We can also urge them to commit to opposing these and any other efforts to silence civil society and undermine the First Amendment.
CELEBRATE AND PROMOTE HEALTH CARE FOR DREAMERS
About one-third of undocumented immigrants are Dreamers: folks brought to the U.S. as children who grew up here as American as anyone. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program helps Dreamers get work permits, Social Security numbers, and driver's licenses, but they were excluded from the Obamacare health insurance marketplaces… until now. Dreamers can now enroll in a marketplace health plan thanks to a new Biden-Harris Administration policy. Let's spread the word that health plan enrollment is open to Dreamers. The deadline is January 15, 2025 but all are encouraged to apply now.
CELEBRATE AND PLAN WITH BLACK VOTERS MATTER - TODAY
It may not feel like a wonderful time of the year, but holiday parties are already starting. Black Voters Matter will be hosting theirs TODAY at 6:00pm, honoring the contributions of volunteers from the last cycle and welcoming those eager to get involved in the future. They’ll be discussing what the organization and its team members will take on next in 2025. If we volunteered with BVM or would like to in the months ahead, let’s sign up to attend here.
I live in Vermont where my delegation in Congress are supportive of the Constitution and established norms and practices followed by nearly every President except D. J. Trump (T-Rump).
I want to be able to send emails or text messages to OTHER Senators and Congress persons. Because other representatives prevent their non-constituents from communicating with their respective offices, the only way I can get my point across is to either write an old-fashioned letter or create a fake constituent and “in-state” address. Leaving a message by phone (either VM or with a live staff member) is questionable as to its effectiveness. Do you have any other recommendations.