July 26, 2023
Tell Congress: Do not obstruct justice; de-lead airplane fuel; bust the housing shortage, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
By US mail: Representatives / Senators
By fax: Representatives / Senators
By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
NO OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE IN CONGRESS
Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is currently under Ethics Committee investigation for sex trafficking, has pledged to introduce a bill to defund special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Donald Trump’s crimes. This is just the latest in a series of threats to obstruct justice by Trump’s congressional allies, some of whom are pushing to defund the FBI and the Justice Department entirely. Let’s contact our members of Congress and call on them to oppose – and publicly condemn – any attempt by their colleagues to protect Trump from the legal system.DEMAND UNLEADED AIRPLANE FUEL
Federal Aviation Administration has made plans to transition to unleaded fuel by 2030. There is already one unleaded fuel option available and several more are being developed. However, according to Earthjustice, Section 620 of the FAA Reauthorization Act (S. 1939) “would prevent airports receiving federal Airport Improvement Program funding (which is nearly all airports) to protect their communities by banning leaded avgas and some provisions in that section even require airports to continue to provide leaded avgas, locking the airports and the surrounding communities into more lead emissions.” Let’s ask our MoCs to eliminate Section 620 from the FAA Reauthorization Bill.
PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES FROM GUN CRIMES
A new report reveals, “The US has nearly 78,000 licensed gun dealers, more than all post offices in the United States, and more than the number of McDonald’s Burger King, Subway, and Wendy’s locations combined. Over half of all gun dealers are located in residential communities.” Oversight of these dealers is alarmingly lax, resulting in thousands of firearms lost or stolen each year, with many being used in crimes. Let’s tell our state legislators and governors to pass laws implementing the report’s recommendations: (1) close federal regulatory gaps by providing for state licensing and unlimited inspections of firearm dealers; (2) require regular transaction reporting to law enforcement to expedite crime gun tracing; (3) impose security requirements on gun dealerships; (4) impose employee screening and training requirements, including employee background checks; and (5) enable lawsuits against gun dealers who knowingly violate state gun sales and marketing laws.
SEND IN POLICY IDEAS TO INCREASE THE HOUSING SUPPLY
The need for good housing has not kept up with supply, and we are now 3.8 million housing units behind where we need to be. In response to the crisis, the Federation of American Scientists, Slow Boring , Learning Collider , and Cornell University’s Legal Constructs Lab are looking for innovative, actionable and ambitious federal housing policy ideas from us. Selected compelling ideas will be shared in workshops, on blogs and shared with government policy leaders. If we have ideas about building high density housing, financing housing building and purchasing , innovative building practices and designs, improving supportive housing infrastructure, or measuring the housing crisis, we can find out more, and submit our ideas.
FREE CLASS ON WEALTH AND POVERTY
Drawing on his vast experience, Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, provided his 14-week final college class, Wealth and Poverty, to us all for free. Each 90-minute class is available individually. Financial inequality has been an on-going problem in the U.S. for years with a real change in the late 1970s. We can still access this fascinating class here.
Thanks for the tips. Messages sent to D.C., and to Columbus, Ohio. Can't thank you, and Jessica Craven, enough for the work you do. I'm with both of you on a daily basis.