March 29, 2023
Actions on candidate funding, fake pregnancy clinics, war powers, 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:
TELL CORPORATIONS TO STOP FUNDING CANDIDATES WHO SUPPORTED THE JANUARY 6 INSURRECTION
In the wake of the shock of the Capitol riot on January 6, several large corporations who previously supported the 147 House members who voted to overturn the 2020 election stated publicly that they would stop funding these candidates. However, starting in late 2021 and up through the present, these corporations have backtracked on their pledge and have been quietly funding these same people who are continuing to do everything they can to subvert democracy. https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2022/06/16/after-jan-6-hundreds-of-corporations-vowed-to-not-donate-to-republicans-who-voted-to-overturn-the-election-many-havent-kept-their-promise and https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-reports/corporations-have-given-40-million-to-the-sedition-caucus/. Several progressive organizations have put together an easy letter-writing tool where we can write to the CEOs of some of these companies to let them know we’re on to their duplicitous action and demand that they stop backtracking on their pledge. Let’s sign the petition here and start writing!
RETIRE MEDICAL DEBT WITH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
Washington D.C. is joining places like Connecticut, Cook County, Milwaukee County, Toledo, Pittsburgh and New Orleans in canceling medical debt thanks to funds from the Democrats’ American Rescue Plan. Elected officials are working with RIP Medical Debt, a non-profit that buys and retires medical debt for pennies on the dollar – a collection agency on the side of good. Billions of dollars of debt has already been wiped out thanks to these programs. Let’s contact our local elected officials and encourage them to use remaining ARP funds to relieve medical debt burdens in our areas,and consider a donation to RIP Medical Debt ourselves if we can.
EXPOSE FAKE PREGNANCY CRISIS CLINICS
Anti-choice extremists have been attacking abortion access in the U.S. since the procedure became formally legalized nationwide in 1973. One tactic of theirs that most people don’t realize is fake clinics, often called pregnancy crisis centers. In fact, there are close to 3,000 fake clinics across the country, such as these in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers this warning, “CPC staff members can divert patients from accessing comprehensive medical care and information by positioning the facility as a legitimate health care clinic even though it doesn't actually offer the full range of reproductive health care. By using deception, delay tactics, and disinformation, CPC staffs undermine the tenets of informed consent and patient autonomy and impede access to comprehensive, ethical care.” We can help this expose fake clinics by reviewing them online, reporting fraud, and taking other actions here.
DESANTIS RALLIES
Next week Ron DeSantis will make appearances at rallies in the Midwest. Entrance will be by ticket only. Let’s take up space and make some noise by ordering as many tickets as we can and not show up on April 3 in Franklin, TN and show up for the protest on April 6 in Midland, MI. Let’s do the same when we become aware of other DeSantis appearances.
RESCIND THE IRAQ WAR AUTHORIZATIONS FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE
In the weeks ahead, Congress is set to consider repealing the authorizations for use of military force (AUMFs) from 1991 and 2002, which provided the legal justification for the invasion of Iraq. This is a bipartisan effort to reclaim congressional authority over war powers and avoid these resolutions from being used to expand the war on terror without debate. While the measure is expected to pass the Senate, its prospects in the House are unclear. Let’s contact our members of Congress and let them know the war in Iraq is over, and this infrastructure should be dismantled so it can’t be used to engage in unrelated conflicts.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
MOST - ALASKA JOINS RAMPANT ANTI-LGBTQ CAMPAIGNS
The Alaska State Commission on Human Rights has, on “advice” from the state attorney general, deleted language from the state website promising equal protections for transgender and gay Alaskans against most categories of discrimination; it also began refusing to investigate complaints, except those of employment discrimination. Alaska, it appears, is joining the many other states, like most recently Tennessee, that have tried to limit or strip LGBTQ individuals (and sometimes their parents or doctors) of equal rights under the law. The ACLU is tracking over 400 anti-LGBT+laws in the U.S. It is crucial that we make our opposition to these laws (and their political price) by flooding our state representatives with our “comments.”
Too bad I could only order 4 tickets to the Tennessee shit-show. Was hoping for 100!!