May 9, 2023

Clarence Thomas, debt ceiling, Title 42, 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:

• usa.gov/federal-agencies

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• SUBPOENA CLARENCE THOMAS AND HARLAN CROW
  Clarence Thomas is facing yet another allegation of corruption, with ProPublica breaking the news that his billionaire benefactor Harlan Crow paid private school tuition for the grand-nephew Thomas raised as his own child… and Thomas never disclosed it. Add to this the questionable financial transactions between conservative sources and Thomas’ wife, Ginny.  This unacceptable behavior cannot be satisfied by one hearing in which no one involved testifies. Let’s call on our senators, especially Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chair Richard Blumenthal, to subpoena both Thomas and Crow and hold them to account.

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• DEBT CEILING & THE 19 VULNERABLE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

  The White House has released a fact sheet detailing the impact of the budget cuts the GOP is proposing in exchange for their willingness to raise the debt ceiling—even though the budget and the debt ceiling are separate matters.  There are 19 House Republicans whose districts voted for President Biden in 2020. They are more likely than House Republicans in “safe” districts to listen to their constituents. Let’s look at this list, and if our House member is there, let’s contact them and tell them that we expect them to do the responsible thing and vote to raise the debt ceiling without demands or we will work against their next campaigns.

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• SAY NO TO ANY EXTENSION OF TITLE 42

  Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) are working on a bill that would extend Title 42 (i.e. give the U.S. authority to automatically expel asylum-seekers without due process) for two more years without any public health rationale. While Senator Sinema claims that this would give the administration more time to get processes in place to process asylum-seekers efficiently and humanely, the fact is that the administration has already had ample time to set up systems, and even tried to end Title 42 a year ago before the Republicans took them to court and got it extended. So let’s make sure to tell our MoCs that Title 42 has to go, migrants are not criminals, and asylum is a human right protected by both U.S. and international law and the administration must offer those who come to our doors a process to seek asylum without delay or punishment.

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• SOLIDARITY WITH WORKERS, NOT AI
  The Writers Guild of America is out on strike after negotiations broke down between the Hollywood writers’ union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a group representing most major studios and streaming services. Writers’ wages have stagnated with residuals reduced under the current compensation model of streaming, and they are also looking for a higher salary floor and regulation on the use of artificial intelligence in scriptwriting. The last ask is particularly important for the public, as it represents one of our best chances to set a precedent for protecting jobs so that AI is used to help people in the workforce rather than push them out for higher profits. Let’s use More Perfect Union’s tool to email the CEOs of Netflix, Amazon, Disney and HBO Max to let them know we support the writers’ demands.

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• CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

  The Federal Communication Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program helps households at or below 200% of the federal poverty line get access to the internet through service and computer discounts, allowing them to connect for essentials like work, school, and healthcare. More than 17 million households are already benefitting from the program, which was created by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Let’s spread the word about the Affordable Connectivity Program—link: https://www.fcc.gov/acp—and let’s tell our Members of Congress to renew it past 2024. We can refer our MoCs to this tool so they can see the need in their states.

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STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS

• MEDICAID EXPANSION

  Black Voters Matter (BVM) has launched the Sick and Tired initiative, which focuses on "mobilizing Black voters, young people, grassroot organizers and policymakers around the need for Medicaid expansion and more access to equitable and affordable healthcare for Black and rural communities." May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and BVM is using this as an opportunity to emphasize our need for Medicaid expansion.  Let’s check to see if our state has yet to expand Medicaid, then let's use BVM's call tool and tell our state legislators that we need Medicaid expansion now.

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