November 21, 2024

No confirmations for rapists, let trans people pee, resisting mass deportations, 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

---

• TRUMP’S CABINET OF SEXUAL PREDATORS
  Having been held liable by a jury of his peers for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll, no one was expecting Donald Trump to be tough on rapists. But even by his standards, his cabinet nominations have been shocking. His pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, has been repeatedly accused of child sex trafficking and statutory rape. His Health and Human Services Secretary designee, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., allegedly sexually assaulted his children’s nanny. His proposed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth paid a settlement to a woman who reported to the police that he had raped her. Even his nominee for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has been named in a lawsuit for knowingly allowing the sexual abuse of children during her time as CEO for World Wrestling Entertainment. These are people we wouldn’t trust alone in a room with a woman, let alone with real authority. Let’s contact our senators and let them know we will be watching closely how they handle Trump’s proposed cabinet of sexual predators, and we expect them to treat sexual assault as disqualifying for major positions in our government.

  ---

• THEY’RE COMING FOR TRANS PEOPLE

  The Republican Party is continuing its dark embrace of rampant transphobia. Following Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC)’s targeted harassment of first openly transgender member of Congress Sarah McBride with a bill preventing her from using women’s bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol, she yesterday marked Trans Day of Remembrance by proposing legislation that would ban trans women from using women’s bathrooms and locker rooms on all federal property. That’s Washington’s airports, the Smithsonians, national parks, and any federal building. We and our elected officials have to draw a line, resist these attacks and recognize the full humanity of our trans siblings. Let’s take this moment to read about Congresswoman-elect McBride here and here and learn more about the hardships this marginalized group faces here. Let’s also reach out to our members of Congress telling them at this moment we need them to be more publicly supportive of Rep. McBride and trans Americans everywhere and to say an uncompromising no to a federal bathroom ban. Finally, cisgender women can sign on to this petition to Congress opposing bathroom bans and rejecting the idea they have anything to do with women’s safety.

---

• HELP CURE BALLOTS TO FLIP ANOTHER HOUSE SEAT

  We are down to the final undecided House races. With last night’s call that Nick Begich (R) has unseated Rep. Mary Peltola (D) in Alaska, there are just three remaining up in the air. The tightest is the California 13th District, where GOP incumbent Rep. John Duarte is only 351 votes ahead in the count over Democratic challenger and former-five term Asssemblyman Adam Gray. This is a gap we can close, which would likely hold the Republicans to just 220 seats *including Trump’s cabinet picks.* Let’s do our best to help by curing ballots for the Democrats from now through Nov 26 - we can sign up for a shift here. 

---

• PROTECTING NONPROFITS AGAINST TRUMP

  Today the House will again consider a dangerous bill that would grant the Secretary of the Treasury unilateral authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit deemed to be a “terrorist supporting organization.” H.R. 9495 (now included in H. Res. 1576) is ripe for abuse, requiring no explanation and no evidence for how Treasury officials concluded a nonprofit was “terror supporting.” It can be used without due process to kneecap 501(c)(3) groups, the heart of our civil society, just at the moment we need them most to counter Trump. While 52 Democrats joined with almost every Republican to support this legislation last week, the pressure we have put on them is working - so far Reps. Angie Craig, Debbie Dingell, Josh Harder, Mike Levin, Brad Sherman and Gabe Vasquez have all announced they have changed their positions . Let’s keep up the pressure and tell our House members to vote no, especially if we’re represented by one of the remaining Democratic yes votes. We can use language from this message from the ACLU or send this Resistbot letter by texting PCDICI to 50409.

---

• DENVER MAYOR WILL NOT STAND FOR MASS DEPORTATIONS
  With increasingly frightening details coming out about Trump’s mass deportation plans, one local elected official has set a new standard for how our politicians should react to this threat. Denver Mayor Mike Johnson has vowed to maintain his city’s sanctuary status, refuse to allow local police to participate in raids, and declared 50,000 Denverites would stand at the county line to keep the deportation forces out. This is the sort of leadership the moment demands. Let’s reach out to our own mayors and ask them to make these same three commitments: pledge sanctuary, no city personnel supporting deportations, and blocking the path of Trump’s goons if necessary.

---

STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS

• TX - KEEP RELIGION OUT OF OUR KIDS’ EDUCATION

  The Christian Nationalists are on the verge of another victory in attempting to force their specific religious views on our children. On Tuesday, eight of 15 members of the Texas State Board of Education backed allowing a Bible-infused curriculum to be incorporated in classes from Kindergarten to fifth grade. A final vote on the so-called “Bluebonnet textbook” will come tomorrow. Let’s take this opportunity to reach out to SBOE members and let them know we want them to preserve the separation of church and state and vote no on the Bluebonnet textbook.

---