Monday, April 30, 2018

ACTION : PROVIDE HOUSING AND FOOD NOT TAX BREAKS

From Indivisible Oregon...

**CALL TO ACTION**
Monday, April 30, 2018
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PROVIDING HOUSING AND FOOD – NOT TAX BREAKS
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#ProtectMedicaid
#SaveSNAP

Our safety net is under constant attack from Trump and his GOP.  The attacks won’t stop until Congress changes.

HUD Secretary Ben Carson proposed the latest assault: tripling rent for the poorest families with subsidized housing and allowing housing authorities to impose work requirements.  Carson stated, “from a budget perspective” current levels of spending are “unsustainable.” The GOP tax scam has gifted Wall Street banks $3.59 billion in lower taxes in the 2018’s first quarter.

This is proposal is especially cruel given the acute shortage of affordable housing.  The Portland Housing Bureau found "[T]here are no neighborhoods affordable to rent for the average Black, Latino, Native American, and single mother households."

This is on top of
--Medicaid work requirements which will cost thousands their healthcare - up to 97,000 in Kentucky alone
--preparing another ACA repeal
--the Farm Bill which increases work requirements for food assistance for 5 to 7 million, and may take free school meals away from as many as 280,000 children

Congress must work for people and not corporations. They must provide housing and food for America rather than tax breaks for banks.  If this Congress can’t, we must vote in one that will.
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**ACTION 1: CALL OUR SENATORS and YOUR REPRESENTATIVE**
(Leave a message if you can’t get through.)

SAMPLE SCRIPT: for everyone but Walden
“My name is [--] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am very worried about the constant attacks on our safety net. Tripling the rent on subsidized housing and cutting nutrition assistance from families and children are not my values. I ask that the Senator/Rep work to remove work requirements for SNAP from the farm bill, keep the nutritional assistance we have going, and stop HUD from raising rent on subsidized housing. Thank you.”

SAMLE SCRIPT: for Walden
“My name is [--] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am disgusted by HUD proposing to triple the rent on subsidized housing and provisions in the farm bill that cut nutrition assistance from families and children.  This is especially vulgar in the face of the tax breaks corporations get from the tax plan. I ask that the Rep Walden think of his constituents and work to remove work requirements for SNAP from the farm bill, keep the nutritional assistance we have going, and stop HUD from raising rent on subsidized housing. Thank you”
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**ACTION 2: REMEMBER FOR THE MIDTERMS**

It has become clear that we need a different Congress to protect our safety. The attacks on housing, nutrition assistance, and healthcare won’t change until Congress does.  Make sure
--you and everyone you know is registered to vote.
--to check out Indivisible Oregon’s website (www.IndivisibleOR.org) for midterm actions
--every candidate for Congress is answering questions about how they will work to protect our safety net.

The 2018 elections will be the most important of our lives. Join in and help make a difference.
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**PHONE NUMBERS**

SENATOR MERKLEY
Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129

SENATOR WYDEN
Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691

CONGRESSWOMAN SUZANNE BONAMICI [D1]
DC: (202) 225-0855, OR: (503) 469-6010

CONGRESSMAN GREG WALDEN [D2]
DC (202) 225-6730, Medford: (541) 776-4646,
Bend (541) 389-4408, La Grande (541) 624-2400

CONGRESSMAN EARL BLUMENAUER [D3]
DC: (202) 225-4811, OR: (503) 231-2300

CONGRESSMAN PETER DEFAZIO [D4]
DC 202-225-6416, Eugene: (541) 465-6732,
Roseburg: (541) 440-3523, Coos Bay (541) 269-2609

CONGRESSMAN KURT SCHRADER [D5]
DC: (202) 225-5711, Salem (503) 588-9100,
Oregon City (503) 557-1324

** After you call, please comment below and briefly share your experience!**