Friday, June 28, 2019

HB 2015

BREAKING: This is not a drill. Senate Republicans are back at work tomorrow! You’ve been calling, emailing, and rallying with us to get them back to work - and it worked! There are 2 more days until the session officially closes at midnight this Sunday.  Email your  Senators TODAY  to make sure they vote on HB 2015! We have just 48 hours! Click here: www.bit.ly/EmailMyLegislator

Action: Save Our Elections. Save Our Democracy

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SAVE OUR ELECTIONS. SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY 

ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS

SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
I am very worried about our elections after foreign attacks and what the Supreme Court did yesterday. I ask the Senator to:   
  • Do all he can to get HR 1 (For the People Act) and HR 2722(Securing America’s Federal Elections Act) passed in the Senate; 
  • Do all he can to get the PAVE (Protecting American Votes and Elections) Act passed in the Senate; 
  • Call for an immediate impeachment inquiry to investigate the foreign inference in our elections and Trumps obstruction of justice. 

ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS

Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here. 

SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
I am very worried about our elections after foreign attacks and what the Supreme Court did yesterday. I ask the Representative to:   
  • Do all he/she can to get the PAVE (Protecting American Votes and Elections) Act passed in the House; 
  • Call for an immediate impeachment inquiry to investigate the foreign inference in our elections and Trumps obstruction of justice. 

ACTION THREE: REGISTER VOTERS

Indivisible Oregon is organizing letter-writing parties using Swing Left tools to contact voters whose voter registration data may need updating.   
Find a letter writing party near you or organize one yourself: https://swingleft.org/events.  
Portlanders, join a party on the fourth Tuesday of every month. See:  https://swingleft.org/event/register/action_network:e05c67b8-34ab-40b2-abfc-ab9c92bc44ba?source=%2Fevents&s=u

BACKGROUND:

Free and fair elections are the bedrock of a democracy.  And our elections are under attacks from foreign interference, obstruction of justice, and hyper-partisan politics.  
The 2016 election was attacked by a foreign power, Trump welcomed those attacks, and he obstructed justice to impede the investigation of said attacks.  The Democratic-led House has passed legislation to protect our elections but Senate Majority Leader McConnell refuses to take it up. 
Our elections are being attacked by hyper-partisan politics. Leader McConnell denied Merrick Garland a seat on the Supreme Court. Trump and McConnell then installed Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh instead.  The Supreme Court is now a partisan entity where 15 out of the last 19 justices have been appointed by Republicans while winging the popular vote only once. Yesterday the Court ruled that partisan gerrymandered districts can stand.  The voice of the people is being sacrificed for partisan power.   
To save our democracy, we must save our elections.  Call your MoCs and demand legislation to protect our elections and an immediate impeachment inquiry to investigate the 2016 elections and Trump’s obstruction.  Then join us in working to elect a new Congress in the 2020 elections. 

SOURCES: 

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Action: Upcoming Budget and Debt Ceiling Crisis

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UPCOMING BUDGET AND DEBT CEILING CRISES

ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS

SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
I have three comments for the Senator: 
  • I support a budget that protects non-defense discretionary spending 
  • Please oppose any funding for a border wall, either from the defense budget or in the DHS budget.  
  • Please call for an immediate impeachment inquiry.  

ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS

Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here. 

SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR BLUMENAUERBONAMICI, DEFAZIO and SCHRADER
…I have three comments for the Representative:  
  • I support a budget deal with the Senate that protects non-defense discretionary spending. 
  • Thank you for passing a military budget that prohibits transfer of funding for a border all. I oppose any money to go for a border wall in the DHS budget.   
  • Please call for an immediate impeachment inquiry.  

 SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WALDEN
…I have three comments for the Representative: 
  • I support a budget deal with the Senate that protects non-defense discretionary spending.   
  • I am sorry to see that you opposed a military budget that prohibits transfer of funding for a border all. I oppose any money to go for a border wall in the DHS budget.  
  • Please put country over party and call for an immediate impeachment inquiry.  

ACTION THREE: HELP REGISTER VOTERS

INDIVISIBLE OREGON IS ORGANIZING LETTER-WRITING PARTIES USING SWING LEFT TOOLS TO CONTACT VOTERS WHOSE VOTER REGISTRATION DATA MAY NEED UPDATING. 
FIND A LETTER WRITING PARTY NEAR YOU OR ORGANIZE ONE YOURSELF:HTTPS://SWINGLEFT.ORG/EVENTS

BACKGROUND:

While we focus on an impeachment inquiry, a new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, three months away.  
The basics: 
  • Unless Congress extends current budget caps, discretionary spending will automatically drop 10% under “sequestration” (a fancy word for automatic cuts).   
  • Unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, America will default on loans and likely trigger a worldwide financial crisis. (We have some time. Treasury has borrowed Peter to pay Paul until early 2020.)
Recent developments: 
  • On Tuesday, the full House passed all appropriations bills except DHS and congressional operations. A new rule allows both houses to “deem” or guess future budget caps. The House assumes current caps plus inflation.  
  • The Senate deemed lower budget caps and has yet to write any appropriations.  
  • The WH is demanding a new debt ceiling first. (Even McConnell says that’s out.) Dems are holding out for parity between increases in defense and non-defense spending first.
The bottom line: 
Trump could veto any congressional deal, as he did for FY 2019.  
The House defense bill forbids transferring money for a border wall. 
We need to tell our MoCs where we stand. Protect non-defense spending. No money for a border wall. Start an impeachment inquiry now.  

SOURCES: