
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.
CALL SENATOR MERKLEY
CALL SENATOR WYDEN
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 BLUMENAUER, BONAMICI, 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.
CALL SUZANNE BONAMICI (OR-01)
CALL GREG WALDEN (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL KURT SCHRADER (OR-05)
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.
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:
CURRENT SITUATION RE 2020 BUDGET AND RAISING THE DEBT CEILING: HTTPS://WWW.VOX.COM/2019/5/22/18635564/CONGRESS-BUDGET-CAPS-DEBT-LIMIT-TRUMP
PELOSI WILL NOT RAISE DEBT CEILING WITHOUT NEW BUDGET CAPS: HTTPS://WWW.WASHINGTONPOST.COM/VIDEO/POLITICS/PELOSI-NO-DEBT-CEILING-HIKE-WITHOUT-LIFTING-BUDGET-CAPS/2019/06/13/54661279-E4EA-4B6D-929A-BCD9AF21F02A_VIDEO.HTML?UTM_TERM=.127B76E56856
TREASURY SUSPENDS PAYMENTS TO AVOID HITTING DEBT CEILING: HTTPS://WWW.GOVEXEC.COM/PAY-BENEFITS/2019/03/TREASURY-STOPS-INVESTMENTS-DELAY-DEBT-CEILING-RETIREMENT-PROGRAMS-COULD-BECOME-MORE-GENEROUS-AND-MORE/155340/
ANALYSIS OF TRUMP’S 2020 BUDGET FOR DOMESTIC SPENDING: HTTPS://WWW.CBPP.ORG/RESEARCH/FEDERAL-BUDGET/2020-TRUMP-BUDGET-A-DISTURBING-VISION