Daily Action
Tues March 7, 2017 Adapted from Solidarity Sundays
Today is jam-packed with #Actions because our government is jam-packed with breathtaking evil. Act act act! Call call call! Resist resist resist!
1) Muslim Ban 2.0: Meet the New Bill, Same As the Old Bill Yesterday 45 unveiled the new Muslim Ban, which they say is not a Muslim Ban, because they've huddled up for several weeks to change words and phrases in calculated ways intended to get the Muslim Ban through the courts. Guys: IT'S STILL A MUSLIM BAN, and it's still dangerous as hell.
Here is an excellent annotated guide to the new bill: http://www.npr.org/…/full-text-trumps-new-executive-order-o…
And here is another excellent resource: http://www.latimes.com/…/la-live-updates-9th-circuit-argume…
#ACTION This action comes from the folks at Wall-of-Us, and it encourages us to look to our state Attorney Generals.
The Democrat AGs of the following 16 states have taken legal action and stood firm against Trump’s Muslim Ban: California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Virginia. We need to THANK these AGs and persuade and pressure more of our AGs to stand up to Trump.
Here’s how: If you’re in California, thank Xavier Beccera for his leadership by calling (916) 952-5225
“Thank you for opposing Trump’s Muslim Ban. We commend the leadership that our state is taking to protect our refugees and our democratic values.“
-If you are not in California nor from the 16 states above call their office to determine what their position is. You can also research news articles. The AG in Texas, for example, supports the Muslim Ban. If you determine that your AG supports the ban, or has been silent on the issue, then post/email a message:
“I am disappointed that AG [____________] did not support the Amicus Brief signed by the attorneys general of 16 states in opposition to Trump’s Muslim Ban. The State of [__________] should oppose the unconstitutional acts of the Trump Administration and stand with our refugees.”
2) ACA Replacement: Paul Ryan Scores One For Rich People, Negative One Zillion for Poor People + Women House Republicans have proposed a bill to dismantle a central element of the Affordable Care Act, federal funding for the expansion of Medicaid coverage to millions of low income Americans. The bill would also cap the amount of federal money states receive for their Medicaid programs, which could result in healthcare costs shifting to cash-strapped states as well as Medicaid beneficiaries themselves.
In place of Medicaid expansion, Republicans have proposed providing an age-based tax credit that would increase over time regardless of people's income. In other words, the wealthy would receive an unneeded tax break, while many lower-income people would be unable to afford healthcare coverage. To add insult to injury, the bill further threatens healthcare access for low income people by proposing to defund Planned Parenthood—federal funding for abortions is ALREADY prohibited under the Hyde Amendment, so barring federal funding would effectively defund Planned Parenthood altogether. The AHCA also provides a tax break to health insurance executives who make salaries over $500,000. This bill is designed to provide the wealthy with tax breaks at the expense of everyone else and cannot pass.
#ACTIONS -Call the House Ways + Means Committee +1 202-225-3625
"Hi, my name is [NAME] and I'm a constituent from [CITY, ZIP]. I'm calling to express my opposition to the American Health Care Act, the proposal to replace Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act with an age-based tax credit system. This tax credit system will disproportionately benefit the wealthy while leaving lower income people unable to afford healthcare. I am also opposed to the direct attack on Planned Parenthood and other women's health providers. Cutting federal funding to these clinics will be life-threatening for many women."
-Call/email/text/reach out to as many friends + family members in other states about this, esp older folks who depend (or will potentially depend) on Medicaid. One of the challenges with healthcare policy is that almost EVERYONE depends on it and pretty NO ON understands it. I barely understand it! It's total bullshit and one really important way we can all act is to reach out to people, help cut through the bs, and let them know how they'll be affected, and how they can resist.
3) DEPUTY AG The #2 position within the Justice Department -- Deputy Attorney General -- has still not been filled with a permanent appointee. Rod J. Rosenstein, a George W. Bush-appointed US District Attorney for Maryland, has been nominated to be Deputy AG and his hearing is TODAY. This position is much more significant now that Jeff Sessions has recused himself from Trump campaign-related investigations, as the responsibility will now fall upon the Deputy AG.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is calling for Mr. Rosenstein to commit to appointing an independent special prosecutor to investigate Russia's involvement in the 2016 elections as a requirement for his confirmation. A special prosecutor must be appointed to avoid the appearance of political partisan bias and to ensure the independence and credibility of these investigations. You can watch the hearing here: https://www.c-span.org/video/…
#ACTION Call your SENATORS
"Hi, my name is [NAME] and I'm a constituent from [CITY, ZIP]. I'm calling to oppose the confirmation of Rod Rosenstein for Deputy Attorney General UNLESS he makes a pledge to appoint an independent special prosecutor to investigate the Russian involvement in our elections. These investigations cannot be trusted in the hands of another political appointee."
4) Save Equitable Access Protections for Students with Disabilities!
In 2015, Congress passed ESSA to maintain the basic principle that students with disabilities be taught the same academic content and held to the same achievement standards as all students. ESSA includes critical civil rights principles to protect all students.
Last week, the House of Representatives voted to overturn the ESSA regulations. As soon as Wednesday, March 8, the Senate is set to vote on the repeal of ESSA regulations. If the regulations are repealed, students with disabilities lose the protections the regulations provide to ensure equitable access to education.
What's at Stake? Among the critical provisions of the Regulations that will be lost are requirements that:
- States demonstrate how they will support local schools in providing a well-rounded education and rigorous coursework for students with disabilities; - Test results for students with disabilities be disaggregated and reported separately so we see how well schools are doing in educating students with disabilities; - Schools include parents and students in school improvement activities when a school is struggling to educate all children; - Students with significant cognitive disabilities who take an alternative assessment are not precluded from completing the requirements for a regular high school diploma; and - Aim to reduce bullying and harassment by requiring states to help local schools implement activities that create safe, healthy, and affirming school environments inclusive of all students.
#ACTION Call your SENATORS. "Hi, my name is [NAME] and I'm a constituent from [CITY, ZIP]. I'm calling to oppose H.J. Res. 57. You must protect the rights of students with disabilities and vote "no" on this bill."