Declare a national climate emergency; credit-card consumer protection; work to win elections, 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:
- DECLARE A NATIONAL CLIMATE EMERGENCY
It’s been a longstanding demand of climate activists for President Biden to declare a national climate emergency. This unprecedented move would allow the federal government to activate special powers under the National Emergencies Act that would let us reinstate the ban on crude oil exports, suspend offshore drilling on 11 million acres of federal waters, and put limits on the movement of oil and gas on pipelines, ships and trains. Further, the President could block U.S. investment in fossil fuel projects abroad, use the Defense Production Act to provide loans to bolster clean energy development, use the International Economic Emergency Protection Act to prohibit the import of products harmful to the climate, direct FEMA to construct renewable energy systems in vulnerable communities, use the Stafford Act to provide support for heat-stressed power grids, and even deploy military construction powers to build renewable energy projects near our bases. Recent leaks from the White House indicate the administration is once again considering moving forward with the initial step of an emergency declaration. Following Biden putting millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness off-limits to oil drilling and pausing permitting on new liquid methane gas export terminals, this step would be another building block for the kind of broad-based climate action we need, and could help address growing American concerns about climate change and the government not doing enough to address the threat. Let’s reach out to the White House and let them know it’s time to declare a climate emergency. We can also share this report from the Center for Biological Diversity on how emergency powers can be used for climate action to help earn more support for these moves. - LIMIT CREDIT CARD LATE FEESLast month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a final rule designed to limit the late fees charged by major credit card lenders to about $8, compared to the typical $32-$41. As predicted, the Senate and House Republicans are moving to block this. Last week, all Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) for a Congressional Review Act resolution to stop the rule. Big banks may line congressional pockets, but let’s tell our representative that we want the rule to stand; that we support legislation and rules to help regular Americans.
- LET’S WIN IN NOVEMBER WITH MOBILIZE USPolitical Charge says: whenever we have some time to dedicate to volunteering to help Democrats win, Mobilize Us is a great place to find opportunities that need our help. If we want, we can filter the search by where we live, or by a candidate we want to help. We can also find webinars to learn how to do things like phonebank, textbank, and canvass. Let’s check out Mobilize Us. And let’s consider subscribing to the Political Charge newsletter.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- STATES–(MOST): ENCOURAGE RESTORATION OF VOTING RIGHTS ACT PROVISIONS AT THE STATE LEVEL Since the Supreme Court gutted Shelby vs. Holder, we’ve read about many states restricting voting rights, but many other states have passed legislation that expands voting rights, and six states have passed legislation to restore all the provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Legislation passed in New York has gone even further in paving the way for minorities to gain access to representation in the political system. Let’s review this information from the Brennan Center and The League of Women Voters on what individual states have been doing and then let’s push our state legislators to enact full Voting Rights Act provisions.
- MAKE MUSK AND BEZOS PAY THEIR SHARE FOR LAUNCH COSTS
Private space companies are subsidized by the rest of us in ways both big and small. One example that has recently been in the spotlight: every time their rockets are launched, air traffic controllers make sure their airspace is clear and no commercial airplanes are nearby. Air traffic control jobs are financed through the Federal Aviation Administration, and while regular airlines are taxed to pay for their work, corporations like SpaceX and Blue Origin aren’t. President Biden has called on Congress to raise taxes on for-profit space companies and their ultrawealthy owners to cover the government services they receive and compensate us for their use of public airspace. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and tell them we agree that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos shouldn’t be able to use the public’s airspace for free and commercial space companies should not be exempted from aviation excise taxes. We can do so directly or with this tool from DemandProgress. (We can also text SIGN PKVISI to 50409 or use this Resistbot petition to encourage our elected officials to end the federal government’s reliance on Elon Musk in general.) - HOW TO TALK TO VOTERSMessaging has long been an issue for Democrats. George Lakoff has been telling us that for years. In order to help us with messaging, the Bay Area Coalition (BAC) has developed a theme-based project called How To Talk to Voters. It uses the 3V framework: values, villains and vision. Let’s check out these messages and start using them. (h/t Chop Wood Carry Water)
- DOWN-BALLOT ROLL-OFFSister District has been studying the phenomenon of “ballot roll-off”: the tendency of voters to vote the top of their ballots (say, for president and members of Congress), but to leave their ballots unmarked for state legislative and other down-ballot offices. Given that state representatives and senators pass laws that govern our states; that most state legislatures draw (and can gerrymander) the district maps that ultimately determine which party controls the US House of Representatives; and that Democratic candidates experience roll-off at much higher rates than Republican candidates, down-ballot roll-off likely seriously undermines the advancement of progressive policies in the United States. Sister District has found that “Democrats would have gained control of 14 more [state legislative] chambers in 9 states in 2020 if they had only been able to increase their down-ballot votes by 2% or less. And those votes could have come from people who were already voting for Democrats at the top of the ticket.” Let’s take a look at Sister District’s latest research on down-ballot roll-off, and let’s educate ourselves so we are ready and able to vote in all races up and down our ballots.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- AZ – WINNING THE FIGHT FOR REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM
We had a breakthrough this week in the State House, as our pressure pushed three House Republicans to join every Democrat in passing a repeal of the near-total ban on abortion upheld by our state Supreme Court. With two Republicans joining all Democrats in a test vote in favor of repeal in the state senate last week, we could see a final vote on HB2677 to roll back the ban in the upper house as early as Wednesday. This would be promptly signed into law by Governor Hobbs if passed. This would be a huge step forward, but even once this task is done, a 15-week ban would remain on the books, and we have seen even in the face of extraordinary public anger that a huge majority of Republicans continue to support a full ban, keeping it on the table if they win a trifecta in the future. There’s plenty of work ahead to hold those who attacked abortion rights in the legislature and the courts accountable and to secure reproductive freedom in our state for good. Here’s some actions we can take:· Contact our state reps to let them know we closely watched how they voted on repeal and will be working to reelect or defeat them accordingly· Contact our state senators to demand they pass the repeal bill as soon as possible· Consider joining pro-choice advocates at a rally for reproductive freedom at the State Capitol TOMMOROW from 9AM-11AM· Join Progress Arizona’s new campaign to vote out two of the state supreme court justices who upheld the ban in November here· Sign up for volunteer training for the Arizona for Abortion Access ballot initiative to guarantee abortion rights in our state constitution here
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