Actions on housing discrimination, oil company price gouging, voting from abroad, 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:
- STAND UP AGAINST HOUSING DISCRIMINATION BEFORE MONDAY
The Biden Housing and Urban Development Department has proposed a new rule that will finally put some teeth in the Fair Housing Act, requiring communities to actively craft and follow through on strategies to stop housing discrimination or risk losing federal funds. HUD is seeking public comment on the rule before MONDAY. Let’s submit comments and show our support, and sign this petition from the Alliance for Housing Justice encouraging HUD to ensure strong protections for renters in this rule. We can find a guide to creating a good comment here. - PROTECT THE FBI AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FROM MAGA
The now-indicted Donald Trump is calling for Congress to defund the Justice Department and the FBI “until they come to their senses” as retaliation for the investigations into his criminal conduct. His longtime ally Jim Jordan, who chairs the committee that oversees the DoJ and the FBI, shares this view, as does Marjorie Taylor Greene – who has sold “Defund the FBI” t-shirts as merch. Let’s contact our members of Congress and remind them that conducting criminal investigations is the FBI and Justice Department’s job, and they need to vote down any appropriations bill that’s used to obstruct their work.
- RESIST OIL COMPANY PRICE GOUGING
California has pushed through legislation to allow the state to investigate and punish oil companies for price gouging, a first-of-its-kind bill that will ensure transparency and protect consumers. Let’s thank State Senator Nancy Skinner, who introduced the bill, for her leadership, and contact our own legislators to urge them to follow in California’s footsteps.
- CONFIRM JULIE SU AS LABOR SECRETARY
President Biden has nominated Julie Su as his next Labor Secretary. Su is currently the deputy Secretary of Labor and her nomination has won widespread plaudits from unions due to her fierce advocacy for working people in that position and as head of the Labor Department in California. That same record meant she was confirmed to her current position with no GOP support, and reports in Washington are that some moderate Democrats are wavering on her. Let’s make sure our senators know we support Julie Su and want to see a real fighter for organizing lead the Labor Department.
- VOTE FROM ABROAD“For military members, their families and overseas citizens, these resources from FVAP will make voting absentee as easy as possible — wherever you are and in whichever state you vote in.” Register and request your absentee ballot with the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) now available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Arabic! Let’s share this with our friends and family who live overseas.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- CT: HELP DETERMINE EARLY VOTING STANDARDS
Last November, CT voted to allow early voting. H.B. 5004 (An Act Implementing Early Voting) is now in committee to work out the details. Common Cause-Connecticut is asking that citizens contact their representatives and senators to voice their concerns and wishes to help the standards, by seeking that they 1) provide early voting for up to two weeks, 2) enact no-excuse absentee voting, 3) pass a state voting rights act, and 4) ban foreign funding of state ballot referendum. Let’s contact our legislators here and/or use this form. - MA: PRESERVE THE FAIR SHARE AMENDMENT
Last fall, Massachusetts voters approved the Fair Share Amendment on our ballots, agreeing to levy a new 4% tax on income over $1 million and dedicate the revenue towards roads, bridges, public transportation and schools. Newly-elected Democratic Governor Maura Healey has responded with a tax reform plan that includes nearly $400 million in cuts to the estate tax and short-term capital gains tax, giving the wealthiest 1% a huge windfall and reversing the gains the people just backed. Let’s join the activists who fought for the amendment and write our state legislators to let them know we still want the rich to pay their fair share, and they should not undermine our will by giving them big tax cuts.