April 27, 2023
Support Zooey Zephyr, oppose debt ceiling cuts, promote heath care, 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:
- LET ZOOEY SPEAKFor over a week, Montana’s Republican legislature has been lashing out at Representative Zooey Zephyr since she spoke out against a bill banning gender-affirming care for trans youth. Representative Zephyr, who is trans, pointed out that anyone who voted for the bill would have “blood on their hands,” and her Republican colleagues have responded by punishing her. They have banned “Zephyr from attending or speaking during floor sessions. She will only be allowed to vote remotely in the remaining days of the legislative session. It’s a lesser punishment than expulsion, which was also on the table according to House leadership.” We can all support Rep. Zephyr and trans Montanans by signing this petition to the Montana House Speaker, Matt Regier, pushing him to #LetHerSpeak and considering a donation to cover legal fees for the protesters. We can also contact the Speaker by phone: (406) 444-3064 or email: Matt.Regier@legmt.gov. Then, let’s be sure to share our messages of support for Representative Zooey Zephyr on Twitter and Instagram: @ZoAndBehold. Those of us in Montana can also sign this petition and contact our state legislators encouraging them to back lifting the gag order and opposing anti-trans bills (scripts here).
- DEBT CEILING BILL WITH SEVERE SPENDING CUTS PASSES HOUSELate yesterday afternoon, the House voted 217 – 215 to pass the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (H.R. 2811) which will raise the debt ceiling for a single year and avoid a government default crisis, but at the cost of sweeping cuts to essential programs over the next decade. “Even as the bill makes these drastic, damaging cuts [veterans, Medicaid, Social Security, childcare, farmers], it protects the wealthy from paying what they owe in taxes by repealing IRS funding enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act.” The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to languish or fail. Let’s tell our senators not to pass this bill should it come to them. Let’s also tell all our federal MoCs that we know that the debt ceiling and future spending are two totally different issues and should not be conflated.
- PROTECTING CITIZENS FROM POLICE MISCONDUCTAs explained in this article, the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 permits lawsuits against state and local authorities for acquiescing or participating in acts of racial violence. That law was substantially weakened when, in 1967, the Supreme Court invented the doctrine of qualified immunity. Qualified immunity protects police officers from liability for violating citizen’s legal and constitutional rights, including the use of excessive force. The Ending Qualified Immunity Act is a bill that will, if passed, allow citizens to hold police officers accountable for violating their rights. Let’s tell our U.S. Senators to co-sponsor S.1196 and our U.S. Representatives to co-sponsor the as yet unnumbered House version.
- HEALTH INSURANCE FOR DACA RECIPIENTSFighting continued efforts by Republicans to terminate special protections for “dreamers” in the DACA program, who immigrated to the U.S. as children and have no other known home, the Biden Administration is proposing a new rule that would allow DACA recipients to apply for government-funded health insurance. Let’s make sure to comment favorably on this proposal when it appears in the Federal Register and also tell our MoCs that it’s time to codify DACA protections into law.
- TELE-MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR THE UNDERSERVEDTelehealth-delivered behavioral health services spiked 45-fold since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The need continues, particularly in rural areas with limited mental health resources. Doctors and patients found it beneficial and want to continue, but Congress has not caught up with the need. The bipartisan Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act of 2023 would, if passed, create a grant program for expanding telehealth services for mental health and substance use care in rural areas. Let’s tell our U.S. Senators to co-sponsor S.1077.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- MOST: SUPPORT GENDER AFFIRMING CARE FOR TRANS YOUTHAt a time when trans youth suicide is at an all-time high,several states are continuing to pass bans on gender-affirming care, putting them at even greater risk. Recently, North Dakota became the latest state to pass anti-trans legislation, and Washington became the latest state to pass a shield law or executive order that offers protection to trans people fleeing other states and those who are helping them. . This article from the National Institute of Health gives clear evidence-based guidelines why gender-affirming care is essential in protecting the health of our trans youth. Let’s check our own state policies and push for more states to extend protections that are currently found in WA, CA, MA, NJ, CO, NM, IL, MN, and CT
