May 2, 2023
National debt ceiling, workers’ rights, nursing homes, 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:
- NATIONAL DEBT CEILINGCongress has contended with the debt ceiling for ages, but the current use of the negotiations was not originally intended. Raising the debt ceiling, which has been done 78 times since 1960, including three during the Trump administration, is not a time to discuss budget issues. Some legal experts say that the debt limit itself is unconstitutional. In his Substack newsletter today, Robert Reich, former Sec. of Labor, advised President Biden to invoke the Constitution’s 14th Amendment’s 4th Section which states that “The validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned.” He goes on to say that the President is obligated to “to ignore the debt ceiling and continue to pay the debts of the United States.” Janet Yellen, Treasury Secretary, says we may hit the limit earlier than originally expected if the debt ceiling is not raised or suspended. President Biden can suspend the debt limit. It may well get thrown into the courts, but we could end up with a clearer process of budgeting and repaying our debts. Let’s ask President Biden to consider this option and get on with the business of running the country.
- SUPREME COURT ETHICSNot only has Justice Roberts declined the Senate Judiciary’s request to testify about the recently discovered ethical lapses of Supreme Court Justices Thomas and Gorsuch. Now, it’s been reported that his wife made millions of dollars as a legal recruiter, including matching lawyers with firms that had cases in front of the Supreme Court. Let’s ask our MoCs loud and clear what they are going to do about the blatant lack of Supreme Court Ethics, and demand that they take action now.
- STRENGTHEN WORKERS’ RIGHTSThe demise of union strength is a central cause of gaping economic inequalities in the United States. The bipartisan Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023 would, if enacted, protect workers’ rights to join a union and bargain for better wages, benefits, and work conditions. It’s sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Boby Scott. Let’s read the details. Then, let’s tell our U.S. Representatives to co-sponsor H.R.20 and our U.S. Senators to co-sponsor S.567.
- POSTCARDS FOR A BLUE VA LEGISLATURE IN 2023This year, the entire Virginia state legislature is up for election. The state has been redistricted, and many voters will need election guidance. Currently, Democrats control the Senate, while Republicans control the House. There’s a lot at stake. Virginia’s governor is a Republican. If Democrats lose the Virginia legislature, the Republican party will have complete control of the state. The organization Postcards for Virginia is dedicated to keeping Democratic-leaning voters informed and getting them to the polls. Postcard campaigns are live now. Let’s sign up to write postcards with Postcards for Virginia.
- DON’T LET WALL STREET GREED HURT NURSING HOME RESIDENTS
The pandemic exposed systemic problems with quality of care at nursing homes owned by private equity firms. For instance, residents at Trilogy Health Services homes died from COVID at twice the national nursing home average as the company repeatedly cut patient care hours and violated safety rules, while the CEO of their parent firm received millions in stock options. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Studies are pushing for some very simply protections to force nursing homes that participate in Medicare and Medicaid to be more transparent about who owns them. Let’s join Americans for Financial Reform in supporting this new regulation here.
- GOP’S CUTS HURT REGULAR AMERICANSLast week, the House passed a dangerous bill which the GOP wants to use as a bargaining chip in the debt ceiling debate. Unfortunately, the recommended cuts adversely affect many popular programs, including those that support children, farmers, veterans, health, food, climate issues, and more, while fully protecting the 2019 tax cuts to the rich that helped create our overwhelming debt. We can use this toolkit by Demcast USA to share info about all these proposed cuts.
- MOTHER’S DAY OF ACTION AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE – PLANNING CALL TOMORROW
This weekend was marred by yet another mass shooting in Cleveland, Texas, where a man murdered five of his neighbors with an AR-15 after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard. One of them was eight years old. With Mother’s Day and the anniversaries of last year’s shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde coming this month, Moms Demand Action are organizing to make our voices heard for common-sense action on gun violence, holding a day of action for an assault weapons ban on May 13th. If we’re interested in hosting an event of our own, we can sign up for an organizing call TOMORROW, MAY 2ND at 3:30PM ET. We can also sign up to take part in phonebanking voters in key districts as part of the Virtual Afternoon of Action on the 13th. - TELL AT&T, GENERAL MOTORS, AND SUBWAY TO STOP ADVERTISING ON FOX NEWS
While Tucker Carlson is finally gone, other recent events around Fox News are disappointing. The company’s settlement in the lawsuit with Dominion voting systems did not require the network to acknowledge on the air any wrongdoing in spreading lies about the election. MoveOn has started a petition to some of the major corporations who are continuing to spend large sums of advertising dollars on Fox News, asking them to stop enabling these lies. We can sign that petition here. We can also call out these companies on their social media pages.
- TELL OUR SENATORS TO CONFIRM JULIE SU AS SECRETARY OF LABORJoe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, McArthur winner, and “fierce ally for working families” Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su needs our help. Although her background as worker’s advocate, California Secretary of Labor, and Assistant Secretary make her highly qualified for the position, a strong business lobbying campaign is putting her confirmation at risk. Her history of significant accomplishments, including successfully fighting against wage theft, protecting trafficked workers, increasing the minimum wage, helping to create good jobs, and improving worker safety standards show she is well qualified to serve. However, her confirmation is in now in danger as several business organizations are lobbying heavily against her, targeting uncommitted Senators facing tough re-election battles, including Mark Kelly (AZ), Joe Manchin (WV), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), and Jon Tester (MT). Her detractors charge that she allowed fraud in California’s pandemic insurance program, ignoring that greater amounts of fraud happened in several states with Republicans Labor Secretaries, as well as her amendments to the programs that then-President Trump asked other states to implement. She also vows to follow federal law, and not, as her opponents claim, to try to force a state law into national policy. President Biden has promised to be the most pro-union President in history, and Su’s nomination is key to fulfilling that promise. Together we can help them create a strong and fairer economy to benefit all of us.Let’s call our Senators now, especially if Mark Kelly (AZ), Joe Manchin. (WV), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) or Jon Tester (MT) represent us, and tell them to strongly endorse and then vote to confirm Julie Su for Secretary of Labor.
- PROTEST SILENCING OF LAWMAKERS First we saw the two Justins ejected from the Tennessee legislature and now the silencing of Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr. Leaving aside the constant attacks on transgender people and their rights we are seeing across the country, these silencings represent an attempt by the GOP to disenfranchise the voters who sent these representatives to their state houses. Common Cause is circulating a petition in defense of democratically-elected lawmakers and their right to speak. Let’s consider signing.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- AZ, FL, GA, IL, MI, NC, NJ NY, OH, PA, SC, TX, VA, WI, and Puerto Rico – VOLUNTEER ATTORNEYS TO HELP POTENTIAL VOTERSWith so many states enacting stricter ID voting requirements, those without birth certificates have a difficult time becoming registered voters. We the Action, whose mission is to link lawyers to causes, is helping people get the ID and other documents they need not only for voting, but for housing, healthcare, jobs, etc. We the Action is seeking attorneys in the above-mentioned states “to assist clients who need to obtain their birth certificate but lack the requisite ID to complete the order. Counsel is needed to represent the client for the limited purpose of obtaining the birth certificate. We will pay the costs for the birth certificate.” If we, or someone we know could help with this project, here is where to sign up to volunteer. (h/t Your Weekly Pep Talk & Action List)
- ALL – PROGRESSIVE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATES
There are so many excellent reasons to check out the website of the Movement Voter Project, and one of them is this: it’s a great resource for finding progressive grassroots organizations in our state that could use our help. Let’s go to the home page and scroll down to the “Explore the Map” feature. We can click on our state and learn about the progressive organizations that are working for change where we live.
