Rogan’s List – September 5, 2023

Sue Rogan

2 years ago

September 5, 2023

Contact all members of Congress:

Contact White House or other federal agencies:

TRUMP’S ON TRIAL, SO IMPEACH BIDEN?
Despite their admitted complete failure to unearth any evidence for their bizarre charges and the pressing need to focus on avoiding a government shutdown, we are seeing increasing signs that the House Republicans will attempt to draw attention from Trump’s criminal proceedings by launching an impeachment inquiry against President Biden this fall – and possibly attempt Reps. Taylor Greene and Stefanik’s plan to expunge Trump’s impeachments to boot. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and let them know we expect them to aggressively oppose this misuse of impeachment power and call it out for the distraction from Trump’s legal problems it is, and we will hold them accountable for their actions in November.
SUPPORT OVERSIGHT OF EXCESSIVE PENTAGON SPENDINGThe Streamline Pentagon Budgeting Act (HR 4740) is a bi-partisan bill that would eliminate the Pentagon’s ability to take billions for the government to fund wish-lists that are not included in the normal budgeting process. The bill is supported by Government Accountability Project, Just Foreign Policy, National Taxpayers Union, Project On Government Oversight, Public Citizen, R St Institute, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and Win Without War. Let’s tell our MoCs on both sides of the aisle that taxpayers do not want to fund bloated non-transparent budgets and ask them to co-sponsor this bill and get it to the floor for a vote.

LIVING IN A RED STATEEvery Tuesday since November 2016, a blogger named Michele has published Small Deeds Done, an e-newsletter that contains a pep talk and action item for patriots who want to do something to help America live up to its promise. In the August 29, 2023 edition of Small Deeds Done, Michele, who lives in Missouri, describes what it’s like to live where the Republican Party has had a veto-proof supermajority in the state legislature since 2012. Essentially, the legislature almost never misses an opportunity to reverse progress and thwart the clearly expressed will of the voters. Let’s read her account of living in a red state, and let’s heed her call not to abandon our compatriots living in red states. We can learn how we can help at Blue Missouri, and we can consider supporting one or more of these grassroots Missouri organizations.

PRESERVE WOMEN’S RIGHT TO TRAVELMunicipalities in Texas and elsewhere are passing ordinances that make it illegal for women and other pregnant people to travel on local and interstate roads for the purpose of seeking abortion care out-of-state, with private citizens as the law-enforcers. Because these ordinances touch on federal constitutional questions—the right to travel and Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce and transportation—our Members of Congress should be stepping up with federal laws that protect the rights of women and others to travel freely. If passed, the “Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act” (H.R.782) would protect the rights of women to travel across state lines, including for reproductive health care. So would the “Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act” (S.2053). Let’s tell our Members of Congress that we are outraged at this attack on women’s freedoms, and we expect them to co-sponsor and pass H.R.782 and S.2053.

PROGRESS ON MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
More than 40 states have now legalized the use of marijuana in some form, and at long last we’re seeing signs there may be progress on the federal level, too. The Department of Health and Human Services has formally recommended that the Drug Enforcement Administration ease restrictions on marijuana, reclassifying it from a Schedule I substance to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. This would make it easier to do research and development with cannabis and allow marijuana-related businesses to take standard business tax deductions. The DEA will now do its own review and go through a standard rule-making process. Analysts have suggested this may renew interest in the SAFE Banking Act (S. 1323), which would offer legal protections for financial institutions to serve legal marijuana businesses. This legislation has repeatedly passed the House and has 42 sponsors, including eight Republicans, in the Senate. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and urge them to get the job done and finally put this on President Biden’s desk.

STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS

MULTIPLE STATES – COMMEMORATE JUNETEENTH EVERYWHERE
With the historical legacy of slavery being openly questioned by right-wing extremists, we should be looking to take whatever steps we can to teach and remember the scars it left on our nation. While Juneteenth has been named a federal holiday, it was only recognized at the state level this year in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Elsewhere, state government offices were open – including deep blue states like California, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Vermont. If we live in one of the non-holiday states, let’s contact our legislators and urge them to make Juneteenth a permanent state holiday and commemorate this occasion right in 2024.