February 6, 2024
Tax bill, death penalty, election opportunities, 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:
- TAX BILL MOVES TO SENATENow that the House’s bipartisan tax bill has passed by a vote of 357-70, it moves to the Senate for a vote. While no side got all they wanted, there is enough perceived good on both sides that it is publicly well received. However, there are some GOP senators that are more concerned about giving Biden a win than helping our citizens, especially those with children who would benefit from an extended Child Tax Credit. Sen Grassley went so far as to say, “Passing a tax bill that makes the president look good — mailing out checks before the election — means he could be re-elected, and then we won’t extend the 2017 tax cuts,” Grassley told reporter. The bill does not include checks for Americans; what it includes is a tax credit. We sent our senators to Washington to work for “we the people”, not to hold space for politicians. Let’s tell our senators that we want them to follow the House’s lead and vote for this bill in a way that mirrors public support.
- SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTYLast week, death row inmate Kenneth Smith was the subject of a new untested execution method. Despite claims that he would lose consciousness in 30 seconds, Smith stayed alive for 22 minutes, and in several of those minutes he was appearing to struggle for his life. Let’s find out how we can work to abolish, once and for all, this racially biased form of cruel and unusual punishment through donating money to or volunteering with one of many organizations working on this issue like The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, or Death Penalty Focus, and if we live in a state that still has the Death Penalty, let’s work in our communities to abolish it.
- TELL THE STORY OF MISSING BLACK DOCTORSThe Flexner report was traditionally considered a health care landmark that set standards for medical training. For the Washington Post, Dr. Uché Blackstock writes about another legacy of the report: “How tens of thousands of Black U.S. doctors simply vanished.” Let’s read the essay, which Dr. Blackstock frames with the story of the Black women medical professionals in her family—she and her twin sister Dr. Oni Blackstock, their mother Dr. Dale Gloria Blackstock, and her mother, a nurse. Let’s talk to our friends and families in the medical profession—particularly if they teach at a medical school—about telling the full story of the Flexner report.
- POSTCARDING WITH FIELD TEAM 6Field Team 6, whose goal is to register Democratic voters, offers us many ways to help them do just that. If we are new to postcarding with Field Team 6, they are offering virtual “Learn how to get started postcarding with Field Team 6!” sessions. We will be shown how to get started writing super effective postcards to register Democrats in swing states. Sessions will be held on Wednesday, February 7 and Sunday, February 18. Let’s check it out and sign up to be part of this effective team.
- ELECTION ORGANIZING FOR COLLEGE STUDENTSSwing Left is hosting a virtual crash course called “How to Organize Your Campus.” During this 90-minute training, college students will learn how to start a Swing Left group on their campuses and take action to elect Democrats in the most competitive races in 2024. If we’re college students, let’s sign up for the course, and if we have college students in our lives, let’s send them this link.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- MA – PASS LAWS THAT ELIMINATE IMMUNITY FOR CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS PERPETUATING CHILD ABUSE S.916/H.1446would hold organizations like the Catholic Church accountable for the numerous child sex abuse scandals and S.1038 H.1614 would remove time limits for civil liability, enabling more adults to come forward and receive reparations, justice, and a sense of closure for the trauma they experienced as children. The Archdiocese of Boston is, of course, against these bills, and the Catholic Church has spent millions lobbying against these and other similar laws in other states. This clearly throws a whole other light on the Church’s stand on “morality” when they proselytize against the so-called “sin” of abortion. Let’s tell our state legislators we want to hold the church accountable for the damage they’ve inflicted on these children and to pass this legislation.