Protecting Social Security and Medicare, justice for Nex Benedict, going in depth on the Christian Nationalist threat, and more!
MAR 25
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:
- SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE AT RISK
The Republican Study Committee, a caucus that includes 170 House Republicans including Speaker Johnson and the entire leadership team, has released a budget that includes multiple frightening provisions that may be on the agenda in the next Republican administration. Along with the Life at Conception Act, which would restrict abortion and in vitro fertilization, and rolling back Obamacare, the RSC endorsed privatizing Medicare and raising the retirement age for Social Security. It is just the latest signal these crucial protections are at risk this November, along with the proposed “fiscal commission” that could lay the groundwork for slashing these programs and Trump’s recent suggestions that he was open to cuts. We need to make it clear to every politician in the country: we will not let this happen. Let’s contact our members of Congress and ask them to publicly pledge to oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare or explain why they will not so we know what we’ll be voting for next time they’re up for election, and let’s make sure throughout this campaign season to push all candidates for federal office for the same clarity. - WE STILL NEED JUSTICE FOR NEX BENEDICT
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler announced on Thursday that there will be no charges against the Oklahoma teens who assaulted their nonbinary classmate Nex Benedict, describing the beating as “mutual combat.” While this news is a bitter pill to swallow, the work of seeking accountability and change in response to Nex’s death will continue. As Assigned Media’s Evan Urquhart noted, his loss “is downstream from a climate of hatred and bullying that was created by adult conservatives. The people responsible include school authorities, state authorities, social media personalities, and right-wing fake news grifters.” One of the next steps is the ongoing investigation into Nex’s school district by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights over reports they failed to adequately respond to allegations of sex-based harassment. Let’s take this moment to contact the Department and let them know we are watching them closely, we are looking to them to step up where so many failed Nex and we want to see action as soon as humanly possible. We can also consider a donation to Freedom Oklahoma, which advocates for a safer state for all Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Oklahomans.
- ABORTION ON THE BALLOT IN 2024Amendments to state constitutions to protect abortion and reproductive rights are currently on the November 5, 2024 ballot in Florida, Maryland, and New York. Proposed but not yet certified measures are in the pipeline in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado (one protecting abortion, one banning), Iowa (banning), Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska (one protecting abortion, one banning), Nevada, Pennsylvania (banning), South Dakota, and Wisconsin (banning). These efforts are important for their impact on abortion and reproductive rights, and also for their strategic value—engaging more voters who could tip federal, state, and local offices and chambers this year. Let’s use this article to find advocates of state reproductive rights amendments we can support. Let’s also consider signing up with Reproductive Freedom for All so we can follow this issue and take action.
- A CRACKDOWN ON WAR PROFITEERING – BY CORPORATIONS AND POLITICIANS
Russian aggression in Ukraine and bloodshed in the Middle East has destroyed so many lives, but it’s been good news for defense contractors – the top US weapons companies are seeing increased revenues and anticipating big gains on Wall Street this year. Members of Congress are taking notice – for better or for worse. Senator Bernie Sanders recently called for a revived Truman Committee to rein in defense contractors, oversee military contracts and take back excessive payments, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib has introduced the Stop Politicians Profiting from War Act (H.R. 7264) to ban members of Congress, their spouses and their dependent children from trading defense industry stocks and from having any financial interests in corporations that do business with the Pentagon. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and urge them to support both the proposed new bipartisan committee and Rep. Tlaib’s bill, along with proposals to ban individual congressional stock trades altogether.
- UNMASKING THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT: KATHRYN JOYCE AND JEFF SHARLET TALK WEDNESDAYThe pro-democracy organization BigTentUSA is hosting investigative journalist Kathryn Joyce and author Jeff Sharlet in a virtual discussion on the anti-democratic, Christian Nationalist movement in the United States. The event takes place this Wednesday, March 27 from 7PM-8PM EDT. We can register to attend here.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- HI – NO KID SHOULD GO HUNGRY
Universal free school meals were one of the great pandemic success stories, feeding hungry kids at a time of economic instability and increasing test scores while providing a boost to America’s farmers for only $11 billion a year more than the pre-COVID school meal programs. Unfortunately, that program came to a halt at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, despite widespread popularity. Eight states have stepped up to make universal free school meals permanent, and Hawaii could be the ninth. The House recently passed HB 1775 HD1 to do just that, and the measure now goes to the Senate. Let’s reach out to our senators and Governor Green and tell them we want to see this program made law.
AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS
- LAST WEEK’S WINSIt may not always feel like it, but our work is making a difference every day. Our friend Jessica Craven at Chop Wood, Carry Water outlines a few ways how in her run-down of last week’s victories, including AstraZeneca capping out-of-pocket costs for its inhalers under pressure from Bernie Sanders and the FTC, the Oregon legislature passing a bill to divest the state’s employee retirement system from coal interests, and the Biden Administration announcing strict new emissions limits for automakers.