Saving democracy, Internet accessibility for all, Black Voters Matter, 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:
- SAVE DEMOCRACY AND DEFEAT PROJECT 2025It appears that word is getting out about Project 2025, but more people need to be made aware of it and its ramifications. To be clear, Project 2025’s Mandate is iconoclastic and dystopian, offering a dark vision of a highly militaristic and unapologetically aggressive America ascendant in “a world on fire”. Those who wish to understand Trump and the movement behind him, and the active threat they pose to American democracy, are obliged to take it seriously. As Hakeem Jeffries said over the weekend, “If Roe v. Wade can fall, anything can fall. Social Security can fall. Medicare can fall. Voting rights can fall. And God help us all, but democracy itself can fall.” America has a lot at stake. We can read more about Project 2025 from Red Wine and Blue and from Marc Elias, who has led the legal effort to protect voting rights. Let’s learn what we can about Project 2025 and share it with others who may not know or understand, and join efforts to fight back at www.stopthecoup2025.org.
- EXTEND THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM NOWAn initiative much needed and valued by 23 million Americans, half of whom are our military families, has not been renewed. The Affordable Connectivity Program helps low-income and disabled people be able to afford the Internet. These days the Internet almost serves as a utility, crucial for access to education, health, banking, and for many, their very jobs. The loss of this program will only deepen the digital divide. This program helps level the playing field, and a recent economics working paper estimated that for every dollar spent on the ACP, the nation’s GDP increases by $3.89. This should be a bipartisan effort. There is open legislation in both the House and the Senate: The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024 (H.R.6929) and (S.3565). Let’s let our legislators we want them to get these bills passed.
- TEXTING TUESDAYS AND OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT BLACK VOTERS MATTER
Black Voters Matter has emerged as a powerhouse in getting out the vote in recent elections, playing a crucial role in increased Democratic victories in the South. They are kicking their efforts for November into high gear, with the “We Fight Back Tour” set for events in Florida and Georgia in the next few weeks and more and more people taking part in Texting Tuesdays to do voter outreach every Tuesday at 6PM. Let’s sign up for their volunteer list and join them for future events like Texting Tuesdays, tomorrow’s new volunteer orientation, and multiple upcoming postcard parties. - PUBLIC COMMENT ON PROPOSED PUBLIC HEALTH RULEYour Local Epidemiologist (YLE) writes that the national hospitalization reporting system put into place during the COVID-19 emergency has ended. That system was so important for understanding and responding to our public health needs. The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking comments on a new proposed rule that YLE is reporting will, among other things, require hospitals to report hospitalization data going forward so we don’t find ourselves as terribly unprepared in future health emergencies and so we can better protect our population whatever arises. Let’s submit a comment in support of this proposed rule.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- AZ/ALL – BRIEFING ON RECENT VICTORIES, NEXT STEPS ON REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS WEDNESDAY
With Democrats united and a handful of Republicans crossing party lines under activist pressure, we have succeeded in repealing the near-total ban on abortion in Arizona. However, there is still plenty of work ahead, from holding the state supreme court justices who approved it accountable to taking on the new 15-week ban that will take effect in the wake of this victory. Arizona for Abortion Access, the coalition leading the fight to secure abortion rights at the ballot box, will be holding a virtual community briefing on WEDNESDAY, MAY 8TH at 6pm local time to fill in the gaps about these recent developments and let us know how we can help protect our rights for good. Let’s sign up to join this Zoom here, and if we can’t make it let’s still make sure we’re on the volunteer list for Arizona for Abortion Access here and check out their upcoming events here.
AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS
- LAST WEEK’S WINSIt may not always feel like it, but our work is making a difference every single day. Our friend Jessica Craven at Chop Wood, Carry Water outlines a few ways how in her run-down of our recent victories, including the IRS using its increased funding to increase audits of wealthy taxpayers, the EPA pushing a new regulation to force coal plants to either nearly eliminate pollution or shut down, and a sweeping victory for Democrats in a House special election.
