Chop Wood, Carry Water 2/12

Wednesday mini-edition!

Hey, all, and happy Wednesday.

Wednesdays are my day off from the newsletter, but, in case you don’t want to take a day off, here are a few odds and ends to keep you going.

Hang in there and thanks for all you do! See you tomorrow, heroes.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) and House Rep (find yours here) 📲

My name is ______ and I’m a constituent from [address or zip.]

I want the Senator/Congressmember to do everything s/he can to oppose the recent NIH cuts. The White House claims the funds they’re targeting pay for leftist agendas and DEI, but this is untrue. These fees go towards things like research buildings, equipment, and staff. The NIH has made the United States a leader in biomedical research worldwide; this revoking of funds will significantly impact both our standing as a worldwide leader and our ability to innovate and advance healthcare. Reports show the NIH generates $2.46 in the US economy for every $1 funded, this immediate loss of revenue will devastate the US economy even further. Please reverse these cuts at once! Thanks.

Chop Wood, Stand With Trans People 🏳️‍⚧️

Someone sent me this great document with 25 ways you can be a better ally to trans people. I love it! (To see next pages hit the > arrow on the bottom left.)

Get Smart and Help the Climate 🌎

Friendly reminder about this event, happening tomorrow!

You may have heard about the connection between beef and climate change…but have you heard about the connection between cocoa and the climate? Due to the massive deforestation that occurs when forests are cut down to plant cocoa plantations, chocolate is second only to beef in carbon emissions per kilogram of food produced! Our insatiable appetite for chocolate also leads to some not-so-savory labor practices.

Join me on Thursday February 13 from 7-8 pm ET to learn about cocoa’s environmental and labor impacts. You’ll hear from a dynamic panel of chocolate experts, and you can take action to make a difference with the free Climate Action Now app (which I highly recommend)! This Climate Action Party is hosted by Climate Action Now, and I will moderate.

Register now for the Cocoa & Deforestation: Climate Action Party on Thursday, February 13 from 7-8 pm ET.

Spread the Word about USAID!

This USAID toolkit is GREAT. It’s got sample social media posts about why USAID is vital, a sweatshirt you can buy to support USAID-funded groups, call scripts, a petition, and more. Please use it to spread the word about why we need USAID.

Also, I made a short video explaining why gutting USAID funding makes us all less safe. You can watch it here if you like.

Resistbot Letter

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T NEA] [Text SIGN PAIUQG to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

As a constituent, I strongly urge you to oppose the Educational Choice for Children Act (S. 292/H.R. 817) and its costly voucher-inspired scheme.

According to press releases issued by the bill’s lead sponsors in both chambers, the scheme would cost the U.S. Treasury $10 billion a year—$100 billion over a 10-year period.

In return for donations to scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs) that pay for private and religious schools, individuals and corporations would get dollar-for-dollar tax credits worth far more than the usual deduction for charitable contributions. People could also offload stocks to SGOs and evade taxes on capital gains.

Not only is the scheme unfair, it ignores the overwhelming majority of our students: 90% of Americans attend public school.

Vouchers don’t work in the rural communities where public schools are the economic center. Nor do they improve student performance. Moreover, special needs students who attend private schools lose important legal rights and protections.

America cannot afford to fund two education systems—one private and one public. Taxpayer dollars should go to public schools open to all students, not private schools that can pick and choose their students.

That’s why voters all across America have rejected voucher schemes every time they’re on the ballot—17 times.

Please oppose this bill and any other efforts to distort the tax code with voucher-inspired schemes.