Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
It’s been a busy morning, with President Biden’s new budget being released. I’ve been on a call with the White House already, and I’m now listening to Joe Biden speak—at length!—about his proposal.
This budget is, of course, an extensive wishlist of Democratic priorities, but it’s also chock full of items that poll well with the American people regardless of party. (More on that below).
Among other things, it demands that billionaires and corporations pay their fair share of taxes, quadruples the tax on corporate stock buybacks, reduces wasteful spending, lowers drug prices, protects and strengthens Medicare and Social Security, funds several excellent programs for veterans, commits to reducing homelessness by 25%, boosts American manufacturing, provides 12 weeks of paid family leave (!!), funds universal free preschool, funds a cancer moonshot, invests 52B into clean energy and decarbonization, caps insulin at $35 for everyone, extends the solvency of the medicare trust fund for 25 years, makes permanent the expanded ACA tax credits, and so much more. I literally couldn’t take notes fast enough to get all of it down.
It also manages to cut the deficit by 3T over ten years.
Will we get all of these wonderful things? It’s highly unlikely. Republicans have chosen protecting rich people from tax increases as their hill to die on; they say they’ll never allow it. But it’s a beautiful description of what Democrats under Biden would do given the votes. In that sense it reminds us of what’s possible if we win back the House and increase our Senate majority in 2024.
Which we can and will do.
In the meantime, we must make sure everyone we know understands what a cornucopia of goods Democrats wish to provide Americans with. All paid for by the Jeff Bezos’s of the country, too!
Once you’ve done that, ask them what Republicans are offering as a counterproposal. They will be unable to answer, as the GOP has released no budget as of yet. When they do it will absolutely cut taxes on the wealthy while cutting programs we all need and love.
We know how to get loud. Now’s our chance to use that talent to our advantage. There is no time left for mincing words. One party has a paid-for plan to lift Americans out of the economic morass so many of us are bogged down in.
The other party has a plan to make sure we never emerge from it again.
Make sure everyone knows it.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I am calling about S. 316, “A bill to repeal the authorizations for use of military force against Iraq.” I strongly support it.
The Iraq war resolutions should’ve been repealed a long time ago, and I am encouraged to see concrete legislative progress on this. I urge the Senator to use their influence to help secure a floor vote for this bill as soon as possible. Thank you so much for your time. [H/T]
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I wanted to circle back to see if the Congressmember is co-sponsoring the House version of Senator Brown’s Railway Safety Act. I am hearing that railroad lobbyists are coming out strongly against this bill, and that makes me mad. First, this bill doesn’t even go as far as it should—it’s the bare minimum we should do. Second, Congress works for the American people—not the railroad industry. Will the Congressmember be supporting this bill? I will be watching closely.
Extra Credit ✅
The FTC just stopped the Spirit and Jet Blue merger; now let’s demand they stop one that’s even worse for consumers—that of Albertsons and Kroger.
Let’s email them at antitrust@ftc.gov and say something like:
I’m writing in strong opposition to the proposed Kroger and Albertsons merger.
If approved, the nearly $25 billion deal would be one of the biggest in US retail history. Safeway, Ralphs, Vons, Harris Teeter, Pavillions and about 25 other brands, would all be owned by a single company.
It would almost certainly lead to store closures, worsen food deserts, destroy thousands of unionized grocery jobs and increase prices for consumers.
This deal is an antitrust travesty. In a time of absurdly high food prices and skyrocketing corporate profits, this merger shouldn’t even be considered. It definitely must not be approved.
Stop the Kroger-Albertsons merger now. Thanks.
[H/T]
Extra Extra Credit! ✅✅
UnFox Your Cable Box!
You may have submitted information in the past to the UnFoxMyCableBox webpage and wondered if the site were still live because you got no response.
Whatever happened then, the site is operating now, so consider adding your request to your TV provider in the fields provided. Media Matters has announced that the Dominion lawsuit has breathed new life into its efforts to represent consumer interests in contract negotiations when Fox Corporation tries to browbeat TV providers into paying exorbitant fees for Fox "News."
[H/T]
Get Smart! 📚
Here’s a great resource to learn EVERYTHING that’s in Joe Biden’s new budget—please share it! Want a more streamlined fact sheet? Here you go!
Spread the Word! 📣
It’s important to amplify that the policies President Biden is putting forward enjoy immense popularity among the American people:
91% of Americans believe taking action to restore American manufacturing would have a positive impact on the economy and jobs. 88% believe this is a priority for the country.
7 in 10 Americans, including 6 in 10 Republicans, want more funding to help parents access quality childcare, as well as to expand access to child care subsidies for working families. In addition, 65% of Americans back universal pre-school.
84% of voters support a $35 monthly cap on the out-of-pocket cost of insulin for all Americans.
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans want to maintain or increase funding to Social Security and Medicare. In fact, only 1 in 10 Republicans want to CUT funding for these programs.
59% of voters want to keep Medicaid expansion due to the Affordable Care Act. In fact, 61% of those living in non-expansion states want to see Medicaid expanded.
Across multiple polls, a majority of Americans want Congress to work together, raise the debt limit, and protect the economy. Majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents are VERY concerned about the consequences of defaulting.
Americans want the wealthy and large corporations to finally pay their fair share in taxes. By a margin of nearly three to one, Americans support the Billionaire Minimum Tax. Furthermore, 58% support increasing the corporate stock buyback tax.
Win Races! 🗳
Feel Good Action and the League of Women Voters WI are working to boost turnout for the Supreme Court race, and they’ve got a great new tool if you’re on Facebook!
Click the link below to identify your FB friends in Wisconsin and remind them to vote on April 4th. Share the link with folks in your network so that they can contact their Wisconsin friends, too.
Find Your Friends in Wisconsin
Once you find out who you know in Wisconsin, consider reaching out to them about the Supreme Court race. I simply messaged the three people I found and said:
Hi _____! Sorry to reach out out of the blue, but just wanted to make sure you know about the really important election coming up there? The Supreme Court race on 4/4? It's a game changer, so I'm reaching out to folks I know in Wisconsin to make sure they have all the info they need to vote for Jill Protasiewicz! If you have any questions about your polling place you can go to myvote.wi.gov. Let me know if you have any questions!
So easy! Will you try it?
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[to your HOUSE Rep] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PDVNKI to 50409]
I am writing as your constituent to ask that you co-sponsor H.R. 1478, The Federal Firearms Licensee Act.
This is a groundbreaking gun safety bill that will work to keep guns off our streets by providing law enforcement with the tools necessary to crack down on gun trafficking and the rogue gun sellers that perpetuate it.
The laws that govern gun sellers are outdated and dangerous. By modernizing and strengthening the federal requirements for gun shops, this legislation will ensure that gun sales are done responsibly, securely, and safely.
I ask that you please co-sponsor this lifesaving bill. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Just a note that it’s not Jill Protasiewicz - it’s Janet! Please don’t text your WI friends and get the details wrong; it’s weird enough to get those messages already. 🙂
Lots of good actions to take today. I kinda want to write a thank you email to Newsome for telling Walgreens where they can stick it. (I mean, I know I can but maybe others want to sign the card too). Seems like sometimes we should be saying "Yes, more of that" in addition to "Stop that."