The news is moving so fast I can barely keep up, but unless I’ve missed something we’re in much the same place today that we were yesterday when it comes to the debt ceiling. I’ve given you new scripts and letters, then, but their goal is largely the same: to get enough House members to sign off on Mark DeSaulnier’s discharge petition that we can avert catastrophe.
Many of you will say, “I called yesterday. Surely I can take today off. They know where I stand.” But remember, your Congressmembers’ staffers are marking off how many people they hear from on a given day, not who they are. Every day, in other words, we essentially get a clean slate when it comes to calling our reps. Yay!
Right now, with the stakes this high, it’s more important than ever that our representatives’ phones are ringing off the hook with folks demanding they get this done.
So yes, I know this is exhausting, and stressful, and anxiety-producing. Yet nevertheless, we must persist. It is only “popular uproar” (that’s us) that will get recalcitrant Republicans (and a few Democrats) to put their necks on the line for Americans.
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
Senators Carper and Schatz have a new permitting reform proposal that would focus energy transmission and infrastructure projects around renewable energy, community involvement, and building out the nation’s power lines. This is the right approach and I want the Senator to support it. Without transmission reform, we face little chance of meeting our clean energy goals. But we should only consider proposals that consider climate and environmental justice impacts, respect bedrock environmental laws, and protect frontline communities. No dirty deals that favor fossil fuel projects. Support clean permitting reform instead, please. Thanks. [H/T]
I’m calling to thank the Congressmember for signing onto the discharge petition to raise the debt ceiling with no strings attached. The national debt is money we’ve already spent that Congress voted to appropriate. We need to pay our debts and we need to do it now. Please ask the Congressmember to keep pushing their Republican colleagues, as well as Reps Peltola, Case, and Golden, to sign on to the discharge petition and save the country from catastrophe. Thanks.
I’m calling to ask the Congressmember to sign on to the discharge petition to raise the debt ceiling with no strings attached. The national debt is money we’ve already spent that Congress voted to appropriate. We need to pay our debts and we need to do it now. Please ask the Congressmember to sign on to the discharge petition and save the country from financial catastrophe. If they don’t we will hold them accountable at the ballot box. Thanks.
Extra Credit
Please read Judd Legum’s latest post about the tragic killing of Blackfeet tribal member Mika Westwolf in Montana. Then please consider calling James Lapotka, the Lake County Attorney at 406-883-7247. He can also be emailed at jlapotka@lakemt.gov. Simply say something like:
I’m calling/writing to ask Attorney Lapotka to consider charges against Sunny White for the killing of Mika Westwolf. I understand nothing has yet been done because Attorney Lapotka is still “waiting for the toxicology report for Westwolf and a search warrant that has been executed on Westwolf's phone.” Why is Westwolf, the victim, who also happens to have been an Indigenous woman, being investigated at all? Sunny White is a White Nationalist who literally named her children “Aryan” and “Nation.” There is no ambiguity in this situation. Will the Attorney reverse course, stop blaming the victim, and arrest White, please?
Get Smart! 📚
Friendly reminder that this is coming up tomorrow. Sounds incredible.
The Supreme Court will consider a new case that challenges our ability to keep guns out of the hands of people who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders. This case threatens to gut a fundamental public safety law and endanger the lives of domestic violence survivors nationwide.
Join Demand Justice this Wednesday, May 24th at 2:30pm ET, to hear from experts from Giffords Law Center, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Brady: United Against Gun Violence to hear why gun violence prevention is so important, what the Supreme Court might do in this case, and how you can help.
Post this on your social media, please (you can see how I did it on IG here).
🚨 URGENT! 🚨 Everyone, Indivisible is having a "Default Day of Action" today and they are asking as many people as possible to call their House reps and tell them to raise the debt ceiling with no strings attached before we have a global financial catastrophe.
Their call tool makes it super easy (and enables them to track how many calls go out.) It took me under two minutes to call. Please text DEFAULT to the number 59798 and they’ll patch you through to your rep. They’ll even tell you what to say. Then tell everyone you know to do the same. Thanks!
Give 💰!
Our North Carolina fundraiser with Jamie Raskin is tonight! Give any amount to attend. It’s going to be INCREDIBLE. Hope to see many of you at 4:30 PT / 7:30 ET.
Win Races! 🗳
Thank you to everyone who helped Black Voters Matter send out over 100k texts last week to Mississippi residents ahead of their voter registration deadlines. You let it be known that local elections matter! Thank you!
Join them again tonight, Tuesday, March 23rd at 6pm ET for their next Texting Tuesday event! They need your help sending over 160k texts. Here is the link to register.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[to your House rep] [H/T Rep. DeSaulnier for some of the language] [Quick send: text SIGN PGADMZ to 50409 or share here.]
Congress has a Constitutional and moral responsibility to the American people to keep the government funded and functioning. A default on our national debt would cause a recession, spike interest rates for credit cards, student loans, mortgages, and car loans, cost millions of jobs, and lead to major losses in the value of stocks and retirement accounts.
Without an agreement to raise the debt limit, the government's ability to meet its obligations on Social Security checks, military pay, Medicare benefits, and many other important programs would be at risk.
House members must raise the debt ceiling now. Whether this happens with or without Kevin McCarthy and his Freedom Caucus “owners,” it has to happen.
Please sign on to Rep. DeSaulnier’s discharge petition to raise the debt ceiling now and, if you’re already a signatory, keep urging your colleagues to do the same. Default is not an option. The American people are counting on you. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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I don't know if it matters, but the area code on my phone number doesn't match my home address so I called direct. I find that it helps to mention the importance of Social Security checks when talking to Congressional staff.
Let's also advocate the incredibly wise bicameral bills for Universal healthcare. Here is healthcare analysist Alan Unell's SubStack blog post for today, which analyzes the House bill.
I don't know if it matters, but the area code on my phone number doesn't match my home address so I called direct. I find that it helps to mention the importance of Social Security checks when talking to Congressional staff.
Let's also advocate the incredibly wise bicameral bills for Universal healthcare. Here is healthcare analysist Alan Unell's SubStack blog post for today, which analyzes the House bill.
https://open.substack.com/pub/healthcarereformau/p/universal-healthcare?r=dpmrd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web