Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/8
Back from D.C.!
Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
I’m back from D.C. and in my office, Dolly snuggled up happily next to me. It’s good to be home. I’ll try to process the conference a little bit and tell you about it over the days ahead, but one thing I do want to tell you for sure right now is that your calls are making a HUGE difference.
How do I know? Well, yesterday a group of us went over to the Capitol to do interviews with House reps. It was a bit of a “speed dating” situation—each of us was scheduled to speak with 5 different members for about ten minutes each in rapid succession. We filmed all of it, with the idea that we could make content to post on social media. It was fun, interesting, and totally exhausting. All of us were shooting in one big auditorium so it was low-level chaos the whole time. Here’s a short video I took between interviews to give you a sense of the situation.
Crazy, right?
I’m not sure how much usable footage I got out of my “dates” with these MOCs—hopefully some!—but one thing I can tell you for sure is this: I asked each, at the end of our conversations, whether constituents’ calls really mattered. Each answered, with enormous exuberance and authenticity, “YES!”
They all went on to tell me, in various ways, that calls were always important, but that right now they were making all of the difference. They said things like “We’re seeing cracks!” and “they’re running scared!” They told me how pressured—in a good way—Republicans were feeling by their voters. They said your demands that they not cut Medicaid were working. We’re not done yet, they told me, but they’re really feeling the heat. It’s having a huge impact. Please tell your readers to keep it up.
So keep it up!
And it’s not just the calls to Republicans that matter. All of these Democrats, without exception, said they wanted and needed calls, too. They said constituent contacts help them know where to focus, what their constituents are thinking about, and how Trump’s attacks are affecting them. They especially encouraged folks to tell their reps personal stories about how policies affect them.
And one lawmaker I spoke to told me of his special fondness for handwritten notes. “Those take more time,” he said, “so I do take them very seriously.” (I thought I’d pass that on to those of you who’ve asked me in the past if letters were more or less effective.)
Anyway, I’m sorry I can’t remember who said what right now—it was all a crazy blur and I haven’t even had time to review my footage yet—but I can tell you that I spoke to Reps Gomez (my Congressmember), Larson (CT-01), Courtney (from CT-02), Byer (VA-08), and Magaziner (RI-02). They were all incredibly impressive and passionate; I especially enjoyed talking to Rep. Courtney, who showed up with his own chart to talk about DOGE’s attempts to corral and steal our data.
I’ll make sure to post all of these interviews in full on my YouTube channel and on my Jess Craven Videos Substack, so if you feel like you might like to see them make sure you’re subscribed to one or both!
My biggest takeaway of all was that—as trite as it may sound—these lawmakers really cared. They’re all obviously working hard to ring alarm bells for the American people while simultaneously doing all they can to push back on Republicans’ attacks. They came to talk to us because they’re desperate to get the word out about what’s happening and they’ve come to understand that, like it or not, they’ve got a better chance of doing that by talking to content creators than by getting on cable news. Good! I’m so glad they’re trying new things!
We tend to focus on the awful members of Congress. Today I offer a shout out to the many members who are absolutely breaking their backs trying to save our country. Some of them, like Reps Courtney and Magaziner, were unknown to me before this week. Few of us can name every single Democratic lawmaker in Congress. But it’s good to know that, workhorse or showhorse, the majority of them are laboring in good faith for their constituents, trying to adapt to rapidly changing times, and attempting to think outside of the box to save democracy. We should thank them for it.
Also? Your calls matter so very, very much! We got it straight from the horse’s mouth this week!
So enough talk. We’d better get to work making them one more time.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, please vote no on the Genius Act! This bill will enable Donald Trump’s massive corruption and self-dealing and I’ll be furious if it passes. The Senator should support the End Crypto Corruption Act instead!
Also, I know Republicans are still trying to come up with a way to cut Medicaid and SNAP so they can justify giving tax cuts to the richest people in the country. I have a better idea. Skip the billionaire tax cuts, which will add at least 5 trillion to the deficit and which Americans don’t support, and continue to fully fund our safety net programs instead. Anything else is a moral failure and an outrage. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I am calling to ask the Congressmember to sign on to Rep. Boyle’s discharge petition to ensure there are no cuts to either Medicaid or SNAP in the reconciliation bill. In our district alone, (FIND YOUR DISTRICT STATS HERE), [X] people rely on Medicaid and [X] on SNAP. Selling these folks out to pay for tax cuts for billionaires is horrific. Don’t do it. [H/T Rogan’s List]
Also, I understand that House Republican lawmakers snuck a provision into the reconciliation bill last night to authorize the sale of 11,000 acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah, presumably for timber production and new oil and gas leases. Absolutely not. I’m furious this is even being considered. Public lands are for the American people, not billionaires and corporations. Vote no. Protect our natural spaces or lose your job. Thanks. [H/T]
Extra Credit ✅
Earlier this month, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed a new rule that could limit the scope of Endangered Species Act protections. The agencies are accepting public comments on the proposed rule change until May 19, 2025.
Currently, the Endangered Species Act prohibits certain actions that “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect” threatened and endangered organisms. Until now, “harm” was understood to include actions that significantly impact an organism’s habitat.
However, the new proposed rule change would rescind the regulatory definition of “harm,” limiting the Act’s prohibitions to actions that directly injure or kill listed species.
Comments can be submitted here. You do not have to be an expert to comment. Just write about the local impact this proposal would have. Non-unique comments will be ignored so write from your heart and tell them why you want endangered species to stay protected.
(Here is a link to a pre-written comment (and some background information) from The Center for Biological Diversity in case it helps.)
Extra Extra Credit! ✅✅
From Indivisible:
If you have a GOP representative, please use this tool to send them an email to get them on the record about their plans to defund SNAP and Medicaid. Republicans don’t want us talking about Trump’s reconciliation plan because they know it screws working people to pay for billionaires’ tax breaks. We need to get them on the record and hold them accountable.
Get Smart! 📚
On Thursday, May 15 at 1PM ET please join the Progressive Caucus Action Fund, Groundwork Action, and Fair Share America for Recession for Us, Riches for Them? Stopping Republicans’ Corporate Giveaway with Words that Work.
This webinar will break down Congress’ latest corporate giveaways, how to push back with messages that move people, and winning strategies from grassroots leaders.
Congress is hurtling towards a vote to funnel cash to corporations and billionaires at our expense. Don’t miss this chance to fight back!
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
This new framelab post is so important! It’s called “The Majority Turns on Trump: Support Shrinks, Protests Grow.” Trump’s approval is collapsing. The majority sees him as dangerous—and the louder we get, the weaker he becomes. Read the post!
Give 💰!
Friendly reminder to give to groups protecting democracy in court through Force Multiplier’s Defending Democracy Fund. It’s a really, really good place to put your dough right now!
Win Races! 🗳
Sister District has officially launched their national phonebanks into Virginia for November’s massively important elections! Let’s gooooo!
Our narrowest win last year came down to just over 180 votes. That’s how tight these state legislative races are — every voter we reach this year could tip the balance in Virginia.
Whether you’re a veteran or phonebanking for the very first time, you won’t be alone. The amazing SD team will be there to support you at every step so you can hit the ground running. They’ll provide you with resources, a full training, and check-ins throughout your shift.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: your Senators] [H/T] [Text SIGN POMDOV to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
I urge you to vote NO on advancing the GENIUS Act and to vote YES on the End Crypto Corruption Act instead.
The GENIUS Act would legitimize and deregulate private “stablecoins,” effectively giving Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and other tech billionaires the power to mint their own currencies.
Recent reporting from the New York Times makes clear how dangerous this is: Trump’s crypto firm just announced a $2 billion deal with a Middle Eastern fund and Binance, a crypto exchange that pleaded guilty to federal money laundering charges.
The GENIUS Act is not about financial innovation, it is about creating a system ripe for crypto scams. It offers no meaningful consumer protections, and opens the door to manipulation and abuse. If passed, it could expose working families to the next crypto collapse.
Stop this reckless bill. Vote NO, reject the GENIUS Act, and protect consumers now. And vote YES on the End Crypto Corruption Act to DO SOMETHING about Trump’s crypto-corruption. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Hi Jess- as a physician I hope you will rally the troops to oppose Trumps most recent nominee for Surgeon General. Casey Means has never held an independent medical license in any state (license from Oregon was training license from the residency she dropped out of). Casey pedals dangerous misinformation and misogyny on her website and wields her MD inappropriately. Again she has never had the ability to practice medicine independently. Her website is a disaster of lies, Amazon links and various supplements for sale. She has absolutely zero experience in public health. She is a danger and an embarrassment to physicians who train and work hard every day to care for our patients.
I love this so much! Thank you for being our leader in the trenches for activism in this moment. YOUR efforts and optimism and encouragement to act make all the difference! YOU are magnificent.❤️
(and since I personally had to change flight plans this week from United through Newark, at my own expense, my new effort is to keep calling Mike Lawler‘s office to see if he cares about air safety. So many members of government at all levels and their families fly commercial. Right now the random drastic cuts to air traffic control and safety are making our flying lives so much more chaotic and dangerous. We can push Lawler to take a stand, or show that he’s incapable or unwilling to take a stand.)
Thanks again for everything everything everything that you do!!