Hi all, and happy Monday!
Hope you had a wonderful weekend.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Despite the fact that Republicans would not allow Senators to even TALK about voter protection legislation last week, the fight isn’t over.
Starting today and through Saturday, July 10th (the period when members of Congress are home for recess) there’s a lot going on to help get voting rights legislation passed. One of the larger mass mobilizations is called the Deadline For Democracy, and it’s going gangbusters! I am going to do my damnedest to get to one of their events this afternoon—pending availability of a car. Who else is in? Go here to find an event this week that’s close to you.
And then there’s infrastructure. Yes, a “deal” has been reached. No, we aren’t done. Not even close. I’ll leave the punditry to others, but suffice it to say we’ll be spending a lot of time in the weeks and months ahead working to ensure that any infrastructure package that gets passed contains strong provisions to address climate change, as well as full funding for broadband, childcare, and more.
In the American Jobs Plan we’ll be fighting to protect workers.
And we’ll continue to work to protect women’s and LGBTQIA rights, reform our criminal justice system, fight for racial justice, address our gun violence emergency, and fix our broken healthcare, education, and immigration systems.
We will, in other words, be staying very busy.
I know this feels endless. I know this period in our history is exhausting and sometimes scary. But it’s not the first time our country has been in crisis. Others have fought and prevailed through worse times than this.
So make sure you take time to refuel with family and friends. Eat. Sleep plenty. Make gratitude lists. Move your body.
And then join me again in this very worthy fight.
Thank you for all you do, and for continuing to inspire me EVERY. DAY. Together, we will survive this epoch and give our kids—and maybe even ourselves—a country to thrive in.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
Protecting our labor force is really important to me. So in the American Jobs Plan I want the Senator to fight to include a tax credit for manufacturers of electric vehicles that are made in America by union workers. If Elon Musk’s competitors such as Ford and General Motors can make electric cars and respect their workers, Tesla should too. Don’t give Musk a tax credit for being a union buster. [H/T]
Also on the subject of workers’ rights, I want the Senator to support the PRO Act, which passed in the House in March. It should be brought for a vote and passed in the Senate as soon as recess is over. Thanks.
[If Democrat add:] Also, abolish the filibuster. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’d like the Congressmember to support health, human rights, and gender equity by passing the Global HER Act to permanently end the global gag rule and ensure that politicians can never again cause harm to people around the world by coming between patients and their health care provider. [H/T]
Because protecting a woman’s right to choose in this country is also incredibly important to me, I also want the Congressmember to support the Women’s Health Protection Act too. Thanks.
Extra Credit
I just used Stand Up America's tool to submit a Letter to the Editor urging Congress to pass D.C. statehood. It’s very easy! Join me? Go here to get started.
Let’s Win Races!
Starting now, and going through the fall, Vote Forward volunteers will be writing and stockpiling 1.5 million letters to voters in Virginia in advance of the general elections on November 2. Virginia’s odd-year elections tend to serve as a bellwether for the midterm elections, so boosting turnout is crucial.
If you’ve written for Vote Forward before, you know that these letters are easy, fun, and effective! They can boost turnout by as much as 3.5%, which is HUGE.
So please, sign up to write 20 letters today. (You can see what a typical letter might look like below. Bad picture of rose entirely optional!)
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to all 3 reps and President Biden] [H/T]
I am writing to call on Congress and President Biden to create a bold and ambitious Civilian Climate Corps that puts thousands of people to work protecting the lands and waters we need to fix the unemployment crisis, take on the climate crisis, and ensure our children can experience all the benefits of a direct connection to thriving nature.
The Civilian Climate Corps program will have the following positive effects on our country: conserve our public lands and waters so all can enjoy the benefits of nature, protect and restore the forests and wetlands needed to help reduce the effects of climate change, and build a clean energy economy with good, family-sustaining jobs.
Congress and President Biden must be ambitious to take on this task. AmeriCorps and the federal agencies, state service commissions, conservation corps, and other partners that it works with offer a solid infrastructure upon which the Civilian Climate Corps can be built starting on Day 1. And such a plan is already popular: Half of all voters under the age of 45 say they would consider joining a new Civilian Climate Corps to work on such projects.
Congress must take this crucial step and pass a fully-funded Civilian Climate Corps program at a minimum of $60B, create thousands of jobs to help our communities recover from the pandemic, and take on the effects of climate change. Thanks.