? Bonus Actions for This Week! ?

? Bonus Actions for This Week! ?

Thank you to everyone who turned out for the #StopTheBans action on Tuesday.
 
And because we’re all so AWESOME, here are some more actions for today & tomorrow!
 
? Ask our reps & senators to co-sponsor H.R. 2354 / S. 1039 to stop Trump from starting a new war in Iran.
 
?️ Urge your MoC’s to speak out against the White House’s plans to investigate their political enemies.
 
⚖️ Ask your representative to co-sponsor H.Res. 257, which would call upon the House Judiciary Committee to inquire whether President Trump should be impeached.
 
? Thank Our Reps for Passing the Equality Act!
 
Thank you for these, Indivisible Puyallup. I stole them because the ones I have were so earlier-this-week.
 
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?#TAKEACTION

Call your reps & senators ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 2354 / S. 1039 to specifically deny Mein Trumpf the authority he wants to start a new war with Iran.

 
Trump & Co. are chomping at the bit for making war on Iran. First, Team Trump violated the Iran nuclear deal. Then, they started priming the public with bellicose noises. Now, they’re trying to provoke a reaction from Iran. Remember the weeks leading up to the war in Iraq. Yep, it feels kinda like that.
 
It’s crucial that Congress use the powers vested in them to STOP THIS WAR. Please call TODAY!
 
☎️ Sen. Patty Murray: DC 202-224-2621 | Sen. Maria Cantwell: DC 202-224-3441 | Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-6) 253-272-3515 | Rep. Adam Smith (D-9) 425-793-5180 | Rep. Denny Heck (D-10) 253-533-8332 | Rep. Kim Schrier (D-8) 202-225-7761
 
?Sample script: Hello, I’m a constituent from zip code ___ and I’m very concerned about the possibility of a new war with Iran. Trump flat out violated the nuclear deal and put it in danger of falling apart… Even though Iran was in compliance, and it was keeping us all safer. Now John Bolton and the war cabinet are amping up the tensions. It feels a lot like Iraq War 2.0. Will ___ co-sponsor H.R. 2454 / S. 1039 and issue a public statement urging diplomacy, not war with Iran? Thank you and have a nice day. ?
 
Sources:
Indivisible: https://act.indivisible.org/call/iran/
Indivisible: https://indivisible.org/resource/preventing-new-war-iran
 
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?️ #TAKEACTION

Call your representative and Senators . Ask them to speak out against the Administration’s plans to investigate their political enemies.

 
We’re still alarmed by Trumpworld’s efforts to use their powers of office to punish their political enemies. Last week, we learned that Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani planned to travel to Ukraine to pressure their government to open an investigation into Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential hopeful. We then learned that Trump also wants Attorney General William Barr to open an investigation into Biden. We know where this road leads: in fake elections in dictatorships like Russia and Turkey, ruling parties investigate and jail their political opponents in order to damage them or disqualify them from the ballot.
 
☎️ Sen. Patty Murray: DC 202-224-2621 | Sen. Maria Cantwell: DC 202-224-3441 | Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-6) 253-272-3515 | Rep. Adam Smith (D-9) 425-793-5180 | Rep. Denny Heck (D-10) 253-533-8332 | Rep. Kim Schrier (D-8) 202-225-7761
 
?Sample script: Hello, I’m ___ from zip code___. I’m calling to ask ___ to loudly condemn the efforts of Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani to open investigations on Joe Biden for political reasons. Please call for an investigation into their actions. There need to be consequences for using our government and tax dollars to go after your political opponents. This is not only unethical, it erodes our democracy. Thank you and have a nice day. ?
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⚖️#TAKEACTION

 

Call your representative and ask her/him to co-sponsor H.Res. 257, which would call upon the House Judiciary Committee to inquire whether President Trump should be impeached.

 
 
☎️ Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-6) 253-272-3515 | Rep. Adam Smith (D-9) 425-793-5180 | Rep. Denny Heck (D-10) 253-533-8332 | Rep. Kim Schrier (R-8) 202-225-7761
 
?Sample script: Hello, my name is ___and I live in zip code ___.The report issued by Special Counsel Robert Mueller details many instances in which President Trump tried to thwart the Special Counsel’s investigation and undermine the rule of law in our country. The House Judiciary needs to start the process to determine whether President Trump ought to be impeached. Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s resolution, H.Res. 257, would call upon the House Judiciary to inquire whether President Trump should be impeached. I urge Rep. ___ to cosponsor and support that resolution. It’s clear from the Mueller Report that the Special Counsel left it to Congress, and specifically the House, to determine whether the President’s actions constituted and crime and warrant impeachment. The House needs to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to determine whether President Trump should be impeached. Thank you and have a nice day. ?
 
Source: Indivisible call to action: https://act.indivisible.org/call/impeachment-resolution/
 
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? #TAKE ACTION

Thank Our Reps for Passing the Equality Act!

 
Last week, House Democrats passed a massive LGBTQ rights bill. The Equality Act would extend full civil rights protections to LGBTQ people. Please call your rep to thank them.
 
☎️ Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-6) 253-272-3515 | Rep. Adam Smith (D-9) 425-793-5180 | Rep. Denny Heck (D-10) 253-533-8332 | Rep. Kim Schrier (R-8) 202-225-7761
 
?Hi, I’m [NAME] from [City]. I’m calling to thank you for voting YES on the Equality Act (H.R. 5). This important bill brings our nation one step closer to having clear and consistent protections for LGBTQ people. Your vote shows you understand how urgent this matter is. Again, thank you for your leadership and support for the LGBTQ community.
 
Indivisible Tacoma Meets with Rep. Denny Heck’s Staff

Indivisible Tacoma Meets with Rep. Denny Heck’s Staff

Summary of Meeting with Rep. Denny Heck’s Staff on March 28, 2019, in Lakewood

12 members of Indivisible Tacoma gathered to meet with Rep. Denny Heck’s staff at his Lakewood office on March 28, 2019. We had different people present our agenda items to District Director Phil Gardner. Each of our speakers brought their own stories, information, or passion to their talks and made a strong impact.

Back in January, when the Democrats took back the House, we met with Gardner with a short wish list. We asked Heck to support HR 1 for electoral reform, a Green New Deal, Single Payer, and more White House investigations.

Now, we’ve added a few things to our list, including:

  • Investigations and Mueller Report
  • Disaster Relief for Puerto Rico and California
  • Now War in Yemen
  • Healthcare: Single Payer
  • Cannabis Reform

We also planned on asking for a Town Hall, but Phil Gardner says there’s one coming up on April 17th. We’ll tell you the exact time and place when we learn more.

Congrats on Your League of Conservation Voters Rating on Environmental Issues. Now, How About a Green New Deal?

IT members thanked Rep. Denny Heck’s staff for his work and his voting record on environmental issues. He received a high rating from the League of Conservation Voters on a variety of environmental issues. In 2018, he scored 94 percent and his overall score is 97 percent.

IT members told Phil we’d like him to support The Green New Deal.

We mentioned that he had not signed on to the Save the Internet, net neutrality bill, which apparently is an oversight because he supports it. Phil said he’d contact the DC office to make sure Denny gets signed on to the bill.

No War in Yemen

With regard to U.S. involvement in Yemen, we asked that Denny reject Republicans’ procedural maneuvers using MITs to keep it from passing. Phil explained what they had done and assured us it will pass the House again.

Thanks for Supporting Medicare Buy-In at 50. Now, How About Single Payer?

As usual, we brought up our support of universal healthcare and urged him to sign on to Rep. Jamila Jayapal (D-7)’s single-payer health care bill. Phil explained (again) that Denny has some concerns about that particular bill, but has co-sponsored a Medicare buy-in at 50 bill. He is also looking closely at another bill called Medicare for America. We talked about the awfulness of the possibility of the court overturning the ACA and the Republican’s “astounding lack of a plan.” Phil told us that the two Democratic caucuses all want to head in the direction of healthcare for all.

We asked if the House has any ability to do anything about the tax bill passed last year. Sadly, Phil told us that at this point there’s not much we can do. At least not until we elect a new president and put Democrats in control of the U.S. Senate.

Release the Mueller Report

We discussed the work of the House Intelligence Committee which Denny is on. Phil told us about the attack on Adam Schiff and outlined what they believe Barr and the Republican’s strategy regarding Mueller’s report is, which is to leak it out over long periods so the total impact of it is minimized. It will most likely end up in a court fight.

Thanks for Supporting Cannabis Reform

Phil Gardner told us the Cannabis Reform bill just moved out of Congress and has support from both parties. Denny supported it and also eventually getting cannabis moved to a schedule 1 drug and eliminating problems for people in states where it is legal but get into trouble due to federal law. One of our members told a story about a woman losing refugee status because of this issue.

Disaster Relief for Puerto Rico and California

We asked what recourse Congress has for money allocated for the disaster relief funds Individual #1 has refused to send for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the wildfires in California. Phil told us that during Nixon’s reign the “Impoundment Act” passed which made it illegal for the administration to not spend money allocated by Congress. However, as with many things, this administration is ignoring the law. Again, this will probably end up in the courts.

Special Education and the Special Olympics

We asked about the latest budget issues, i.e. DeVos’ cutting of special education and the Special Olympics. Phil assured us that DeVos and the administration can only put forward budget requests but it is Congress that makes the decision. He indicated that Congress is fairly bipartisan regarding education and he thinks more money will actually be allocated for Special Olympics than in the past.

Rep. Denny Heck’s Staff: Town Hall on April 17

Phil affirmed that Denny will be holding a Town Hall in the evening of April 17 in Pierce County, but an exact time and venue has not been confirmed. He will let us know as soon as it is and we will put that on the Events Calendar. We asked about having Denny speak to IT during the summer recess and he said Denny will be home for 6 weeks starting in August, so we can try to plan for that. We also asked what we can do to help and he said emailing and calling about what we agree (or disagree) with and right now personal stories about the ACA or other healthcare issues.

We left Phil with a letter signed by all present which highlighted what we discussed as well as additional topics. The letter requests a written response.