devos

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january 26 - READ!

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Keep making calls!!  Focus on Tom Price (HHS), Jeff Sessions (AG) and Betsy DeVos (Education).

Here is some reading about what makes these nominations so dangerous:

Tom Price

Jeff Sessions

KEEP READING! SUBSCRIBE TO A REPUTABLE NEWS OUTLET (eg. The Guardian, Washington Post, New York Times)  These are now acts of resistance. Trump issued a gag order on federal agencies earlier this week, including the EPA, National Institute of Health, and others. You can read about it here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/daily-202-11-stories-from-… and https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/9daa6aa4-e26f-11e6-ba11-63… and here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/9daa6aa4-e26f-11e6-ba11-63…

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January 25 - ACTIONS

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1) Yesterday was crammed full of hearings. CALL your senators today and prioritize the top candidates you find most objectionable. My suggestions are as follows. I've settled on these three because in my opinion, these are the nominees I think we have the most likelihood of blocking.

Tom Price as HHS Secretary, about whom you can read more here: https://medium.com/…/ten-reasons-why-tom-price-as-health-an…  You can also join with Senate Democrats' call to investigate Price's ethical conflicts of interest and potential violation of the STOCK Act.

Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, about whom you can read the latest press from the ACLU here: https://www.aclu.org/…/sen-jeff-sessions-trumps-nominee-att… Sessions is also additionally worrisome because of Trump's plan to investigate the voter fraud that never happened: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/trump-seeks-major-invest…/…
 

Betsy "grizzly bears" DeVos as Secretary of Education, about whom you can read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/whats-the-worst-that-cou…/…
Obviously Scott Pruitt, Rick Perry, Rex Tillerson, Andy Puzder, and let's face it, all of them, are deeply objectionable and worrisome, but these three already have large groundswells against them.

2) READ. EDUCATE YOURSELF. These are now acts of resistance. Trump issued a gag order on federal agencies yesterday. You can read about it here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/9daa6aa4-e26f-11e6-ba11-63…and here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/9daa6aa4-e26f-11e6-ba11-63…  SUBSCRIBE TO QUALITY PAPERS TO SUPPORT OUR FREE AND FAIR PRESS. THIS IS NOT A TEST. And find independent non-US news outlets to err on the side of caution. The Guardian has been on its game lately.

3) LIKE Caring for Us on Facebook to stay up to date with what's going on with the Affordable Care Act, why you should care, and how you can help. Our first event is this Saturday, and you can find the event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1434229176627419/

4) VOICE YOUR SUPPORT of the Affordable Care Act, which Trump dealt a blow with Friday's executive order that weakened the individual mandate upon which the system rests. See here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/1afb3500-e046-11e6-ad42-f3…
And here: http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx…
Also SIGN this petition to demand that Republicans not repeal the ACA: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/713/819/785/

5) Our healthcare at home and women's and girl's healthcare around the world are in serious peril. READ up about Trump's reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule and why it's even more devastating now that it had been when previous Republican presidents instantiated it. CALL your representatives and urge them to denounce the Global Gag Rule and publicly stand with Planned Parenthood. Want to do more to help protect Planned Parenthood? SIGN UP to become a Planned Parenthood Defender here: https://secure.ppaction.org/…/pp_ppaf_IStandWithPP_0117_Gui…

6) It is unacceptable that Trump has still not released his tax returns or divested from his businesses. SIGN these petitions to register your demand that he do so.
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/…/immediately-release-dona…
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/…/divest-or-put-blind-trus…

january 24 - CALL TO ACTION - Flood the Lines

CALL TO ACTION -- FLOOD THE LINES!

"SAY NO TO DEVOS!"

These five republicans are possible swing votes on Betsy DeVos’s nomination to be secretary of education. Call them to express concern—as soon as possible. If just 3 of them vote no, the nomination will fail.  Call them and ask them to "Say no to DeVos"!

  • Senator Susan Collins: 202 224-2523
  • Senator Jeff Flake 202-224-4521
  • Senator John McCain 202-224-2235
  • Senator Lindsay Graham 202-224-5972
  • Senator Lisa Murkowski 202-224-6665

http://stopbetsydevos.org/about-betsy-devos-2/

 

TOM PRICE:  A physician who wants to make people sicker and poorer is the worst possible choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services!

Tom Price is intent on destroying the nation’s health care safety net. He has big plans to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, cut Social Security, privatize Medicare, slash Medicaid, and defund Planned Parenthood.

It’s time to Flood the Lines for Price's second hearing! Call, call, call, and call some more!

1) Lament to Lamar! Between 12:30 and 2 PM on Tuesday, 1/24, call Sen. Lamar Alexander, Chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Call your own senators too! A blitz effort with the script below shows that there is an organized effort to block Price’s nomination - and that makes our representatives pay attention. Stand with us as we Flood the Lines. Call your senators and call your friends!

Script: Hello, I am a concerned citizen/constituent calling to ask the Senator to vote against the confirmation of Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services because he has a record of opposition to the ACA, Medicare, Medicaid, and Planned Parenthood, which millions of Americans depend on for their lifesaving healthcare. (Pick one or more of the following!)

  • He has spent years trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. 
  • He wants to both privatize Medicare and raise the age of eligibility. 
  • He plans to slash Medicaid funding. 
  • He intends to defund Planned Parenthood. 
  • While serving on the House Ways and Means Committee, he bought stock in a medical equipment company and then introduced legislation that would both regulate Medicare and benefit that company -- possibly violating federal law regarding insider trading.
  • His malpractice reform legislation would limit awards to injured patients, benefiting physicians and hospitals without improving patient care. 
  • His interests clearly lie with the healthcare industry and insurance companies, not patients. 
  • He has forgotten the Hippocratic Oath: first, do no harm.

Add something personal if you like. It's our health we're talking about!

(If you talk to a live person and you are a constituent, continue:) What is the senator doing to oppose this dangerous appointment? If I don't see appropriate action on this appointment, I will consider not voting for him in the next election and will encourage my network to oppose him as well.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (Chair)
(202) 224-4944 (DC)
(901) 544-4224 (Memphis)
(423) 752-5337 (Chattanooga)
@SenAlexander

Sen. Patty Murray (Ranking Member)
(202) 224-2621 (DC)
(206) 553-5545 (Seattle)
(509) 624-9515 (Spokane)
@PattyMurray

Sen. Chuck Schumer
(202) 224-6542 (DC)
(212) 486-4430 (NYC)
(631) 753-0978 (Melville, Long Island)
(607) 772-6792 (Binghamton)
(914) 734-1532 (Peekskill)
@SenSchumer

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
(202) 224-4451 (DC)
(212) 688-6262 (NYC)
(631) 249-2825 (Melville)
(315) 376-6118 (North Country)
(845) 875-4585 (Hudson Valley)
@SenGillibrand

2) Phone a friend! All of the Senators on the HELP Committee need to hear that their constituents oppose Price’s appointment. If you have friends in any of these states, share the script and ask them to make a phone call!

Colorado - Sen. Michael F. Bennett
Georgia - Sen. Johnny Isakson
Kentucky - Sen. Rand Paul
Maine - Sen. Susan Collins
Minnesota - Sen. Al Franken
North Carolina - Sen. Richard Burr
Pennsylvania - Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Vermont - Sen. Bernie Sanders
Washington - Sen. Patty Murray
Wyoming - Sen. Michael D. Enzi
Contact info for members: http://www.help.senate.gov/about/members