Before we get started with upcoming actions, read how your voices made a difference last week. We are also excited to announce that we are hosting writer Sarah Kendzior in Austin on October 19. Get your tickets here.
This week’s priorities are largely the same as last week’s–healthcare and DACA (with added scripts on North Korea and Puerto Rico). Despite Sen. McCain’s “No” on the Graham-Cassidy bill, we must continue applying pressure to Sens. Cornyn and Cruz. Cornyn is on record as a “Yes.” Cruz, who at TribFest on Sunday hinted that he was a “No,” is more likely holding out for another “Cruz Amendment” to make this bad bill even worse. Do not stop calling until we have killed this bill dead.
We’ve also introduced some new ways to apply pressure on Graham-Cassidy:
Email the Senate Finance Committee by Monday (9/25) morning. This one is time-sensitive; the committee meets on Monday afternoon.
Sign up for a time slot for calling Cornyn and Cruz. The idea here is to spread calls throughout the day, with the goal of two calls every 15 minutes.
Call constituents in other states and ask them to call their Senators. The Indivisible Project has a convenient new tool to facilitate these calls.
Call #1: Zombiecare 3.0
Sample Script for Senators:
I want Senator [Cruz/Cornyn] to oppose Graham-Cassidy. The bill is just like other TrumpCare bills in that it destroys Medicaid by turning it into a capped system. This hurts children with disabilities, seniors, and even victims of natural disasters like Harvey and Irma. It also takes away funding to help people afford health insurance through the marketplace, and it punishes states that did the right thing for their residents by expanding Medicaid.
Call #2: DACA
If Congress hadn’t tried to ram through the Graham-Cassidy “healthcare” bill, they could be voting on a clean DREAM Act to protect DACA recipients by now. The DREAM Act has bipartisan support and does the most to protect DREAMers. Continue calling your Senators and House representatives and insist on its passage.
Special Call to Action for constituents of Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10) and Rep. John Carter (TX-31): McCaul and Carter are part of an informal working group in the House, focusing on DREAMers. It’s especially urgent to call these two reps!
Sample Script for Senators and House Representatives:
There are 138,440 DACA recipients in Texas alone, and each year they contribute $313,095,000 in State and local taxes. Donald Trump has betrayed our values and unraveled our promise to these young immigrants who grew up calling the United States home. Now it’s up to you to stand up to Trump’s hateful decision and secure the futures of DACA recipients with a legislative fix: The DREAM Act (S.1615 / H.R.3440).
Visit standup.indivisibleguide.com for more information on how to support immigrants in our communities.
Call #3: CHIP
Children’s Health Insurance Plan funding expires on Sept. 30, and health insurance of more than 9 million CHIP kids is in jeopardy without immediate Congressional action. The Senate has made a bipartisan agreement to extend funding, and the House needs to get on board. This is a call your representative’s office will be happy to take! CHIP has always had broad bipartisan support.
Sample Script for Senators and House Representatives:
- Thank you for voting in 2015 to reauthorize CHIP funding (all area reps voted for CHIP in 2015)
- Please take action now to authorize a five-year funding extension for CHIP
- CHIP helps keep 400,000 Texas kids healthy, and is very important for Texas now in the aftermath of Harvey
Read more about the Texas CHIP program and the impact of CHIP funding on the state budget
Call #4 North Korea
Sample Script for Senators and House Representatives:
Trump’s dangerous rhetoric is fanning the flames with North Korea. His words could provoke the unstable Kim Jong Un and further escalate tensions when our top priority should be de-escalation and diplomacy. Will you denounce Trump’s dangerous rhetoric that puts our national security at risk? Will you demand he come to Congress first before engaging in any sort of military operation against North Korea?
Read more North Korea resources on the Indivisible Project website
Call #5 Puerto Rico
If a natural disaster devastated Iowa, Mississippi, or Arkansas — all states with populations smaller than Puerto Rico’s — leaving over 3 million people without power, we’re pretty sure the White House response would be immediate. Not so with Trump, who spent the weekend tweeting racist things about athletes. (We took a knee at Sunday’s Cornyn/Cruz rally, but we’ll save that story for another day.)
One way you can make a difference in the lives of Puerto Ricans affected by Hurricane Maria is to call your reps in both the House and Senate and ask them to join Rep. Nydia Velazquez in supporting a one-year waiver of the Jones Act. This waiver would allow more ships to transport relief supplies to the U.S. territory. (The Jones Act mandates that cargo going to the island be transported on U.S. vessels.) While you’re talking to staff at your Rep’s office, remind them how quickly Congress moved on Harvey and Irma relief, and ask for equal treatment for Maria survivors. This should be the legislative priority this week — not robbing Americans of healthcare.
Read more about Rep. Valazquez and the devastation in Puerto Rico at ABC News
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, Sept. 26
- National Voter Registration Day. Events are planned all over the city. Find one near you!
Thursday, Sept. 28
- 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Indivisible Austin Women’s Coffee Meetup, NeWorlDeli, 4101 Guadalupe. This is intended as a safe space to get to know each other, network, discuss our activism activities, check in about how we’re holding up, and see if we can offer help, resources, and connections for our various resistance activities
Tuesday, Oct. 3
- 6 to 8 p.m.: What Now? The Status of Health Care for Young Women, in.gredients, 2610 Manor Rd.
- Various times: Deputy Voter Registrar Training. Travis County Tax Office, 5501 Airport Blvd. For further information or to schedule a group training, call (512) 854-9473.
Thursday, Oct. 19
- 7 p.m. Understanding Autocracy: An Evening with Sarah Kendzior, Asian-American Resource Center, 8401 Cameron Road. Indivisible Austin is proud to present the first in a series of guest speakers on authoritarianism and Trump. (Tickets: $25.)