One quick action about the Supreme Court and one quick action on behalf of immigrants. Read … Rise … Resist!
1. Demand a thorough review of Brett Kavanaugh
Trump’s Supreme Court justice nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, has authored copious legal opinions and other documents, from testimony about Bush-era torture policies to his position that a president can ignore laws that he doesn’t think are constitutional. One continual theme is his support for a greatly expanded executive authority. 5 Calls argues that “The American people deserve a thorough examination of Kavanaugh’s extensive body of work before his nomination can be sent to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. Yet on July 18th, Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley made clear he has little intention of doing so, saying he intends to only probe ‘relevant’ documents.” In essence, Grassley is trying to ignore or obscure large portions of Kavanaugh’s record.
Tell Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris — both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee — that you want a transparent and thorough examination of Kavanaugh’s record before sending his nomination to the floor of the senate for confirmation.
Call:
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein: (202) 224-3841 or (415) 393-0707
- Sen. Kamala Harris: (202) 224-3553 or (415) 355-9041
Use this script, adapted from 5 Calls:
“Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from San Jose. I’m calling to demand that the committee commit to a transparent and thorough review Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s extensive body of work before referring his nomination to the full Senate. I’m also asking the Senator to do everything she can to make sure Kavanaugh is not confirmed. Thank you.”
2. Push back against the Trump administration’s strategy to penalize sanctioned (legal) immigrants for using public benefits
The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is finalizing a policy to penalize immigrants seeking permanent residency status for availing themselves or their U.S.-born/citizen spouse or children of a wide range of public benefits, including common tax deductions, Medicaid, children’s health insurance, Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies, food stamps, public housing, etc. In essence, immigrants would be disqualified from receiving a green card if they claimed nearly any benefits or if DHS deemed them likely to receive benefits in the future. By striking at the health and well-being of families, this rule — according to the National Immigration Law Center — would have the broadest effect of any immigration proposal in recent memory, with the potential to affect tens of millions of people. And by targeting low-income, Latino and black immigrant communities, it would also widen the already deep disparities in healthcare in this country. It’s worth reiterating that immigrants’ use of services is not a burden on the economy; they pay considerably more into the health care systems than they use (ditto other public benefits).
Tell your Representative and Senators that you oppose this proposed rule and ask them to do everything they can to stop it.
- Rep. Zoe Lofgren: (202) 225-3072 or (408) 271-8700
- Rep. Ro Khanna: (202) 225-2631 or (408) 436-2720
- Rep. Anna Eshoo: (202) 225-8104 or (408) 245-2339
Use this script from 5 Calls:
“Hi, my name is [NAME], and I’m a constituent from San Jose. I’m calling to urge Rep./Sen. ___ to speak out against the Department of Homeland Security’s proposal to penalize legal immigrants for accessing non-cash public benefits. Legal immigrants pay billions in taxes, stimulate the economy, and deserve the right to access basic benefits like the earned income tax credit.”
If you can, then call the Department of Homeland Security to tell them that you oppose this proposal; their number is: 202-282-8495.
