ACTION ALERT: Updates and more

Hi everyone--happy Snow Day! If you have some time today, there are quite a few calls you can make:

Word is that Patty Murray is leading a Democrat filibuster on the Senate floor!

Also, some of you were asking for a script when you call. 

"Hi, my name is ________. I am not from your state, but I am calling you as a concerned US Citizen because I am very concerned about Betsy Devos and that she is highly unqualified to be the Secretary of Education. She has demonstrated she does not understand that the IDEA act is federal law. She does not believe in including students with disabilities in public education and does not understand the role of the Secretary of Education in ensuring all students have the right to a free and appropriate public education. I urge you to vote no. Please do not confirm Betsy DeVos, our children depend on it. Thank you."

Some staffers may hang up on you if you are not from their state, but you can try. Also, urge folks from Utah and North Carolina to call as they seem to be the ones most people feel will change their minds.

And call back if their mailbox is full. Some staffers clear it out once a day, some do more often. Vote is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday).

Other Action Items:

Attorney General Confirmation

Call Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to thank them for their no vote on DeVos, but urge them to vote no on Jeff Sessions as the Attorney General.
Patty Murray --202-224-2621 for DC, 206-553-5545 for Seattle office
Maria Cantwell --202-224-3441 for DC, 206-220-6400 for Seattle office

Script from 5calls.org:

Hi, my name is [Name] and I'm a constituent from [City, State, Zip].

I'm calling to express my deep opposition to the confirmation of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General.

Senator Sessions has a long history of allegations of racism, is anti-LGBTQ rights, and has not enforced the Voting Rights Act. He will not protect all of the people of the United States. I urge the Senator to reconsider their position and reject the confirmation.

Thank you for your time.

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your entire home address to ensure your call is tallied]

HR 861--Abolishing the EPA

Call Pramilia Jayapal 202-225-3106 (DC office) and urge her to vote no against HR 861. We need the EPA to protect our water and air and ensure clean water and air for future generations, let alone people today (the Flint Water Crisis has been going on for three years and is still not resolved).

Reject the Appointment of Steve Bannon to the Security Council

From 5calls.org:

Trump has removed the existing Director of National Intelligence and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff from the “principals committee” of the National Security Council and replaced them with his Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon. Bannon is the former leader of Breitbart News, an anti-Semitic and white supremacist right-wing opinion and "news" outlet whose notable output includes articles comparing Planned Parenthood to the Holocaust.

The purpose of the National Security Council is to ensure that the president has the best possible advice from his Cabinet, the military, and the intelligence community before making major decisions. Steve Bannon not only lacks the considerable experience needed to be the principal foreign policy adviser to the president, he has been quoted as saying "We think of ourselves as virulently anti-establishment, particularly ‘anti-’ the permanent political class." Allowing Trump to continue to be guided by Bannon in matters of national security will bring about the deaths of many innocent people.

Patty Murray --202-224-2621 for DC, 206-553-5545 for Seattle office
Maria Cantwell --202-224-3441 for DC, 206-220-6400 for Seattle office

Opposing Justice Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court

In Neil Gorsuch, Trump has nominated an avowed originalist and enemy of women’s healthcare to the Supreme Court. While on the 10th Circuit Gorsuch decided in favor of Hobby Lobby, ruling the company could refuse contraception coverage to women on religious grounds. He used the explanation that IUDs and birth control drugs destroyed fertilized eggs (which is scientifically false) and stated corporations are persons that can engage their religious right to choose which laws they want to follow.

In other assaults on women’s healthcare, Gorsuch sided with Little Sisters to the Poor in their challenge to the Affordable Care Act and its contraception mandate, and he led a judicial crusade to help Utah defund Planned Parenthood affiliates. In another particularly disturbing case, he upheld the “qualified immunity” of a police officer who tasered a man in the head and threw out the wrongful death case brought by the man’s parents.

Gorsuch has shown a distaste for the prosecution of white collar crime, he has consistently ruled in favor of corporations in labor disputes and his strict textualist reading of the constitution leaves no room LGBTQ rights. At 49 years old Gorsuch would be the youngest justice on the Supreme Court and if confirmed, his influence will be felt for over a generation.

Even though only the Senate confirms Supreme Court Justices, we will be calling both the Senate and House to let all of our legislators know we strongly disapprove of Gorsuch.

Patty Murray --202-224-2621 for DC, 206-553-5545 for Seattle office
Maria Cantwell --202-224-3441 for DC, 206-220-6400 for Seattle office

Pramilia Jayapal 202-225-3106 for DC office

There are more calls you can make if you want to--again, 5calls.org is a fabulous website for knowing who to call and having a script to use as well as background information.

ACTION ALERT: Secretary of Education--need one more NO vote to NOT confirm Betsy DeVos

2nd UPDATE: vote was only to end filibusters. Vote will take place on Tuesday. Please call the numbers below!

UPDATE: Vote scheduled for 6:30am EST Friday February 3rd: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/317675-senate-schedules-630-am-vote-on-devos

From Senator Patty Murray's email:

Right now, the vote to confirm her as our next Education Secretary is 50-50, with Vice President Pence as the tie-break vote to support her confirmation. We just need one more Republican senator to listen to their constituents and take their concerns seriously, and commit to vote against her to keep her out of the Department of Education for good. Patty Murray is leading the charge against Betsy DeVos in the Senate. But here's how you can help: Call Republican Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Mike Lee right now and tell them you're counting on them to support kids and teachers by voting NO on Betsy DeVos. Senator Orrin Hatch: (202) 224-5251 Senator Mike Lee: (202) 224-5444 After you've called, let us know how the call went right here. These calls make a huge difference. You can keep emailing or trying to reach lawmakers on social media -- but it's also important to make a call and make sure these senators hear directly from you. It's a lot harder to ignore a ringing phone. Senator Murkowski said that, despite her own feelings about Betsy DeVos, she'd heard from "thousands of Alaskans" who are very concerned about her views and her lack of knowledge when it comes to education policy. She cited those calls as the main reason she felt compelled to oppose Betsy DeVos. This could be a huge win for students and parents across the country, and a huge blow to President Trump and his anti-education agenda. And if we work together, we can do this. Call Senator Orrin Hatch at (202) 224-5251, and Senator Mike Lee at (202) 224-5444, and then let us know how the calls went with a quick report back.

Washington Education Funding

Yesterday, the Washington State Senate Republicans released their K-12 education budget. In a time where the Supreme Court has ruled that Washington State public schools are unfunded this budget takes a knife to funding public education for our children's futures.

I have attached the Senate Bill if you wish to read, but as an overview this is the proposal:
- raises class sizes
- reduces special education funding
- reduces teacher pay AND eliminates cost of living raises AND eliminates National board bonuses
- eliminates the requirement for a certification to teach students
- does not address the impending levy cliff. As a result the additional funding allocated within this bill will be swallowed by the levy cliff.
- opens the door for a voucher system
As an educator I urge you to contact your legislators. Stand up for our children, our next generation.
Our children deserve better. Please write your state legislators and tell them you expect more. Better yet . . . visit them in Olympia!

http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2017-18/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/5607%20SBA%20WM%2017.pdf

ACTION ALERT: Secretary of Education Confirmation

Betsy DeVos was confirmed this morning, 12-11 (all 12 were R, all 11 were D). 

The vote now goes to the Senate floor, vote not scheduled yet but it will happen soon.

This is the time to call all of the Republican senators, and urge friends in red states to call their senators. If you can, call senators where you may have a connection--a state you have family in, or have lived in, etc. Make it personal. Tell your story of why public education is important to you and how DeVos is unqualified for this job.

From 5calls.org, a script to use:

Hi, my name is [Name] and I'm a concerned constituent from [City, State, Zip].

I'm calling to express my deep opposition to the confirmation of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education.

May I ask how [Senator’s Name] will be voting?

[If NO for Confirmation]: Please tell the Senator thank you for listening to their constituents. Have a good day.

[If YES for Confirmation]: Betsy DeVos has no experience in the public school system she would be overseeing. I urge the Senator to reconsider their position and reject DeVos’ confirmation. I will remember [Senator’s Name] stance in the next election.

[Optional: add anything else you wish to say here, if you have children mention how this would affect you]

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your entire home address to ensure your call is tallied]

List of Senators with their phone numbers: https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/