LAME DUCK CONGRESS: DO NO HARM
Republicans could wreak serious damage on their way to minority status in the House. Our MoCs need to:
- Prevent funding for a border wall. A partial government shutdown will occur on December 7 if Congress fails to pass – and the President refuses to sign — a funding bill covering large swaths of the federal government. Trump has already threatened to veto any bill that doesn’t also fund his $25 billion border wall.
- Pass only a clean Farm bill. The House passed Dickensian work requirements for food stamps (aka SNAP); the Senate did not. Any compromised Farm bill must be rejected if it includes the work requirements.
- Stop a small group of House Democrats who could wreak serious damage if they successfully unseat Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi arguably is the most skillful House Speaker since Lyndon Johnson. She passed the Affordable Care Act and much more.
Let our MoCs know that we want a lame duck session that does no serious harm.
We need funding bills that don’t hurt ordinary Americans and we need to keep a House Speaker who can skillfully wield the power we worked so hard to deliver in the midterms.
**ACTION ONE: CALL OUR SENATORS**
(Leave a message if you can’t get through)
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [town/city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to ask Senator [name] to fight for 1) a new spending bill without any funding for Trump’s wall, and 2) a Farm bill without punitive work requirements that will keep people from receiving food stamps. I am also disturbed at the intraparty fight over the House Speaker’s position. I ask the Senator to follow Sen. Schumer’s lead and to publicly endorse Representative Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. Thank you.”
Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/
SENATOR JEFF MERKLEY
Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/
**ACTION TWO: CALL COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN**
(Leave a message if you can’t get through)
“My name is [name]. I am a constituent from [town/city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to tell Mr. Walden that I want a Representative who will vote only for 1) a spending bill without any funding for Trump’s wall and 2) a Farm bill without punitive work requirements that will keep people from receiving food stamps. Please stop following your party leadership lockstep. Thank you.”
COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN
DC (202) 225-6730, Medford: (541) 776-4646,
Bend (541) 389-4408, La Grande (541) 624-2400
https://walden.house.gov/contact-greg/email-me
**ACTION THREE: CALL FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN OREGON DISTRICT 5**
Kurt Schrader, OR5 has come out against re-electing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. Ask anyone you know in that district to express their support for Pelosi and to ask that he change his position.