416 Days
Until the 2020 Election
TRUMP IS RUNNING OUR GOVERNMENT WITH TEMP WORKERS AS PERSONAL FIEFDOM. DEMAND IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS
Trump treats the federal government as his personal fiefdom, filling his administration with unqualified appointees who are insulated from the Senate’s constitutionally mandated vetting process by misusing the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA).
His persistent reliance on “acting” officials unconstitutionally violates the separation of powers by:
- protecting him from political risk of contentious confirmation battles and scuttling of ill-advised nominations after bad publicity
- shielding administration’s cruelest practices from public scrutiny
- permitting installation of compliant, unconfirmable subordinates who willingly do as they are told (even if the demands are illegal or unconstitutional), who are threatened with firing if they dare to question him and are dumped when they fail to do his bidding
Two examples demonstrate the dangers caused by this unconstitutional behavior:
- Trump’s cruelest policies are carried out by Homeland Security, where all top officials are “acting.” Had they been vetted, lawmakers could have exposed their positions on ICE raids, family separation, child detention facilities, and possibly have rejected them
- Trump’s sharpie fiasco, where the “acting” NOAA administrator was forced to validate Trump’s lies about a hurricane hitting Alabama
CONGRESS MUST TAKE BACK ITS VETTING POWER BY DRASTICALLY LIMITING WHEN AND FOR HOW LONG “ACTING APPOINTMENTS” ARE APPROPRIATE UNDER THE FVRA.
Trump’s misuse of the FVRA also warrants inclusion in the House’s impeachment inquiry.
**ACTION ONE: CALL OUR SENATORS**
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR SENATORS MERKLEY AND WYDEN:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [town/city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because . . .
. . . I am appalled by Trump’s misuse of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act to insulate his extremely unqualified appointees and their cruel ideology from Senate vetting. I ask the Senator to:
- convince Senate colleagues that Congress must take back its “advise and consent” power by drastically limiting when and for how long “acting” appointments can be made
- support the inclusion of Trump’s FVRA violations in the House’s impeachment inquiry
Thank you.”
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/
SENATOR RON WYDEN
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/
**ACTION TWO: CALL COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN**
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WALDEN:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [town/city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because . . .
. . . I am appalled by Trump’s misuse of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act to insulate his extremely unqualified appointees and their cruel ideology from Senate vetting. I ask Greg Walden to:
- convince his House colleagues that Congress must take back its “advise and consent” power by drastically limiting when and for how long “acting” appointments can be made
- support the inclusion of Trump’s FVRA violations in the House’s impeachment inquiry
Through Greg’s actions and inactions — the silence is been deafening— he continues to signal that he fully supports Trump, regardless of how much damage Trump is doing to our democracy and to world stability. Know that we are still here, we will hold him accountable, we are working to flip his seat BLUE — #2020IsNow!
Thank you.”
COMPLICIT GREG WALDENDC (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: BE AN ACTIVIST**
Visit the ORD2 Indivisible Event Calendar on a regular basis to keep updated on local activities. Participate with us as often as you can. We also encourage you to submit events to be added to the ORD2 Indivisible Event Calendar and help us keep current with our event postings. https://ord2indivisible.org/submit-your-event/
Emerge Oregon Social Hour, POW – Ashland
TODAY: September 13 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-emerge-oregon-social-hour-pow-ashland/
Global Climate Strike – Ashland
September 20 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-global-climate-strike-ashland/
Non-ORD2 Indivisible Sponsored Event: Global Climate Strike – Grants Pass
September 20 @ 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-global-climate-strike-grants-pass/
Non-ORD2 Indivisible Sponsored Event: Southern Oregon Climate Fiesta – Medford
September 20 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-southern-oregon-climate-fiesta-medford/
Non-ORD2 Indivisible Sponsored Event: Ashland Global Peace Conference – Ashland
September 21 @ 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-ashland-global-peace-conference-ashland/
Non-ORD2 Indivisible Sponsored Event: Talent Harvest Festival – Talent
September 21 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-talent-harvest-festival-talent/
Living With Purpose And Sanity In The Age Of Trump, A Self-Care Class – Medford
October 3 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/living-with-purpose-and-sanity-in-the-age-of-trump-a-self-care-class-medford/
ORD2 Indivisible 2020 Fundraising Campaign
As we approach what will be the most important election of our lifetimes, ORD2 Indivisible wants to be in a secure financial position to help engage as many voters in our district in the election process as possible. To accomplish this goal we are conducting the ORD2 Indivisible 2020 fundraising campaign.
The next 20 people who donate $20 (or more) will receive a prize!
Please make an online donation by clicking on the 2020 image below:
To make a donation by check, please make the check payable to ORD2 Indivisible and mail to:
ORD2 Indivisible
P.O. Box 1242, Phoenix, OR 97535