Federal Daily Action – June 16 (Unified Message Day)
Please “comment” done. Let’s see how many we get.
Your Call: Please leave this exact message.
Dear Senator Rubio (or your senator),
MARCO RUBIO DC : 202 224 3041
Jacksonville: (904) 354-4300
My name is _________. I am a constituent of ______(zip).
In the name of decency and what is right for all Americans, please stop the madness of pushing this healthcare bill through the Senate. Our country simply cannot bear the weight of this partisan insanity. Take your time, create a bill that protects all of our people. You’ll get the support you need if you do this.
We are patriots. We love our country. It’s imperative that our people see our elected officials acting with honor.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise remained in critical condition as colleagues planned to move ahead with the traditional baseball game in a show of political unity.
Call now:
MARCO RUBIO DC : 202 224 3041
Jacksonville: (904) 354-4300
BILL NELSON: DC: 202-224-5274
Jacksonville: 904-346-4500
While the Russia-Trump scandal has rocked the nation, Mitch McConnell and an all-male panel of 13 Republican Senators have been working in secret on a healthcare bill. Nobody knows what this bill looks like or how it differs from the House’s American Health Care Act, which would cause an estimated 23 million people to lose their health insurance by 2026. The GOP wants to keep it that way.
McConnell and Republican Senators intend to submit their secret healthcare bill to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) without any committee hearings, discussions, bipartisan debate, or public comments. They will keep the bill’s contents secret until the CBO finishes scoring the legislation. This means they would only release the bill publicly two to three days before the final vote, which they plan to hold on or before June 30th (by contrast, Senate Democrats held over 30 Senate Finance Committee meetings to draft the Affordable Care Act and included their Republican colleagues in these meetings). This strategy by the GOP is undermining our democratic process and we must not stand for it.
We CAN do something about this: demand Democratic Senators grind Senate business to a halt by withholding consent until Trumpcare gets a hearing, and urge Republican Senators to push their colleagues to draft their healthcare replacement openly and publicly. The American public deserves to know what is in the healthcare legislation, and the egregious behavior by the GOP must be stopped.
Your script:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from Ponte Vedra Beach.
IF DEMOCRAT: I’m calling today because I’m furious by the Republican’s plan to write and pass the American Health Care Act in secret, with no Senate hearings or public debate. I’m demanding that [SEN NAME] withhold consent and shut down Senate business until a public hearing is scheduled.
IF REPUBLICAN: I’m calling today because I’m furious at the Republican’s plan to write and pass the American Health Care Act in secret, with no Senate hearing or public debate. I’m demanding that [SEN NAME] urge their colleagues to hold hearings on this bill and stop bypassing our democratic process.
[OPTIONAL: Share a personal story of why the ACA is so important to you, your family, and / or your community]
Thank you for your hard work answering the phones.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
Eight healthcare groups including the American Medical Association, AARP and the American Heart Association are launching a series of events to call out flaws in the…
Call now!
MARCO RUBIO DC : 202 224 3041
Jacksonville: (904) 354-4300
Back in November, the word in D.C. was that the Affordable Care Act was a goner. Smart Washington politicos thought Trump might have a repeal bill ready to sign on his first day on the job. The House had voted to repeal it dozens of times. Obama had to veto it once. But Trump is still waiting. Even after the House’s vote, Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land. The legislative fight continues, and it only gets harder for Trump now. Because of you.
It’s hard to overstate how cruel this bill is. Simply put, Republicans got TrumpCare passed in the House today by making it more extreme. They had to convince the uber-conservatives in the Freedom Caucus to vote for it, so they had to make it even crueler. The original failed TrumpCare bill last month stripped healthcare from 23 million Americans. But that wasn’t enough for them. The new bill builds on that by:
Gutting protections for pre-existing conditions
Eliminating services for special needs kids in schools
Letting insurers effectively charge women more than men
In short, TrumpCare is a moral monstrosity.
The House is a majoritarian institution—the party in power sets the rules and decides what gets a vote and when the vote happens. Trump’s lackeys are pulling the puppet strings, so everybody assumed they’d jam through TrumpCare and that’d be that.
Your Script:
My name is ______________ . I am a constituent from________ (zip code).
I strongly urge you to oppose the secret ACHA. This bill would take away health care from millions of Americans, cut the Medicaid program, increase premiums and allow states to get rid of protections for people with pre-existing conditions. All that to give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to the wealthy. This is unacceptable to me.
[I/my family member] [am/is] at risk of losing [my/his/her] insurance. [I/ my family member] [have/has] a pre-existing condition that before the ACA could be used by insurance companies to discriminate against [me/them]. [My/their] health depends on Senator Rubio voting against the American Health Care Act.
Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments and managed by the states, with each state currently having broad leeway to determine who is eligible for its implementation of the program. The AHCA, if passed, will cut more than $800 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. “Per capita caps” will devastate Medicaid-funded services that people with disabilities need to live, work and participate in their communities. Medicaid provides specialized healthcare services like nursing, personal care and therapies to children and adults with disabilities, seniors, and the working poor.
Your Actions
Call both your senators and tell them to oppose any and all cuts to Medicaid.
Talking Points
This is [NAME] and I’m a constituent in [ZIP].
I’m calling to urge [Sen____] to oppose the fast-tracked ACHA and any and all cuts to Medicaid.
I want the Senator to promise to vote against any bill that converts Medicaid into a per capita cap, including the potential ACA repeal bill.
Share your personal story – Cutting Medicaid will have a devastating impact on everyone [me/ my family member/ my friends].
Your Call – DEMAND FULL TRANSPARENCY ON THE SENATE AHCA BILL
or Rubio and Senator Nelson and let them know you are opposed to the American Health Care Act that is being fast-tracked by Mitch McConnell in the Senate.
MARCO RUBIO DC : 202 224 3041
Jacksonville: (904) 354-4300
BILL NELSON: DC: 202-224-5274
Jacksonville: 904-346-4500 (Nelson is opposed, but call to let him know we have his back!)
The Affordable Care Act, and the healthcare of millions of Americans, is under a massive and urgent threat by Republicans. On Wednesday, June 7th, Speaker Mitch McConnell used “Rule 14” to successfully fast-track the AHCA, the House healthcare bill that passed last month designed to deprive 23 million people of healthcare in order to provide tax breaks to corporations and the rich. Rule 14 will allow the bill to go straight to a Senate floor vote without any requirement for committee debate or discussion.
Currently, the Senate plan is being developed in secret and is expected to be submitted to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) around June 13th, without the release of any details of the submitted healthcare plan to the public or even Senate Democrats. While the CBO score will be released to the public two weeks later during the week of June 26th, McConnell is expected to immediately call for a vote on the bill on the Senate floor (to reach his publicly stated goal of passing the bill before the July 4th recess), giving Senate Democrats and constituents *hours* to learn of and digest a new healthcare plan that will affect one-sixth of the national economy and their own personal well-being.
Healthcare policy affects every single American, and it is unacceptable that this plan has not been transparent and available for sufficient Senate debate and public review. If we do not put pressure on now for full transparency on the contents of this healthcare plan, we may not get any visibility how it will potentially alter our lives until hours before the Senate’s final vote on the floor.
Your script:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from Ponte Vedra Beach.
IF CALLING REPUBLICAN: I’m calling today because I’m appalled by the Republican attempts to pass the AHCA without any transparency what so ever. I ask that Senator Bill Nelson demand the immediate release of the plan’s details to the public and hold a hearing to thoroughly discuss a healthcare plan that affects one-sixth of our economy and the health and lives of millions of Americans.
IF CALLING DEMOCRAT: I’m calling today because I’m appalled by the Republican attempts to pass the AHCA without any transparency what so ever. I ask that Senator Bill Nelson boycott all Senate committee hearings until one is scheduled to discuss and amend the healthcare plan.
[OPTIONAL: Share a personal story of why the ACA is so important to you, your family, and / or your community]
Thank you for your hard work answering the phones. [IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
Ever since Donald Trump’s shocking victory on Election Day, press, pundits, and pollsters have engaged in a furious debate about which voters propelled him to the…
Have you gotten that letter from Rubio or Rutherford that makes your blood boil? Is it as discouraging to you as it is to me? It seems that all our carefully worded messages, reasonable and empathetic, have fallen on deaf ears. Is your first thought, I’m going to write him back and tell him how wrong he is? Then do you think, why bother! That’s what that letter is meant to do. It is meant to make you give up. It’s a strategy
Here’s the deal. We have a strategy also. Our real strategy is not reason, it is power. Unfortunately, our power has to come from numbers not from reason. Our opposition only understands the power of numbers. The more calls we make the more power we demonstrate. Instead of giving up, let that letter motivate you. Ask a friend to join you in doing the Daily Actions that your local Indivisible groups are publishing. Don’t worry about being reasoned, just state opposed or support and find another friend to make that same call.
FEDERAL DAILY ACTION Friday, June 9
DEMAND COATS AND ROGERS ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT TRUMP
The public has a right to know if Trump has asked our top intelligence officers to help him squash an ongoing investigation. These are not classified conversations and should be made public.
CALL Dan Coates, Director of National Intelligence
855-731-3260
(Why you’re calling this office:
This organization is driving legislation related to the issue.)
Your script:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a concerned citizen from ____, Fl.
I’m calling to leave a message for [Admiral Rogers / Director Coats]
I’m deeply disappointed [Admiral Rogers / Director Coats] would not answer basic questions during the Senate Intelligence Hearing about conversations they had with Trump concerning Comey or the Russia investigation. The American public has a right to know if the president behaved inapproriately, and we need transparency from our intelligence leaders in order to maintain any faith in our national institutions.
Thank you for your hard work answering the phones.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
More Info:
On June 7th, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats, National Security Agency (NSA) Director Adm. Michael S. Rogers, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, where they were questioned about their interactions with Trump. Several news outlets previously reported that Trump personally asked both Coats and Rogers to intervene with Comey and the Russian probe and encourage Comey to back off of the investigation. It was also reported that both men did not feel comfortable with Trump’s request and did not act on his wishes.
During the hearing, however, both Coats and Rogers refused to answer basic questions about Trump’s requests. “I’m not prepared to answer your question today,” Coats responded to Marco Rubio when asked if he had ever “been asked by the president or the White House to influence an ongoing investigation.” Rogers also refused to answer questions, stating “I’m not going to discuss the specifics of discussions with the president of the United States.” As multiple Senators from both sides of the aisle pointed out, these questions were not classified matters and answering them in an publicized session was not dangerous or illegal in any sense. Despite the fact that there was no legal basis for the men to refuse to answer the Senators’ questions, the intelligence officers continued to stonewall. Their motive or reasoning is still unclear.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) began the procedure Wednesday, June 7 for fast-tracking Trumpcare to get it to the floor with a minimum of transparency and a maximum of pressure.
Call Senator Rubio and Senator Nelson and let them know you are opposed to the American Health Care Act that is being fast-tracked by Mitch McConnell in the Senate.
MARCO RUBIO DC : 202 224 3041
Jacksonville: (904) 354-4300
BILL NELSON: DC: 202-224-5274
Jacksonville: 904-346-4500 (Nelson is opposed, but call to let him know we have his back!)
SCRIPT:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from ____, FL.
I’m calling today because I’m opposed to the American Health Care Act, which would leave even more Americans uninsured than pre-ACA and drive up premiums for millions more.
[Optional: Share a personal story about how this bill will impact you or someone you know]
I urge [SEN NAME] to vote against the AHCA and ensure the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid and protections for people with preexisting conditions remain in place.
Thank you for your time.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
More Info:
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the revised American Health Care Act (AHCA) is in, and its findings are clear: the bill will strip 14 million Americans of health insurance by next year and 23 million by 2026 while making coverage unaffordable for millions more. In fact, the AHCA would leave more Americans uninsured by 2026 than were uninsured prior to the ACA’s passage in 2010.
The AHCA’s rollback of Medicaid expansion alone would immediately deprive 11 million low-income people of insurance access. The AHCA’s changes to the individual insurance market, where roughly 19 million Americans buy insurance (via federal and state marketplace plans and other nongroup plans), would also reduce insurance coverage. By replacing income-based tax credits with age-based credits, the bill would drive up nongroup premiums dramatically for low-income, older enrollees. For some older adults, their premiums could go up by as much as 800%. However, wealthy Americans would receive tax breaks totaling roughly $900 billion thanks to the new tax credit structure.
An estimated 1 in 6 people live in states that would request AHCA regulatory waivers, which would allow insurers to reinstate price discrimination based on health status and end coverage of essential health benefits. The CBO estimates that many sicker people would be priced out of the insurance market altogether. For many more consumers, out-of-pocket spending on maternity care, mental health and substance abuse services could increase by thousands of dollars in a given year.
The CBO estimated the AHCA could reduce premiums overall, but it would achieve this by making insurance unattainable for older and sicker Americans and by allowing insurers to offer much skimpier plans. We must not allow the Senate to reverse years of progress in increasing healthcare access.
Hi, my name is [Name] and I’m a constituent from ____, Florida.
I’m calling to express my opposition to H.R. 10, the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017, which would undermine the crucial consumer protections provided by the Dodd-Frank Act. As the 2008 recession illustrated, the banking industry must be carefully regulated to protect consumers from risky lending practices and corporate greed.
Thank you for your hard work answering the phones.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
More Info:
The Dodd-Frank Act is a financial reform law that was passed in 2010 as a response to the Great Recession. It includes a set of regulations intended to prevent “too-big-to-fail” banks from causing another economic crisis. One critical piece of legislation under Dodd-Frank is the Volcker rule, which prohibits banks from making certain kinds of speculative investments, such as those that led to the housing market crash in 2008. The Volcker rule also limits banks in their relationships with hedge funds and private equity funds. Dodd-Frank also created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which ensures that banks, lenders, credit card corporations, and other financial companies treat their customers fairly and protect consumers from practices like predatory payday lending.
House Republicans have introduced legislation known as the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 (H.R. 10) that would repeal the Volcker rule and strip the CFPB of key enforcement powers, including the ability to fine institutions for unfair lending practices (which the CFPB recently used to fine Wells Fargo $100 million for opening 2 million accounts that their customers didn’t know about). The repeal of the Volcker rule alone would increase big banks’ profits by hundreds of millions of dollars a year while putting the American public at risk for another recession driven by irresponsible banking practices.
Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments and managed by the states, with each state currently having broad leeway to determine who is eligible for its implementation of the program. The AHCA, if passed, will cut more than $800 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. “Per capita caps” will devastate Medicaid-funded services that people with disabilities need to live, work and participate in their communities. Medicaid provides specialized healthcare services like nursing, personal care and therapies to children and adults with disabilities, seniors, and the working poor.
Call Senator Rubio and Senator Nelson and tell them to oppose any and all cuts to Medicaid.
MARCO RUBIO DC : 202 224 3041
Jacksonville: (904) 354-4300
BILL NELSON: DC: 202-224-5274
Jacksonville: 904-346-4500
This is [NAME] and I’m a constituent in [ZIP].
I’m calling to urge [Sen____] to oppose any and all cuts to Medicaid.
I want the Senator to promise to vote against any bill that converts Medicaid into a per capita cap, including the potential ACA repeal bill.
(Share your personal story – Cutting Medicaid will have a devastating impact on everyone [me/ my family member/ my friends].)
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Republicans’ Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill would also reduce the deficit and leave some…
io (or your senator),
Call Senate
Today is SAVE MEDICAID DAY!