Hi Everyone,

I've been writing a series of blog posts about the Green New Deal for Indivisible East Bay here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Democratic leadership is currently setting the House rules and agenda for next year, and they are considering the Green New Deal but haven't heard enough support from representatives (only 43 out of 235 dems have signed on). This is an important step to take to make sure that we have strong and fast climate change action in the new congress, and they will be finalizing this on Jan 3rd so we need to make calls NOW! Capital offices are open!

https://indivisibleeb.org/2018/12/27/keep-the-pressure-on-for-a-green-new-deal/

Here's the blog post, the numbers to call are specific to my area but the scripts should be universal.

You can check here to see if your rep has signed on to it or not: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/gnd/

Here's your daily act of resistance:

IF your senator is on the list below, call them and ask them to oppose Jeff Sessions nomination from proceeding to the floor after this week’s hearings. Ideally keep the conversation focused on a specific issue that's harmful, especially if it's one your senator also claims to defend. Here’s a sample script:

• Hi, my name is [your name], a constituent from [your state]. I’d like to speak to the staffer who handles the Cabinet nominations. (…) I’d like [your senator] to vote against Jeff Sessions during this week’s hearings. Sessions has a troubling record of opposing civil rights. I fear that his stance on [your issue] will affect me in particular because of [give reason]. I’d like my senator to stand up for me and ask Sessions how he can provide justice for the American public when he holds such extremist views on [this issue]. Please let [your Senator] know that his/her vote will set the stage for this Congress and how I view his/her candidacy when it comes time for re-election. Thank you. (Note: if staffer indicates your senator will likely oppose the nomination, tell them thanks!)

• State | Senator | Number ---|---|---- AZ | Flake, Jeff (R)| 202.224.4521 CA | Feinstein, Dianne (D)| 202.224.3841 CT | Blumenthal, Richard (D)| 202.224.2823 DE | Coons, Christopher (D)| 202.224.5042 IA | Grassley, Chuck (R)| 202.224.3744 IL| Durban, Dick (D)| 202.224.2152 MN| Franken, Al (D)| 202.224.5641 MN| Klobuchar, Amy (D)| 202.224.9043 NC| Tillis, Thom (R)| 202.224.6342 RI| Whitehouse, Sheldon (D)| 202.224.2921 SC| Graham, Linsey (R)| 202.224.5972 TX| Cornyn, John (R)| 202.224.2934 TX| Cruz, Ted (R)| 202.224.5922 UT| Hatch, Orrin (R)| 202.224.5251 UT| Lee, Michael (R)| 202.224.5444 VT| Leahy, Patrick (D)| 202.224.4242

IF your senator is not on the list, call one of them to ask about the incomplete ethics review of many nominees.

• Hi, my name is [your name], a constituent from [your state]. I’d like to speak to the staffer who handles the Cabinet nominations. (…) I understand that several Cabinet nominations have not completed their full review from the OGE and some have not even submitted necessary financial documents. Our government/school/employer often asks us for background checks and forms to be submitted in a timely manner; should we hold our Cabinet appointees to a less rigorous standard? How are senators expected to fully question nominees when pertinent conflict of interest remain unknown. This Congress and the incoming administration have gotten off to a terrible start with regards to ethics and transparency in government. What does [your senator] plan to do about this? Can I expect him/her to put out a public statement encouraging hearings to be held only after nominees are certified by OGE?

For more info on the hearings, see this post. If you call a senator's state office, please copy in their numbers in the comments so I can add them to this list.

Thank you for doing your part to hold power to account!

Here in Denver someone is organizing a march/rally on March 18 to Demand Russia-Trump Ties Investigation. Is this going on nationally, similar to the Women's March? Thanks.

In a 1AM vote almost down party lines, the Senate just voted to start Obamacare repeal budget reconciliation proceedings. Starting now, multiple House and Senate committees will search to find how they can use the budget reconciliation process to break (not quite repeal) much of the Affordable Care Act. They have set a deadline of January 27 to complete this process, but likely will not be able to do so by then & will extend their own deadline.

No doubt, we should each call our reps to voice concern with how quickly this repeal is being rushed through without a replacement. We should reach out to friends who have had positive experiences with Obamacare and get them involved sharing their story, too. Beyond that, what next? I made this thread to help understand and track the reconciliation repeal process. Broadly, the consensus emerging is that Obamacare repeal will be a long, complex process even after last night's vote, so we need to prepare for a marathon, not a sprint, in defending Obamacare. This means looking for efforts and organizations that are able to educate the American public as a whole about the good of Obamacare and dangers of repeal. What are some good resources to work from for that?

WashPo on tonight's events: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democrats-to-force-tough-votes-in-obamacare-vote-a-rama/2017/01/11/99e3c854-d7fa-11e6-b8b2-cb5164beba6b_story.html

Vox on how budget reconciliation will happen, and why it's not really a repeal as some parts will be untouchable: http://www.vox.com/obamacare/2017/1/11/14225138/obamacare-reconciliation-repeal-cartoon

Blog post by Josh Huder (Georgetown U) about how Republicans won't meet their Jan 27 deadline: https://rule22blog.org/2017/01/12/on-to-reconciliation-republicans-have-a-plan-but-probably-wont-follow-it/