Thursday, April 6, 2017

Congress members are coming home. Here's how we'll greet them.

During the first congressional recess of Donald Trump's presidency, MoveOn members and fellow progressives across America flooded town hall meetings and confronted their members of Congress at their local offices

Dear MoveOn member,

During the first congressional recess of Donald Trump's presidency, MoveOn members and fellow progressives across America flooded town hall meetings and confronted their members of Congress at their local offices, striking fear into the hearts of Republicans who dared to even consider repealing Obama's signature health care legislation and sending a clear message to Democrats that they must stand up to the Trump administration

And what happened once senators and representatives returned to Washington? We won one victory after another.

First, we saved health care for 24 million Americans, when Republicans couldn't unite behind health care repeal because constituent outrage was overwhelming. (But we have to stay vigilant, resisting all attempts to take away health care and holding elected officials who vote to repeal health care accountable.)

Then, white supremacist and Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon was removed from the National Security Council. (That's great news, but we need to do more. He must be removed from the White House completely, because a white nationalist has no place in the Oval Office.)

And just this morning, House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes was forced to recuse himself from Congress' Russia probe—citing "left-wing activist groups" that filed ethics complaints against him.1 MoveOn was one of those groups, and the hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members who called for his removal can claim this victory. (But the only way to get to the bottom of Trump's Russia ties is an independent, 9/11-style commission with subpoena power that can launch a full, fair, and nonpartisan investigation.)

Our pressure is working. But, we need to keep it up. And as we see from today's vote by Senate Republicans to change the rules in order to push through Trump's divisive Supreme Court pick, there's always more work to be done. 

Congress is about to come home again for the next two weeks; it's the second congressional recess of Donald Trump’s presidency. Once again, we must show up at our congressional offices and town halls make it clear that we, the energized resistance, aren't going anywhere.

We need you during the next two weeks! But according to our records, there isn't yet a Resistance Recess meeting scheduled close to you. Can you host an event, so we can invite other constituents in your area? Here's how:

First, double-check our Resistance Recess website that already has hundreds of events to see if there's an event near you. (It's possible that an event has just been added, or that we don't have your full address.) Click here now to see if there's a local Resistance Recess event targeting your member of Congress.

If you don't see anything posted, call your representative's and/or senators' district and D.C. offices to see if they are planning on holding a public town hall or office hours.

  1. If YES, they say that they are holding a town hall or office hours, submit the details here, and we will invite nearby MoveOn members who are constituents to join you there and prepare you to talk to your members of Congress in person.

  2. If you discover that NO, your members of Congress are not hosting a town hall within a reasonable distance from you, you can host a "constituent town hall"—an event that constituents hold to have their voices heard and highlight their lawmakers' lack of a formal town hall. A constituent town hall is a great way to get media attention and highlight that your lawmaker is avoiding constituents during the congressional recess!

    During February recess, constituent town halls organized by MoveOn members earned media attention across the country, highlighting the cowardice of members of Congress who wouldn't meet their own constituents. Here's how to host one:
    • Find a location—like a library, event space, or even outside a member of Congress’ district office—and pick a time and date.
    • Invite your member of Congress.
    • Click here to post your event on ResistanceRecess.comand MoveOn and partner groups will invite fellow constituents.
    • Put together an agenda and let the media know.
    • Check out our materials page for all the guides and information you need to plan an event.
    • Have an awesome event!

Ready to post a Resistance Recess event? Click here to post the details, and we'll recruit other constituents to join you!

Our recent victory on health care has proven that a strong resistance can accomplish more than many thought possible. But we can't grow complacent. Holding our elected officials accountable every single recess won't be easy, but that's the task before us. And your participation will go a long way because at in-person events like these, even a small number of constituents can make a big difference.

Over the next two weeks, with your help, we will show that the resistance is not going anywhere. That our victory on health care was not a fluke. And that we are only growing stronger.

Let's make it clear that Republicans who side with Trump will be held accountable. And let's ensure that Democrats understand that progressives demand that they use every single tool at their disposal to block Trump’s toxic agenda.

We hope that you'll host or attend a Resistance Recess event. Click here to get started.

Thanks for all you do.

—Manny, Gabriela, Katharine, Victoria, and the rest of the team 

P.S. This Sunday, MoveOn, Indivisible, The Working Families Party, People's Action, and The Center for Popular Democracy will host a Ready to Resist Emergency Conference Call to get ready for these recess actions. Click here to RSVP for it.

Source:

1. "Nunes steps away from Russia probe, citing ethics complaints," McClatchy, April 06, 2017
http://act.moveon.org/go/9341?t=12&akid=180820.10220574.jnybWX

Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?

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