Dear MoveOn member,
A man carrying a gun just got through airport security and took a Delta flight from Atlanta.1 Drivers are chopping down protected trees in Joshua Tree National Park to make new roads.2 Federal workers who aren't being paid can't afford insulin and other lifesaving medication and are going without.3
These are some of the many destructive results of Donald Trump and the GOP's government shutdown—now the longest in history. And Trump is content to let the shutdown continue, punishing federal workers, contractors, their families, local economies, and all of us who rely on government services.
In two weeks, Trump is scheduled to deliver a State of the Union address, a national moment that draws attention to the office of the president. But a man who has no respect for our governmental institutions and workers, who would hold the livelihood of 800,000 workers ransom for a racist, wasteful border wall, has nothing of value to say to the nation.
That's why MoveOn members are preparing to mobilize all across the country and use Tuesday, January 29, as a flashpoint for national outrage over this shutdown and the countless Americans being hurt every day by Trump and the Republicans' irresponsible behavior.
MoveOn members—and our friends and neighbors—have something far more valuable to tell the country than any of the lies and hate Trump would spew over the national airwaves. We know this because over the past few weeks, inspired by the "Shutdown Stories" that have proliferated over social media, we've been collecting stories from our members.
The response has been HUGE. We have thousands of stories of MoveOn members who live in some of the key states—those with Republican senators up for reelection in 2020 who, if increasingly pressured, could crack, turn on Trump, and demand the government reopen. Now, the goal is to put these stories to work to grab local media attention in these key states and build pressure on Republicans to stand up to Trump and Mitch McConnell—and to use these stories as an anchor for actions around the country to funnel the outrage we're all feeling.
So here's our plan:
- Collect stories of the impact of the shutdown from folks across the country—and especially in states where Republican senators are already feeling incredible pressure. Amplify these stories through videos, social media, email, and other avenues to ratchet up the pressure.
- Directly pressure key Senate Republicans. Flood offices with tens of thousands of calls, organize in-person petition deliveries next week, and produce and share videos far and wide calling them out.
- Launch a national day of action on January 29. Organize events across the country where regular folks can share the real state of the union, instead of listening to Trump's usual B.S., if the government is still shutdown.
- Call on members of Congress to boycott his speech. We just saw on national television last week how Trump will use his platform. Members of Congress do not need to dignify with their presence a speech by a man who would hold the livelihood 800,000 federal workers hostage while fearmongering over a fake national security emergency.
But we can't do it without your help. Will you chip in to help force Republicans to stand up to Trump and McConnell, get the government reopened with zero dollars for the racist border wall, and share a true "state of the union address" on January 29?
We're all ready for the government to reopen—which is why MoveOn members have been making calls, signing petitions, and demanding action. Democrats and Independents are standing strong against paying Trump's ransom. And, to be honest, we don't believe we can persuade Trump. He wants the government shut down and doesn't care whom it hurts.
But Republican senators have the power to act, if they choose. And if we can increase pressure on them this week, next week, and, if the government is still closed, through a national day of action on January 29, they will crack. They will be forced to listen to their constituents, stand up to Trump and McConnell, and get back to work.
Please chip in $3, or whatever you can afford, right now.
Thanks for all you do.
–Ben, Reggie, Dan, Emma, and the rest of the MoveOn Washington team
Sources:
1. "Passenger gets gun through TSA checkpoint on Atlanta to Tokyo flight," NBC News, January 14, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/62005?t=5&akid=224707%2E10220574%2EmbJlg2
2. "National park visitors cut down protected Joshua trees during partial government shutdown," CNN, January 12, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/62006?t=7&akid=224707%2E10220574%2EmbJlg2
3. "Federal worker with diabetes says she can't afford to pay for insulin during shutdown," The Hill, January 13, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/62007?t=9&akid=224707%2E10220574%2EmbJlg2
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 support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?
Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
Contributions to MoveOn.org Civic Action are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. This email was sent to Eddie Alfaro on January 16th, 2019. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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