Tell Congress NO to a Second Govt. Shutdown & a Fake Crisis

By MUUSJN on Monday, February 4th, 2019
Background

President Donald Trump is doubling down on his demand for a $5.7 billion barrier between the U.S. and Mexico.  He’s willing to shut down our government a second time to fulfill his campaign promise to build a wall on our southern border.  More than two-thirds of Americans don’t think the wall should be a priority, according to a poll by NPR, PBS News Hour and Marist.  Trump seems to be quite willing to declare a fake “National Disaster” to get what he wants. He would shake the foundations of our democracy.  We must fight back!

America has suffered because of Trump’s obsession with a wall. 
  • 800,000 federal workers lost wages and were put into economic crises during this historically long (35 day) partial government shutdown;
  • The public was denied full protections of air travel and food safety; 
  • Low-income families were threatened with loss of food (SNAP), subsidized housing and other essential benefits;
  • Falsely blaming immigrants for crime, drugs and increasing costs of government breeds more racism, more prejudice toward people of color;  
  • According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) the 2018-2019 shutdown cost the economy $11 billion.

A team of 17 members of Congress (click HERE for list) has begun negotiating for a budget settlement. However, President Trump has expressed doubt this Congressional group would secure adequate funding for his border wall.  In this case, he has sworn to declare a “National Emergency” (provided for in the Constitution for a genuine national emergency) allowing the president to have  powers to override Congress to allocate funding for his wall from another part of government.  (Examples:  Reallocate disaster funds for Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas, California for the wall.)  Click HERE to read a disturbing essay from the Brennan Center for Justice on what a President can do if he declares a “National Emergency”.  This dangerous precedent would surely be challenged in courts. Even Senator Mitch McConnell opposes taking this reckless step. 

CALL THIS WEEK(preferably, before Tuesday’s State of the Union) 

 Call Senator Debbie Stabenow (202) 224-4822 and Senator Gary Peters (202) 224-6221 & at least one member of the Budget Committee (202) 224-3121  (Congressional Switchboard) 

SENATORS

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Alabama); Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV); Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND); Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO); Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Sen. Dick Durban (D-Ill); and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana).

REPRESENTATIVES

Rep.  Nita Lowey (D-NY); Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA); Rep. David Price (D-NC); Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA); Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX); Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA); Rep. Kaye Granger (R-TX); Rep. Chuck Fleischman (R-TN); Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA); Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Mississippi). 

TALKING POINTS: 
  1. Adopt the House’s federal budget that has already been supported by members of both parties. Prevent another budget shutdown!
  2. This federal budget must assure fair and humane treatment of  low income families, women and immigrants, including asylum seekers and dreamers
  3. Most people living along the southern border do not feel they need a wall to protect their security. Many, however, are concerned that government might confiscate their their property by eminent domain to build a border wall
  4. Vigorously oppose President Trump’s declaration of a fake “National Emergency” that claims a wall at the southern border is urgently needed to protect our country.  (The U.S. has a REAL crisis of homeless people freezing to death during the polar vortex.) Insist that Congress retain its authority over the budget.  
 THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP FOR JUSTICE.

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