Action #1: Tell your representative to get rid of the “Motion to Recommit” and the “PayGo” rules
Our legislators are making decisions on these actions now! Read more from Indivisible here.
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] to tell Rep. [___] to vote to remove two provisions that present a barrier to the progressive legislation we expect to see from [him/her): the “Motion to Recommit” (or “MTR”) and the “Pay as You Go rule” (or “PayGo”).
(Contact information at bottom)
Action #2: Tell your legislators that it’s time for D.C. statehood.
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] to tell Rep. [___] to become an original cosponsor for a new D.C. statehood bill.
More script if you want it: This is our chance to not only stand up for the rights of D.C. residents, but to build a stronger democracy that more accurately reflects our values of equality and fairness for all.
More Information
(More detailed read from Indivisible here.) “American democracy is built on the promise that all people should have a say in our federal government through elected representatives who can then create and execute laws on behalf of the people. However, that is not the case for the 700,000 Americans who live in the District of Columbia, who lack equal voting rights compared to their neighbors across the country. In fact, D.C. residents lack a voting representative in the House and have no representation in the Senate at all. Making D.C. the 51st state would go a long way towards making the legislative branch more representative of the country as a whole.
In addition to being a critical democracy reform, D.C. statehood is also a racial justice issue. Historically, racist politicians have prevented D.C. from becoming a state to prevent D.C.’s Black residents from building political power, from the days of the Emancipation Proclamation to the present. D.C. has long been a majority Black city, and the current population is still made up by a majority of Black people and people of color. If D.C. is granted statehood, it will be the only state in the nation to have a plurality of Black residents.
The District’s lone representative in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton (who has no vote on the House floor), is already preparing her D.C. statehood bill for introduction in the 117th Congress. In the 116th Congress, Congresswoman Norton broke the record for original cosponsors with 155 Democrats signed on, and we need to help her break that record again. It is critically important to get every single Democrat signed on as an original cosponsor of the D.C. statehood bill. If Democrats care about fixing our democracy and ensuring racial justice for all, then they must support statehood for D.C.”
Contacts
- Rep. Julia Brownley: email, (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
- or Rep. Salud Carbajal: email.(CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
- Who is my representative/senator?: https://whoismyrepresentative.com
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 