This Sunday is Mother’s Day, so we’re going to experiment with a weeknight meeting on Monday, May 15, 7-9pm at Bishop Harrison.
Please find below the weekly ACTION ALERTS from our legislative action team. The House of Representatives is on recess this week, so we’ve got two in-person actions scheduled at Rep. Katko’s office (Wed. and Fri.), along with lots of phone-calling actions. The Senate is still in session, so we’ll direct some phone calls toward Senators Schumer and Gillibrand as well. Building on the energy from last week’s climate march, we’ve got a bit of an environmental focus this week, but also items regarding immigrant rights, health care, the Pentagon budget, and more. If you have suggested action items on any issues likely to be of concern to the Coalition, please send them my way.
As always, we try our best to keep this info current, but we’ll post updates as needed to the CNY Solidarity website, along with the various social media channels linked at the bottom of this message.
Monday (May 8): 2 phone-calling actions today (1 state, 1 federal)
Defend public lands and fight climate change
The Senate is set to vote this week on a resolution (S.J. Res. 11) to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to permanently do away with a widely supported rule that limits waste of natural gas on public lands. This rule helps keep our communities healthy and prevents emissions of one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases. If passed, this resolution would amount to an $800 million giveaway of taxpayer revenue, giving oil and gas companies a free pass to waste taxpayer-owned resources while also endangering our climate and public health. They don’t have the votes, and if they can’t get them by May 11, the CRA window closes permanently. Please call Senators Schumer and Gillibrand today and tell them to vote NO on undoing the “BLM Methane and Waste Prevention Rule.” Schumer’s numbers are 202-224-6542 and 315-423-5471. Gillibrand’s are 202-224-4451 and 315-448-0470. For more information, including fact sheets, call scripts, and talking points, visit the Wilderness Society’s methane toolkit to take action.
Support immigrant rights in New York
Please call your NYS Senator and demand that s/he support the Liberty Act (#S4075), which would make NYS a sanctuary state. It has already passed in the NYS Assembly. Undocumented Immigrants contribute $40B in economic activity & $1B in taxes in NYS. We must stop treating them like they are a burden. They now have access to legal counsel in NYS, but we need to protect them from being detained in the first place. Most of us are represented in the State Senate by David Valesky (315-478-8745), John DeFrancisco (315-428-7632), or James Seward (607-432-5524), but if you’re not sure whose district you’re in, click here and enter your address to find out.
Tuesday (May 9): 2 phone-calling actions today (1 House, 1 Senate), plus a chance to help out with Friday’s Pentagon budget protest
Support and defend the Great Lakes
From our friends at the New York League of Conservation Voters: Please call Rep. Katko and urge him to support Plan 2014. The health of the Great Lakes is essential to the economic, cultural, and natural heritage of New York – over four million New Yorkers, and thirty million people nationwide, depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, recreation, health and overall quality of life. Plan 2014, finalized only 5 months ago, represents an historic opportunity to incorporate the best available science to restore over 60,000 acres of wetland habitat for New York’s wildlife and endangered species, while improving economic opportunities and shoreline resiliency in both New York and Canada. The Trump administration, urged by some Members of Congress, is considering scrapping the plan and pulling out of the International Joint Commission, the body that jointly manages the Great Lakes. This would be bad for New York’s wildlife, environment, and economy. Call Rep. Katko’s office today and urge him to support Plan 2014 and the IJC. As always, Katko’s numbers are 315-423-5657 (Syracuse), 315-253-4068 (Auburn), or 202-225-3701 (DC).
Say no to the corporate takeover of government agencies
Press reports indicate that President Trump’s nominations for the two open seats on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) are likely to be well-known nuclear industry political insiders Annie Caputo and David Wright. Caputo was a former executive at Exelon, now the largest nuclear power corporation in the U.S. And Wright, a former South Carolina Public Service Board Commissioner, is a long-time booster for the scientifically unsound Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository now seeing a revival of interest on Capitol Hill. These nominations follow a long tradition of revolving doors between the nuclear industry and the NRC. More info here. Please call US Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and urge them to voice their opposition to the confirmation of Caputo and Wright as Commissioners to the NRC. Schumer’s numbers are 202-224-6542 and 315-423-5471. Gillibrand’s are 202-224-4451 and 315-448-0470.
Support Friday’s Pentagon budget protest in Syracuse
This Friday, we’ll rally outside Rep. Katko’s office against President Trump’s proposed $54 billion increase in defense spending. More details below, but in the meantime, you can help by joining us for phone-banking and sign-making at the Syracuse Peace Council, 2013 E. Genesee St., tonight (Tuesday) from 5:30-7:30pm. Also, please download the “No $54 Billion (More) for War” petition, circulate it, and return it to SPC by tonight. And if you have a group interested in co-sponsoring Friday’s action, contact brian@peacecouncil.net.
Wednesday (May 10): 2 phone-calling actions today (1 state, 1 federal), plus a rally at Rep. Katko’s office in Syracuse
Support Reproductive Health Care in NYS
With the constant federal attacks on women’s health care, the state-level Reproductive Health Act (RHA) & Comprehensive Contraceptive Coverage Act (CCCA) are more important than ever. Please call your NYS Senator and demand that s/he support the RHA and the CCCA. If your senator already supports these bills, ask her/him to co-sponsor & push for them to be brought to the floor for a vote. Most of us are represented in the State Senate by David Valesky (315-478-8745), John DeFrancisco (315-428-7632), or James Seward (607-432-5524), but if you’re not sure whose district you’re in, click here and enter your address to find out.
Support tax transparency and justice
12-1pm: Tax Rally at Rep. Katko’s office
Following up on the April 15 marches for tax transparency and justice, we’ll rally today at Rep. Katko’s office in downtown Syracuse (the Galleries Building, 440 S. Warren St.).
If you can’t make it to the rally today (or even if you can!), please call Rep. Katko and urge him to sign the discharge petition for HR 305: The Presidential Tax Transparency Act. A discharge petition, if signed by a majority of members of the House, forces the Majority Leader to schedule a bill for a vote. More details on the discharge petition process here; and recommended phone script on the tax transparency act here. Katko’s numbers are 315-423-5657 (Syracuse), 315-253-4068 (Auburn), or 202-225-3701 (DC). As always, identify yourself as a constituent, tell a personal story if you have one, and be polite to congressional staff.
Thursday (May 11): 2 phone-calling actions today (1 state, 1 federal)
Say no to nuclear weapons!
As we gear up for tomorrow’s rally and march regarding the Pentagon budget, please call Rep. Katko today and urge him to support the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017 (H.R. 669). The bill would prohibit the President from using the Armed Forces to conduct a first-use nuclear strike unless such strike is conducted pursuant to a congressional declaration of war expressly authorizing such strike. It currently has only one Republican co-sponsor. Katko’s numbers are 315-423-5657 (Syracuse), 315-253-4068 (Auburn), or 202-225-3701 (DC).
Support Universal Health Care in NYS: NY Health Act (S4840)
Congressional Republicans have moved one step closer to repealing the ACA and passing the AHCA. It is more important than ever that NYS step up to counteract this measure that threatens our health care coverage. Call State Senate Health Committee Chair Kemp Hannon (516-739-1700) and Insurance Committee Chair James Seward (607-432-5524) and demand support for the NY Health Act. If you’ve got time for an additional call, contact Governor Cuomo as well: 518-474-8390.
Friday (May 12): 1 phone-calling action and 1 rally today
Object to the 10% rate increase from National Grid
As always, the proposed utility rate increase would fall hardest on the poor and working class. This is wrong and must be prevented. Also, Nat. Grid is increasing their delivery charges which usually remain constant, and if you have solar panels or wind turbines, are the only cost to you if your yearly electric production keeps up with your yearly electric consumption. Therefore, this will lengthen the payback time for those who have invested in green energy production. If the governor is sincere in his priority of a green energy grid, he must stop this disincentive for people to invest in green energy production. Call Governor Cuomo at 1-518-474-8390 to voice your complaint about this huge rate increase.
Cut war spending now!
4-5:30pm: Invest in Our Communities! No $54 Billion More for War
Trump is proposing a $54 billion increase (that’s $54,000,000,000) to the country’s already bloated military budget, while cutting essential programs for our communities. This is an increase of 10%, which would bring military spending to over $600,000,000,000 ($600 billion). This military budget is more than that of the next highest eight countries combined. Please join us outside Rep. Katko’s Syracuse office (441 S. Salina St.) to demand money for our communities, not for war! Gather at 4pm.
Saturday (May 13): No actions today (at least for now!). Take the day for yourselves and your families.
Sunday (May 14): Mother’s Day. CNY Solidarity will not meet today, but we will meet tomorrow (May 15), 7pm at Bishop Harrison. More details soon.
Save the date for these upcoming events:
May 19, 6:30-8:30pm: Youth Voices Matter—Speak Out
May 30, 7-9pm: CNY Solidarity Town Hall in Camillus
June 3: March for Truth. National action focused on RussiaGate investigation, with local version in the works.
June 11: National LGBT Rights March in DC. CNY Pride is organizing a bus from Syracuse, and they need folks to sign up by May 15 to avoid having to cancel it.
June 17, 12-5pm: CNY Pride (celebrate our diverse CNY LGBTQ communities at the Inner Harbor in Syracuse)
Today and every day, be sure to follow us online and on social media!
Check out our website: www.cnysolidarity.org
Follow us on Twitter: @CNYSolidarity and @IndivisibleNY24
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/cnysolidarity/ and www.facebook.com/groups/IndivisibleNY24/
Check us out on Flickr and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
We also send these announcements by email through the CNYSolidarity list. This is a low-volume list (typically no more than 4-6 messages per week), which now has more than 1,600 subscribers. We also maintain higher-volume listservs (protectcnyfromtrump@lists.riseup.net and protectcnyfromtrump-legislativeaction@lists.riseup.net) as venues for discussion of key Coalition-wide organizing priorities and key legislative-action team organizing priorities, respectively. If you’d like to be added to the former, please email Hannah at hhmosier@syr.edu; if you’d like to be added to the latter, please reply to me.