The Issue

The Republican sponsored budget bill currently making its way through Congress has lots of problems. Increasing the deficit. Giving tax breaks to billionaires while raising taxes on the working class. Removing Medicaid benefits. Removing SNAP benefits. So much that is not going to make America great.

But perhaps the worst part of this huge 1116 page long bill is a small clause inserted that could have disastrous effects on our democracy. Tucked into this bill is a seemingly innocuous paragraph that could have easily missed, and given that most legislators don’t read 1000 page bills they vote on, it almost was.

What the Republicans are trying to sneak through will make it nearly impossible to hold the executive branch in contemp. Right now the courts are the only thing keeping America from sliding into a fascist dictatorship, and now the Republicans are doing what they can to remove that last barrier.

A more detailed analysis of this sinister clause can be found on the How We Fight Back blog.

Who to Contact

Of course it wouldn’t hurt to contact Senator Schiff and Senator Padilla. But it’s time to bend the rules a bit and contact Republican senators in other states and put pressure on them.

Senators don’t want to listen to you if you can’t vote for them. So we’ve done a bit of creative homework, and have created a spreadsheet that lists each Republican senator along with a random address in their district you can use to fill out their email forms or provide during a phone call.

Republican-Senate-Cheat-Sheet (CSV file)

The Script

I demand Senator (insert name) vote against the current budget as approved by the House. Not only does it increase the deficit, something Republicans are concerned about, but it includes a clause snuck into this huge bill that will end democracy in America. Surely, all American’s can agree we don’t want a king, and that democracy should be protected. America was created with three equal branches. Congress has already given up their authority to Trump. Please don’t pass a bill that further allows him to neuter the judicial branch.