Produced by Democrats of the Red Rocks and Coconino County Democratic Party
THIS WEEK’S ALERTS: Demand that the Senate PASS the Reproductive Freedom for All Act!!; Thank our Representatives for passing the Inflation Reduction Act!!; Demand that our Representatives do all they can to save our Giant Sequoias!!; Be vigilant on threats by Republicans to the preservations, sustaining and even expanding Social Security.
- Get our Senators to support the Reproductive Freedom for All Act! The Reproductive Freedom for All Act would codify the core protections of Roe into federal law. It would also guarantee access to contraceptives and enshrine elements of other Supreme Court decisions involving reproductive rights.
According to the text of the bill, the court has long held that the provisions of equal protection and due process under the law contained in the 14th Amendment guarantee the right to make certain reproductive decisions without government interference.
Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Maine’s Susan Collins along with Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine, and Kristin Sinema are co-sponsors.
Supporters say the bill is crucial in order to protect people’s ability to make their own healthcare decisions regardless of where they live.
- Thank our Representatives for PASSING the Inflation Reduction Act!!! This act is the largest investment in climate action in our country’s history; it provides for Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices; provides continued savings on ACA Marketplace healthcare premiums; and represents a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030! It also contains a lot of less well know provisions to help everyday Americans: Medicate beneficiaries will have an annual out-of-pocket drug expenses capped at $2,000 (average Medicare recipient drug costs are $5,460), Electric Vehicle credit of $7,500 for new cars and $4,000 on used EV’s if they meet requirements of being assembled in the US – a boost to domestic production!; encourages the use of clean energy in the home through with a $1,200 annual credit for installing qualifying equipment and upgrades in the home; caps the monthly cost of insulin for Medicare recipients at $35 – 41% of those using insulin are on Medicare; extends enhanced funding for the ACA premium subsidies for three more years through 2025!! This is an historic act and we need to let our Representatives know we appreciate their efforts here.
- Save the Giant Sequoias!! As wildfires in the West have reached unparalleled severity, they pose an existential threat to giant sequoias, some of our most iconic forests. These fires have ripped through our sequoia groves, killing an estimated 20% of all the mature giant sequoias in the world since 2015. There are significant funding, policy and legislative solutions available to protect the remaining sequoias and adjacent communities. For example: Direct funding from the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act toward reducing wildfire risk; Expedite projects by supporting Emergency Action designations as defined in the Federal Infrastructure and Jobs Act; Return stewardship roles to California tribes, which have managed the land for thousands of years! Ask our Representatives to demand action to save our iconic Sequoia forests!!
- Today, August 14, marks the 87th anniversary of the signing of the Social Security Act by FDR!! For 87 years, in the face of attacks from Wall Street and its minions in Washington, our Social Security system has delivered benefits in full and on time, through wars, recessions, and pandemics. Congresses and Presidents of both parties have expanded Social Security over that time, to include disability insurance, automatic cost-of-living adjustments, and more. In 2019, 69.1 million people received benefits from programs administered by the Social Security Administration, with roughly 5.7 million people newly awarded Social Security benefits annually. For many of these people, Social Security checks are their ONLY source of income and sustenance!! Republicans are committed to eliminating Social Security. If they get into a position of power, they will do all they can to do just that. We must remain vigilant and know that this jewel of government in action must be protected and preserved. Demand our representatives do all they can to maintain, sustain, and even expand Social Security!!
Sen. Mark Kelly: Call (202) 224-2235 (DC), Email via his website at http://www.kelly.senate.gov. Tag the Senator at @senmarkkelly.
Sen. Sinema: Call (202) 224-4521 (DC) or (602) 598-7327. Email via her website at
http://www.sinema.senate.gov. Tag the Senator at @senatorsinema.
Rep. Tom O’Halleran: Call (202) 225-3361 (DC) or email via website at https://ohalleran.house.gov/contact Tag the Congressman @RepOHalleran