Produced by the Legislative Committee of the Coconino County Democratic Party and Democrats of the Red Rocks
A. Democrats must raise the debt ceiling NOW to stop the GOP from holding our
economy hostage. Raising the debt ceiling, once considered a routine duty of Congress
to pay our bills – bills that have already been approved through formal votes, is now
used by Republicans as an opportunity to threaten and extort concessions from
Democrats. The GOP has already threatened, if they capture a majority in the House, to
hold the debt ceiling hostage while demanding cuts in essential programs like Social
Security and Medicaid. If Democrats raise the debt ceiling during this lame duck session,
they can deprive the GOP of a chance to hold the country hostage over the next two
years. Democrats must stand up to Republican obstruction before it starts and use
their respective powers to end this Republican manufactured crisis before it begins!!
B. Oppose the inclusion of a provision in the National Defense Funding Act (NDFA) that
rescinds the US military’s COVID vaccine mandate!! This provision was included in the
NDFA after it was pushed by Congressional Republicans. Kevin McCarthy said, “the end
of President Biden’s military COVID vaccine mandate is a victory for our military and
common sense.” Nothing can be farther from the truth. Secretary of Defense Lloyd
Austin opposes this provision since it would reduce our military’s ability to defend our
country effectively. It is absolutely counter to “common sense”!! Urge our
Representatives to remove this provision from the NDFA!!
C. The Senate has just a few weeks to permanently protect the Grand Canyon region
from uranium mining!! The Senate must pass the Grand Canyon Protection Act!! This
bill would permanently ban new uranium mines on about 1 million acres of federal
public lands near the park. The bill has passed the House twice this Congress but the
Senate is sitting on it!! Uranium mining has a long history of contaminating land and
water in the Grand Canyon region. Indigenous communities have and continue to suffer
disproportionately from the dangerous consequences of uranium mining. The
Havasupai Tribe has warned that Pinyon Plain Mine endangers the tribe’s sole source of
drinking water. And the Pinyon Plain Mine is currently advertising for miners and staff
so its clearly planning on increasing its activity soon. The Grand Canyon is the ancestral
and cultural homeland of many tribes and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the
World. It is the last place companies should mine uranium!! The Senate MUST pass the
Grand Canyon Protection ACT before they adjourn!!
Sen. Mark Kelly: Call (202) 224-2235 (DC); Email via his website at
https://www.kelly.senate.gov/contact/. Tag the Senator at @senmarkkelly.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema: Call (202) 224-4521 (DC) or (602) 598-7327. Email via her website at
https://www.sinema.senate.gov/contact-kyrsten. 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