Tag Archives: Congress

Team –
If you or your family have ever visited an airport, courthouse, or even some hospitals and schools, you know that a metal detector can be the last line of defense between your loved ones and a criminal with a gun.

But on December 9th, a relatively obscure but important law that prohibits the sale or shipment of firearms not detectable by a walk-through metal detector is set to expire.

It’s called the Undetectable Firearms Act and in the age of 3D printers that can produce a gun made almost entirely of plastic, it’s imperative that Congress move to reauthorize the legislation.

With three weeks to go, time is running out. It’s important that you sign our petition urging the House and Senate leadership to bring the Act to a vote before it expires.

Add your name here:
http://action.americansforresponsiblesolutions.org/undetectable_firearms

In the past Republicans and Democrats have come together to renew the law by simple voice votes. Even the NRA has agreed not to oppose the bill.

We’re counting on Congress to reauthorize this responsible solution to reduce gun violence. If you make your voice heard, we’re sure they will.

All the best,

Gabby and Mark

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

What would President Truman say about this Congress?

11/21/2013 Nativegrl77

The White House, Washington

Hello, all —

A group of extreme Republicans in Congress have opposed the President’s legislative agenda at every turn. That’s no secret.

But the 113th Congress‘ obstruction is reaching new levels.

Right now, our lawmakers are in a position to take action on multiple national measures that would help our economy and millions of Americans. That’s not an exaggeration: They could vote tomorrow. And they should.

We’ve put together a short list: Things the 113th Congress could vote on right now. Spread the word and pass this on.

Consider this for a second. If our current Congress simply scheduled a vote on pressing national issues, we could:

Fix our broken immigration system. This past June, the Senate passed a bill to ensure everyone plays by the same rules and we grow our economy. Multiple reports confirm that there are enough votes in the House to get it done. And still: No vote.

End workplace discrimination for millions of LGBT Americans once and for all. This isn’t difficult: Nobody should be discriminated against because of who they are or who they love. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would make it illegal to fire someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and it passed the Senate earlier this year. Once again, no vote in the House.

Confirm a leader of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The housing market is coming back, but we can do more to help responsible homeowners. Congressman Mel Watt, the President’s nominee, was endorsed by Senators on both sides of the aisle. And yet, at a critical time for the housing industry, when we’re working to implement the rules that will prevent another “too big to fail,” Senate Republicans used the filibuster to block his nomination.

Confirm three well-qualified judges to fill long-standing vacancies on the federal D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Cornelia Pillard, Robert Wilkins and Patricia Millett were all selected by the President as nominees for this critical court. Once again, one by one, Senate Republicans blocked each nomination.

And that’s just to name a few.

In the 1940s, President Harry Truman notoriously dubbed the 80th Congress the “Do-Nothing Congress.” And yet, even they managed to enact 906 laws, including the Marshall Plan, and the piece of legislation that created the Department of Defense and the National Security Council. It’s time for the current Congress to match up a little more favorably.

Remember: They can still allow these incredibly important measures to come to a vote.

It’s time for this obstruction to come to an end, and for Republicans in Congress to start doing their jobs:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/the-113th-could-vote-right-now

David

David Simas Deputy Senior Advisor The White House @Simas44

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Feeding America and the Farm Bill

11/20/2013 Nativegrl77

76% of SNAP recipient households include a child, elderly person, or disabled person.

76% of SNAP recipient households include a child, elderly person, or disabled person. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as food stamps, helps over 47 million low-income Americans put food on the table by providing benefits that are timely, targeted, and temporary.
Learn how SNAP works and who qualifies for assistance»

Help Prevent Cuts to Anti-Hunger Programs

On
November 1, 2013, all SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,
formerly know as food stamps) recipients will see a reduction in their
benefit levels because of legislation passed by the United States
Congress in 2010.

Cuts that will equal 1.9 billion meals no longer available to the
children, seniors, and disabled that rely on their SNAP benefits to help
put food on the table. That is more than half of what the entire
Feeding America network will distribute in the entire year!

You should also know that Congress is considering adding even larger
cuts to SNAP benefit levels and eligibility. Decisions that impact
Americans struggling with hunger in your community and across the
country are being made right now. Use your voice to help prevent these
cuts by telling your members of Congress to protect anti-hunger
programs.

Tell Congress to protect anti-hunger programs

Meet Jim, Real Stories of SNAP

For more than 40 years, Jim worked as a mechanic. When the economy crashed, business stopped. For rural clients like Jim the challenges of lower levels of education and concentration of low-wage industries can be hard to overcome. Jim knew he needed to apply for SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) when after waiting for a customer payment all day – it simply never arrived. Without a cracker in the house he applied for food assistance and is glad he did. He would have had no other way to eat.

The Farm Bill

The Farm Bill, which is reauthorized every five years, is the single largest source of federal funding for federal hunger-relief programs. In addition to setting policy for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) that put food on the table for Americans struggling with hunger, it covers a range of agriculture-related areas such as commodities, conservation, rural development, livestock, and energy.

In 2012, Congress was unable to pass a Farm Bill. Help us urge Congress to pass a strong Farm Bill that protects and strengthens programs that help Americans struggling with hunger put food on the table. Take Action Today!

Tax Policy and Deficit Reduction

Feeding America is actively engaged in protecting federal anti-hunger programs as Congress addresses how to reduce the deficit and balance our nation’s budget, as well as advocating for federal tax provisions that protect food and fund donations to the Feeding America food bank network.

Appropriations

Feeding America is engaged in advocating for a strong federal anti-hunger safety net through the Appropriations process and ensuring programs like TEFAP, CSFP, and WIC have adequate funding to meet the need.

Once Appropriations season heats up, we may need your help to ensure these programs are adequately funded, so stay tuned!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Pass a budget that ends sequestration!

11/15/2013 Nativegrl77

It’s been a month since Congress came to its senses and ended the unnecessary federal government shutdown that turned families’ lives upside down and cost our economy millions of lost days of work.

Now it’s time for our lawmakers to – finally – get down to business, and we can make them do it.

As part of the October budget deal that re-opened the federal government, Congress established a joint House-Senate budget committee to find a path forward. The committee is meeting now, and their report is due to the House and Senate by December 13. That gives lawmakers just one month to consider the recommendations of the committee and pass a budget before the short-term continuing resolution expires on January 15, 2014.

December and January might sound far away, but the committee is meeting now and making decisions about the programs we care about now. One decision they should make is to get rid of the misguided across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration, which began in March. The effects of sequestration have been painful so far, and they will only get worse over time. Congress must support a transparent appropriations process that ends sequestration once and for all.

Want to make sure low-income women, infants, and children have access to the food they need?

Want to protect access to services for domestic violence survivors?

Want to stand up for quality public education and safe school climates
free from bullying and harassment?

Then we need to contact our senators today and urge them to pass a budget that ends sequestration once and for all.

Congress should resist calls to enact “flexibility” or exempt defense spending when it comes to sequestration. Congress must end sequestration, period.

The AAUW Action Fund Lobby Corps delivered this message to senators this morning, and now it’s time for you to drive it home. Please, take two minutes to urge your senators to support a transparent appropriations process that ends sequestration!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Can your community handle 44 million tons of coal?

11/07/2013 Nativegrl77

Speak Out Against the Proposed Longview Coal Export Terminal

Right now the agencies involved in issuing permits are deciding which impacts to consider in their decision-making process. They need to hear from you about why you are concerned about this proposed coal export facility in Longview.

Take Action Today!

ACTION ALERT

Fight Dirty Energy for a Better, Cleaner Energy Future

WASHINGTON STATE !!!
Two major coal companies want to build the largest coal export terminal in the United States on the Columbia River in Washington. This proposed coal export facility in Longview, WA, would export 44 million tons of coal annually—that’s more than nine times the amount of coal burned each year at the Centralia coal plant.
Right now the agencies involved in issuing permits are deciding which impacts to consider in their decision-making process. They need to hear from you about why you are concerned about this proposed coal export facility in Longview.
Make your voice heard and send an email today.
Moving all that coal from where it’s mined in Montana and Wyoming to the West Coast would cause significant environmental and public health impacts all along the way, including increased coal dust and air pollution, damage to local waterways, increased train and shipping traffic, and more.
Furthermore, the global warming pollution generated from the transport and burning of 44 million tons of coal is equivalent to the annual emissions of 23 typical coal-fired power plants. We are already experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change and, nationally, we are making progress toward a clean energy future. But like the name says, global warming is a global problem—it makes no sense to encourage more coal burning abroad as we are cutting our coal use at home.
The coal companies proposing this project don’t want the effects on our climate or on those communities stretching across the hundreds of miles of the train route included in the permitting decision. Your voice counts.
Send a message today and tell decision makers that a supersized coal export terminal isn’t the energy future we need in the Northwest.
The proposed Longview coal terminal is a step in the wrong direction, and one that has real consequences for communities across the West. Let’s stand up against these dirty plans and demand a better, cleaner energy future.
Take Action Today!