Tag Archives: United States Congress

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President Obama and OFA


President Obama talked about you the other day — and I wanted to make sure you heard all the good things he had to say:

“What we want is to make sure that the voices of the people who put me here continue to be heard — that they’re not just heard during election time, that they’re not just heard in terms of dollar solicitations, that we are helping to build or sustain a network of citizens who have a voice in the most critical debates that are going to be taking place over the next year, year and a half, and if it works, potentially beyond.”

Pretty exciting stuff, right? That’s our mission at Organizing for Action — and you’re making it happen.

Check out this video of President Obama’s speech at last week’s Founder’s Summit and say you’re standing with the President for the work ahead:

President Obama on why OFA matters.

When President Obama talked about the work we’re doing, he made it clear: It’s not about electing anyone, and it’s not about gearing up for the next elections.

It’s about the governing part of our movement — after the polls close, and when the real job of passing legislation that represents our principles and values begins.

Already, your work as part of Organizing for Action has begun to turn heads.

In a nutshell, it meant the hundreds of events across the country to make sure Congress knows we’re serious about reducing gun violence.

It’s thousands of people, many who hadn’t ever used Twitter before, getting online and tweeting their representatives to make their voices heard.

It’s the more than 500,000 people who have added their names to tell Congress to reduce the deficit and pass a budget that doesn’t hurt the middle class.

It’s the more than 1 million OFA supporters who have already taken action as part of this organization — yes, more than 1 million.

And it’s the more than 400 Action Planning Sessions that folks are holding across the country this week and next to plan our actions for the next few months ahead.

I want to share one last line from President Obama’s speech that really drives home the work we’re doing:

“I’ve always said that I am representing people, and that change comes about because people are activated, people are involved. People shape the agenda. People determine the framework for debate. People let their members of Congress know what is that they believe. And when those voices are heard, you can’t stop it. That’s when change happens.”

You’re part of it,

Watch the rest of President Obama’s remarks, and say you’re in for Organizing for Action’s work today:

Thank you,

Jon

Jon Carson
Executive Director
Organizing for Action

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Weekly Address: End the Sequester to Keep Growing the Economy.
In his weekly address, President Obama said that businesses have created jobs every month for three years straight — nearly 6.4 million altogether, and have added 246,000 new jobs in February. We must keep this momentum going, and that’s why the President recently met with Republican leaders to discuss how we can replace the harmful, arbitrary budget cuts, called the “sequester,” with balanced deficit reduction.
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Weekly Address: Congress Must Compromise to Stop the Impact of the Sequester.


President Obama urges Congress to stop the sequester — the harmful automatic cuts that threaten thousands of jobs and affect our national security from taking effect on March 1.

Watch this week’s Weekly Address.

In Case You Missed It

Here’s a quick glimpse at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

Call to Governors: On Monday, President Obama and Vice President Biden delivered remarks to the National Governor Association. The President drew attention to the importance of infrastructure and education, while praising the group for their great work and accomplishments across America. The President also urged the governors to push Congress to end the harmful and automatic budget cuts known as the sequester, set to take effect March 1.

“As governors, you’re the ones who are on the ground, seeing firsthand every single day what works, what doesn’t work, and that’s what makes you so indispensable,” he said. “Whatever your party, you ran for office to do everything that you could to make our folks’ lives better.”

The First Lady and Dr. Biden also spoke and covered the importance of committing to our veterans in their transition to civilian life. Both highlighted states that have made progress in changing laws to make it easier for military spouses to attain new credentials when they move to a new state, and challenged all 50 states to follow through.

Rosa Parks Statue: On Wednesday, leaders gathered at Capitol Hill to honor civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks with the unveiling of her statue. The piece marks the first full-bodied statue of an African-American woman inside the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

Over half a century ago, Parks courageously refused to give up her seat on a bus and became a catalyst for the civil rights movement. President Obama acknowledged she opened doors for millions by noting, “It is because of these men and women that I stand here today.”

Defense Threats from Sequester: On Tuesday, President Obama traveled to Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia to warn of the sequester and promote his solutions for deficit reduction. Watch the full speech here.

“So these cuts are wrong. They’re not smart. They’re not fair,” said President Obama. “They’re a self-inflicted wound that doesn’t have to happen.”

Let’s Move! Tour: This week, the First Lady launched the start of her Let’s Move! tour to celebrate the third anniversary of the initiative that is challenging childhood obesity. On Tuesday, the First Lady appeared on “Good Morning America” to discuss childhood obesity and introduce a new partnership that highlights healthier recipes through MyPlate, a way to learn about healthy eating.

Taking Action: On Wednesday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano hosted over 100 leaders to discuss making our schools and houses of worship safer through high-quality emergency management plans. In January, the President signed 23 Executive Actions to protect our communities and high-quality emergency management was a piece of this framework.

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Nancy Pelosi – House Dems and the Headlines : March 2013


nancypelosi

Pelosi Statement on Cesar Chavez Day

“Today, the spirit of Cesar Chavez lives on in our ongoing fight for progress for the Hispanic community and for the American people.  It continues in the fight to make the minimum wage a living wage and to ensure equal pay for equal work.  It goes on in the struggle to protect the rights of voters and citizens no matter what their race or background.  It inspires our drive to respect our borders, advance our values, respect our history as a nation of immigrants, and enact comprehensive immigration reform.”
Saturday, March 30, 2013
“Congressman Young’s comments were deeply hurtful, offensive and inappropriate for anyone to utter, let alone a Member of the United States Congress.  Congressman Young should fully apologize for deeply offensive comments that were not appropriate in his youth or now.”
Friday, March 29, 2013
“There is no question that we face a continuing need to remove the obstacles that block too many Americans from the polls.  Under the leadership of Congressmen John Lewis, Jim Clyburn, George Miller and John Larson, we’ve proposed election reforms to strengthen enforcement of voting laws, provide for same day and modernization of voting registration, require early voting and other resources to prevent long voting lines and reduce the problems that voters everywhere are facing.”
Thursday, March 28, 2013
“The complete cleanup of Hunters Point is long past due.  Bayview residents have waited nearly 40 years for the Navy to fulfill its commitments while experiencing the highest rates of asthma and breast and cervical cancer in San Francisco.”
Thursday, March 28, 2013
“The – I – on the basis of what I heard, the questions of the justices, the response of the participants, I’m very optimistic that DOMA will be struck down.  It doesn’t seem to have a rational basis, which is one of the criteria, a rational basis, a justification for being and secondly, probably, I should say first, full protection of all people in our country.  So equal protection has been a principle that our country was founded on, that our Constitution was written on, and I think on the basis of those two – the debate was going back and forth – ‘is it about equal protection?’  ‘Is it about rational basis?’  I think on either score, it – the arguments, the debates seem to favor striking down DOMA, which is very important.”
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
“The DOMA challenge involves the heartbreaking case of Edie Windsor, who was required by the federal government to pay hundreds of thousands in taxes after her wife, Thea, passed way.  Regardless of the fact that Edie and Thea were married and together for over 40 years, the federal government discriminated against Edie.  House Republicans intervened in this case in their efforts to preserve injustice and defend discrimination, and impose an unjust tax liability on an American family.”
Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Pelosi Statement on the Third Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

Friday, March 22, 2013

Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
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This is it


National Women's Law Center
Congress Needs to Stop Drastic Budget Cuts and Protect Critical Investments in Our Nation’s Future
                Please take 2 minutes to flood the inboxes of your Members of Congress.
Take Action

This is it!
Starting this Friday, draconian federal budget cuts (a.k.a. “sequestration”) are set to go into effect. These cuts mean that fewer low-income women and children will receive the supports they need from programs like Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant as well as education, family planning, job training programs, and more. And thousands of teachers, nurses, counselors and others who provide these services will lose their jobs.
These cuts would be devastating. But Congress can stop them. That’s why we need your help to push back and push back hard.
Take Action: Tell your Members of Congress to STOP “SEQUESTRATION.” Tell them to protect critical investments in our families and our future — and make the richest two percent and big corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
Need a reality check? Here’s what we are looking at if the budget cuts go into effect:

  • 70,000 children losing places in Head Start and Early Head Start
  • 30,000 children losing child care assistance
  • 600,000 children and mothers losing nutritious food and other services to keep them healthy
  • 5,000,000 fewer low-income families receiving prenatal health care and other services that help decrease infant mortality and improve maternal health
  • 112,190 fewer victims of domestic violence receiving services
  • 750,000 Americans losing their jobs

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many more programs that women and families depend on would be cut, including food safety inspections and research into life-saving medical treatments. These are not just statistics — they represent real people whose lives that will suffer because of these cuts.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Congress can stop these senseless cuts — and replace them with a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes raising revenues by closing tax loopholes and helping our economy grow by making smart investments in our future.
Can you help us flood the inboxes of your Members of Congress? They need to know that you expect them to stop the cuts to vital services!
Thanks for all your help!
Sincerely,
Joan Entmacher Joan Entmacher Vice President, Family Economic Security National Women’s Law Center    Helen Blank Helen Blank Director of Child Care and Early Learning National Women’s Law Center    

P.S. Are you looking for state-by-state information on the impact of the sequester? You’re in luck! Check out the newly released data from the Obama Administration.
P.P.S. Do you like buttons? Show your support for a fair and balanced budget for women and families by sharing our latest virtual button on Facebook.