I am writing through tears thinking about the gobsmackingly horrific budget bill being voted on this week in Congress. We have like 24 hours to kill this bill. 🚨 If it passes, that would mean:
Taking health care (Medicaid) away from 17 million Americans, a loss of funding that would decimate our rural health care system. Taking away food stamps from people who need help buying groceries. Taking away clean energy tax credits and instead creating a new tax on clean energy, which will drive up our electricity bills and needlessly sacrifice hundreds of thousands of green jobs. Cutting funding for climate research. Taking away NOAA’s coastal resilience funding that helps protect people from storms made worse by climate change. Selling oil and gas drilling rights on our public lands. Selling off our old growth forest for timber. Increasing the budget of ICE from $3.4 billion to $45 billion. And — truly astounding that anyone could be this cruel — eliminating the funding for school lunches that makes sure poor kid get to eat. Are they fucking kidding?
No, the Republicans are not kidding. And there’s so much more awful stuff in there. (I don’t have the energy to drop in all the individual hyperlinks, but here’s an itemization from the NYT, and a summary from
, and google away!)Why is this happening? Well, certainly not to balance the budget because this will add over $3 TRILLION to the deficit. It’s to give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. I shit you not. A budget is indeed a moral document, and the GOP has lost their moral compass entirely.
If you are subscribed to this newsletter, you probably already know much of this. But a huge number of Americans have no idea. And there is still time to stop it. If you have a Republican senator/congressperson: Call, email, comment on all their social posts, @ them. Tell them to vote NO. Get your friends to do it too. ☎️
Call Congress: (202) 224-3121
That’s the number for the switchboard and they will put you through to your representative. (Save that # in your phone; you’re gonna need it again.) Cold calling is scary but you can keep it short!: “I’m [NAME], your constituent calling from [TOWN] urging the Senator to vote NO on this awful “One Big Beautiful Bill.”” (Yes, that’s what they named it. 🙄🤮) I truly hate talking to strangers on the phone, but if ever there was a time to do it, NOW is that time. (And you’ll probably get sent to voicemail.) Then send an email to them via their website and comment on their socials with the same “VOTE NO” request.
Right now the focus is on the Senate. We have mere hours to kill this abomination of a budget bill there. 🚨 We only need to flip maybe 2 more votes. Seems like Senator Collins (Maine) and Senator Murkowski (Alaska) may be the deciding votes. But calls to Kentucky, Kansas, Utah, and Florida are also on the priority list.
I hate making selfie videos, but desperate times/desperate measures, so if you’re on Instagram (hey algorithm), voila.
If the Senate passes this (god forbid) it will back to the House to vote on the updated bill text, so then you’ll need to light up those phones, inboxes, and social accounts next.
If you want to cry (because wtaf, where is the humanity), you’ll have my company. But do not give up. This isn’t over yet.
And now a little treat. Though I have personally eaten more ice cream in the last week than I have since I was maybe 8 years old, that’s not the treat I’m offering you — although I’ll wait while you go to the freezer. I am serving up this delightful conversation I had with adrienne maree brown. 🍬🎧 It’s a season one re-run episode (ICYMI). It’s the first conversation we had in person after being internet friends for years. If you want to know what the title, “Until the Sun Blows Up” means, or whether she thinks I’d be Rhianna or Beyonce, hit play and find out.
And know that I am by your side and cheering you on as you fight for a more livable planet.
More soon… xo
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