FEDERAL ACTION ALERT – Sept. 24, 2021
Produced by Democrats of the Red Rocks and Coconino County Democratic Party
THIS WEEK’S ALERTS: Push the compromise Freedom to Vote Act finally supported by Sen.
Manchin, and the Native American Voting Rights Act; pull out the stops on the social and
climate provisions in the Reconciliation Bill; use the need to raise the federal debt ceiling as
another reason to pressure Senator Sinema to support elimination of the filibuster
SUPPORT THE COMPROMISE “FREEDOM TO VOTE ACT” & AND THE NATIVE AMERICAN
VOTING RIGHTS ACT, AND MODIFY FILIBUSTER TO ENSURE PASSAGE
After months of negotiations Senate Democrats have come up with a scaled back “For the People
Act” to protect voting rights bringing along Senator Manchin. It is sponsored by Senators Klobuchar,
Manchin, Kaine, Warnock and others. The bill contains a raft of measures designed to support
access to the ballot, including automatic voter registration and online registration; designating
Election Day as a federal holiday; same-day registration; at least 15 days of early voting; uniform
standards for voting by mail and for drop boxes; rules for voter-roll purges; requirements for counting
provisional ballots in whatever precinct they are cast; voter-ID standards; the enfranchisement of
former nonviolent felons after they have served their time; and new rules to ensure access for voters
with disabilities. While it doesn’t require independent commissions on redistricting, it attempts to set
up criteria that are enforceable in court.
After a meeting with Sen. Manchin, Senate Minority Leader McConnell stated the scaled back bill
will not have a single Republican supporter. This is a must pass for Democrats and has the potential
to change Senators Manchin and Sinema’s reluctance to modify the filibuster – at least as to voting
protections.
This week also saw the introduction of the Native American Voting Rights Act, aimed specifically
at ensuring fair access to the ballot for citizens of tribal nations (you can read more about this bill at
Native American Voting Rights Act (NAVRA) - Native American Voting Rights (narf.org) ). S 2702 in the
Senate, HR 5008 in the House call for provisions that would address key challenges for Native
American voters (e.g., allowing tribes to designate buildings to serve as physical addresses for those
reservation residents lacking a home address, requiring acceptance of tribal ID if voter identification is
required, mandating access to registration and voting locations in reasonable distance of tribal
residents). Many civil rights and justice organizations have endorsed this bill as a complement to
other voting rights legislation.
SAMPLE VOICE MAIL FOR SENATORS:
“I’m a lifelong Democrat living and voting in XXXXX, Arizona. I’m am very happy that Senators
Manchin and Klobuchar have co-sponsored voter protection legislation in the “Freedom to Vote Act.”
Now that we finally have 50 senators on board it MUST be passed to help preserve American
democracy. With Minority Leader McConnell promising not a single Republican senator’s vote it will
be time to look at modifying the filibuster in terms of voter protection legislation. While I appreciate
the bi-partisan spirit, if you can’t find 10 Republicans to come along, its time to consider other options.
This bill is just too important to our democracy to let slip away under archaic procedural rules. I also
believe our Native American neighbors in Arizona deserve improved access to the ballot! The
provisions of the recently proposed Native American Voting Rights Act make a lot of sense to me.
Please do all you can to make sure the Freedom to Vote Act includes these provisions, or that the
Native American Voting Rights Act passes separately.”
FOR BOTH SENATORS AND REP. O’HALLERAN: SUPPORT AMBITIOUS ACTION ON SOCIAL
PROGRAMS WITH FULL FUNDING IN THE BUDGET RECONCILIATION PROPOSAL: Dems
must deliver major provisions of President Biden’s infrastructure plan, far beyond the minimal “hard
infrastructure” included in the bipartisan package. The broader view of infrastructure includes
expansion of the “care economy” (support for child care and home care, paid family leave); expansion
of Medicare coverage; investments in fair and affordable housing; creation of clear pathways to
citizenship for immigrants; and substantial progress toward a clean energy future. 7/10 Americans
support these programs, our Senators and representatives should also. No cutting back on new
legislation to provide paid family and medical leave, establish a universal Pre-K program, expand
Medicare coverage for seniors to include dental, vision, and hearing coverage, lower health care
costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, provide tax breaks for clean energy, and
expand the Child Tax Credit for most families with children. Although this is called a $3.5 trillion
package this is really a $0 cost package to the vast majority of us as the super rich and large
corporations would finally pay their fair share and fund the plan. It’s now or never over the next
couple of weeks so let’s push hard!
Sample text or message for both Senators and Rep. O’Halleran: “My name is XXXX, and I’m a Democrat living
and voting in XXXXX. As a Democrat I’m imploring you to support and fully fund ambitious social/climate
programs in the social infrastructure proposal at the same time the bipartisan infrastructure bill is passed. 7 of
10 Americans support the social infrastructure plan and you should too. I am especially urging you to support
the most expansive proposals on [see below – choose one of these: climate, care economy, housing, Medicare
and drug prices]. The bipartisan infrastructure bill, focused on physical infrastructure investments, is fine as a
start but by itself will not build the recovery we need! We can pay for a true and fair recovery for all Americans
entirely paid for with a repeal of the Trump tax cuts that unfairly enriched the super-rich and corporations.”
Climate: creation of clean energy jobs and employment, including a Civilian Climate Corps; an ambitious Clean
Energy Standard and use of both incentives and penalties to speed up the move away from fossil fuels to true
renewables; and ensuring that 40 % of these climate investments go to historically disadvantaged
communities.
Care economy: affordable childcare benefits for all, paid family and medical leave, improved quality of and
access to home and community-based care for seniors and those with disabilities.
Housing: expanded housing choice vouchers, expanded investment in construction and upgrades of public
housing facilities.
Healthcare: a lowered age for eligibility for Medicare, expansion of Medicare to cover vision, dental, and
hearing, ability for Medicare to negotiate prices for prescription drugs [this provision would go far in saving the
federal government dollars to be used in paying for the expansion of coverage]
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 . Senator Sinema sits on the Commerce
Science and Transportation Committee (drug prices, Medicare), and on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs
(housing proposals).
Sen. Mark Kelley: Call (202) 224-2235 (DC), Email via his website at http://www.kelly.senate.gov Tag the
Senator at @senmarkkelly . Senator Kelly sits on the Environment and Public Works Committee and the
Committee on Aging.
Rep. O’Halleran: Call (202) 225-3361 or send an email via his website at http://www.ohalleran.house.gov
SENATE NEEDS TO RAISE THE DEBT CEILING, AND SINEMA NEEDS TO ASSIST BY
ABANDONING HER SUPPORT FOR THE FILIBUSTER
The Treasury Department has warned that the US will exceed its current debt capacity in mid-
October; the House of Representatives passed a bill this past week to extend the debt ceiling and to
permit continued federal government operation past the end of this month. Numerous experts on
federal finance and the economy, including most recent US Secretaries of the Treasury (excluding
Trump’s), warn that permitting the US to “fall off the fiscal cliff” and to default on its debt would cause
lasting harm to the nation’s economic interests, similar to the impact of 2011’s gridlock on the debt
ceiling. And a shutdown of the government would be devastating in the midst of the current pandemic
and crisis support for American families, individuals, and small businesses. Senate Leader McConnell
has pledged to use the filibuster to prevent the Senate from voting on the bill passed by the House;
this would force the Democrats to fold the debt ceiling increase into the overall reconciliation bill (see
above) and allow the GOP to claim they are protecting fiscal responsibility. Senator Sinema has said
she supports the House bill but her continued support for the filibuster simply enables McConnell’s
strategy.
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR SENATOR SINEMA:
“My name is XXXX and I’m a voter and constituent in YYY, Arizona. I’m very concerned about the
looming deadline for increase in the debt ceiling and an extension of the federal government’s ability
to continue functioning. Right now, in the midst of the pandemic and a fragile economic recovery, is
no time for these threats of government shutdowns or default on debt! Raising the debt ceiling, and
keeping the government functioning past the end of this month, is a normal and responsible approach
– supported by current and former Treasury secretaries, among many others. I know you have
expressed support for the bill passed last week by the House, and I appreciate that support. But that
support is meaningless if Senate Leader McConnell uses the threat of filibuster to prevent a Senate
vote on this bill. This is yet another reason I am urging you to help eliminate or modify the filibuster,
so that the Senate can actually function. Your leadership would be so influential – please help restore
the Senate’s functionality by eliminating the filibuster and then helping to raise the debt ceiling in a
timely way.”
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 .