Top Actions of the Past Week: Saturday, April 6, 2024
Tell Congress to fund programs that boost families!
We’re excited that President Biden has listened to the voices of moms and families and is planning to make major positive investments in his FY2025 budget including: child care, paid family and medical leave, the Child Tax Credit, maternal health programs, and mental health care, and other programs to give families the tools they need to work and thrive. These policies will also lift the economy. Now we need the U.S. Congress to take action!
Tell Congress: Pass the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act now!
As most families struggle to pay their monthly child care bills and go without paid family and medical leave, the ultra-wealthy 0.01% in this country are blasting space ships into the atmosphere for fun and companies like Tesla are paying practically $0 in taxes, while their CEO Elon Musk walks away with a $4.4 billion paycheck. Must be nice. Certainly isn’t fair!!!
It’s time that wealthy individuals and wealthy corporations pay their fair share in taxes!
Simply put: We should not continue to give huge tax breaks to the wealthiest individuals while working families are forced to solve the care crisis on their own. This hurts our economy and families alike. If people like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Rupert Murdoch paid their fair share in taxes, there would be more than enough to invest in child care, paid family and medical leave, the Child Tax Credit, and aging and disability care.
Quick signature! Tell Congress to save lives by lowering prescription drug prices for everyone starting with insulin!
In response to calls from patients, President Biden worked with Congress to pass the Inflation Reduction Act which was a major win for prescription drug reform and included a provision to restrict the cost of insulin to $35 monthly for patients enrolled in Medicare. Following this victory, a number of pharmaceutical companies bowed to pressure from President Biden and voluntarily capped patient costs for insulin.
However, this is just the beginning. Congress needs to take further action to extend the benefits of prescription drug reforms, which are currently saving Medicare patients and taxpayers billions of dollars, to people of all age groups, ensuring that everyone can access reduced prescription drug prices, starting with insulin.
Immigrants give their all, help defend immigrants from hate!
There is no clearer indicator than last month’s horrific Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse to highlight the blood and sweat immigrants are giving every day to this country. Meanwhile, some of our country’s leaders are committed to lies and dangerous rhetoric while completely ignoring the fact that immigrants are pouring their heart, soul, and their lives to build America’s infrastructure. While the rest of us were sleeping, six hard-working construction workers gave their lives to better ours and improve our commutes to work.
The six construction workers were also fathers, brothers, husbands, and uncles, who came from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala with hopes of achieving the American Dream. [1] Their sacrifice should remind us that immigrants in this country should be celebrated and not demonized.
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR! Immigrants are building this country, let’s stop the hate!
Ask Secretary Mayorkas to protect immigrant families by granting TPS for Ecuador!
Tell the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Ecuador will not only keep families together but will also contribute to the economic strength of the United States.
Ecuadorians have faced widespread violence, political unrest, including an ongoing armed conflict. Granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Ecuador will allow eligible Ecuadorians who have lived in the United States for many years to continue contributing to the workforce, which, in turn, will provide more economic relief to our state and nation.
Join us in asking Secretary Mayorkas to stand with vulnerable immigrant families!
Send a letter to your paper supporting the Child Tax Credit!
Back in January the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan tax package which would temporarily expand the Child Tax Credit, lifting up struggling families and our economy. Now we need to keep the pressure on the U.S. Senate to quickly pass this legislation! If the Senate can get this across the finish line when they return from recess in two weeks, our families can start accessing the expanded Child Tax Credit THIS tax season. This is money struggling families could use now to pay for child care, groceries, rent, medicine, and other necessities.
Another Black young man has been killed at the hands of the police.
Ryan Gainer was only 15. He is described by loved ones as a cross-country running enthusiast who hoped to study engineering. Earlier this week, on March 9, Ryan was tragically taken from his family when he was senselessly murdered by a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy.
Before Ryan's life was taken, he was in distress due to his autism. However, when sheriff's deputies arrived, instead of providing care or support to Ryan and his family, they shot and killed Ryan for holding a gardening tool. This is yet another horrific story of a failed system where Black children and families in need of support are instead met with police violence.
Since 2017, police have shot and killed over 120 children under the age of 18 years old. [1] And Black children are six times more likely to be shot to death by police. [2] These deaths are heartbreaking, and the racial disparities reflected in these numbers are both stark and incredibly unacceptable.
We call for the termination of all officers involved and join BLM Grassroots[3] in demanding the San Bernardino County Sheriff department must release all information connected to this investigation including the names of the deputies involved and for charges to be filed immediately.
[1] “People shot to death by U.S. police 2017-2024, by age group”
[2] “Black Children Are Six Times More Likely to Be Shot to Death by Police”
Tell Congress to support Healthy School Meals for All!
School meals are often the only way students facing hunger can get reliable, consistent, and nutritious meals on a daily basis, so we demand that Congress make no-cost school meals accessible for all students. Studies show that students at schools with no-cost school lunch have better standardized test scores, concentration, comprehension, memory, participation, and attendance.
SIGN HERE to tell Congress to make sure no child goes hungry during the school day and pass Healthy School Meals for All NOW!
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