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Friday, September 29, 2017
Jamie Dupree's Tweet was featured in the news
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Quick Signature: Help our citizens on the islands!
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Dear Rob,
143 hours. That’s how much time I spent without electricity after Hurricane Irma hit Central Florida. We had a generator and could run to the gas station whenever it needed gas, though. We also had cases and cases of water, food, and medicine. Communications were in and out and I could barely speak to loved ones to check in and make sure everyone was okay for the first 48 hours. It wasn’t easy, but I knew help was near if we needed it and that my child would not be lacking in basic human needs.
This is not the case for our fellow Americans who live in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria, many of whom haven’t had power, food, clean water, or safe shelter since the hurricane; and it’s breaking our hearts. [1]
Our voices are needed to get them help. Now. Immediately. There’s no time to waste.
(A point of clarification as there’s been some debate on social media on the matter: Puerto Ricans are U.S. Citizens [1])
The current situation is dire. A week after Hurricane Maria, Americans are experiencing what has been described as a full-blown humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. [2] Hurricane Maria made landfall less than 2 weeks after Hurricane Irma did, ripping through the center of Puerto Rico, taking out power for the entire island, water, roads, and other infrastructure, and has already claimed the lives of 16 people, with that number expected to rise. [3]
Assistance must come in many forms to Puerto Rico, not just by the emergency resources from FEMA. Unlike the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico is not exempt from the Jones Act of 1920 which limits shipping between U.S. ports to U.S.-flagged vessels only. [4] President Trump has denied the request to grant a waiver of the Jones Act in order to ease the shipping of much needed resources and supplies to Puerto Rico. These waivers have been approved in the past as recent as during Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. [5] This denial bottlenecks resources not just from the mainland but from other countries that wish to provide assistance. This is beyond cruel!
As we watch Hurricane Maria victims struggling through floodwater to reach safety, fighting for their very survival, and going without power and shelter, we are heartbroken and searching for ways to help. Well, here’s one critical way: Make sure the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is adequately funded so help gets to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands quickly. Help in the form of search and rescue crews, volunteers that can provide basic assistance, and medical care, experts who can help with damage assessment and provide shelter to those who have lost their homes, and experts who can provide assistance to the millions of people without electricity.
The gulf region of our country was not prepared for Hurricane Harvey in Texas. And our U.S. citizens certainly weren’t prepared for the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas. After Hurricane Harvey, lawmakers appropriated $15.25 billion in relief funds but this was before Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall — that’s not nearly enough in resources to cover rescue and recovery efforts that are so needed at this time. [6]
A report by catastrophe-modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimates that Hurricane Maria's damage could lead to as much as $85 billion in losses, with most of that loss being in Puerto Rico. [7]
Anyone who has turned on the television in recent days knows this is an emergency situation and that the families in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands need a focused emergency response. A major infusion of federal funds is critically needed to bring in additional emergency response teams; begin cleanup efforts; repair the infrastructure of damaged hospitals, houses, schools, and businesses; provide aid to displaced families; help those who have lost their homes and livelihood; provide healthcare and nutrition assistance to those in need; and more. The Jones Act waiver should be enacted without delay!
But while federal funding for disaster relief should be increased immediately, it should not come at the expense of other programs that support our families’ health care, nutrition, housing, education, and welfare. Under current law, emergency funding is not included under existing budget caps, and Congress should follow the law to ensure an immediate and effective response without causing harm elsewhere.
The U.S. Congress is currently considering their federal budget. Republican leaders want to pass a federal budget aimed at reducing the size of government by slashing government programs. In his own version of the budget, President Trump proposed major funding cuts for disaster relief. [8] As we are seeing now with Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, FEMA is central to relief efforts in these historic national disasters, demonstrating the unique role government plays in times of need, providing assistance and support, mitigating the effects of disaster for America families and communities.
Please forward this email to family, friends and anyone else you know who wants to help our fellow Americans in the path of Hurricane Maria. Please also share the action link on Facebook and Twitter. The more of us who reach out to Congress, the faster we’ll have an impact. Here’s that link again for you to share: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/hurricane-maria/?t=8&akid=9629%2E847037%2EU1bZns.
Together, we must be a strong voice to make sure the resources are available to help the families and communities in the path of this national disaster.
-- Sili, Migdalia, Kristin, Monifa and the MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder.org team
[1] “Nearly Half of Americans Don’t Know Puerto Ricans Are Fellow Citizens,” The New York Times, September 26, 2017.
[2] "Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico officials describe 'apocalyptic' conditions,” CNN, September 24, 2017.
[3] “The Latest: Puerto Rico blackout: Many more days in the dark,” New Haven Register, September 25, 2017.
[4] “The Law Strangling Puerto Rico,” The New York Times, September 25, 2017.
[5] “U.S. denies request for Puerto Rico shipping waiver,” Reuters, September 26, 2017.
[6]"With Harvey And Now Irma, Federal Funds And FEMA Are Put To The Test," NPR, August 25, 2017.
[7]“Hurricane Maria Caused as Much as $85 Billion in Insured Losses,” The Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2017.
[8] “Trump would slash disaster funding to the very agencies he’s praising for Harvey response,” Washingon Post, August 29, 2017.
Like what we're doing? Donate: We're a bootstrap, low overhead, mom run organization. Your donations make the work of MomsRising.org possible--and we deeply appreciate your support. Every little bit counts. Donate today on our secure website.
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Monday, September 25, 2017
This fight isn't over
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| Contributions or gifts to Organizing for Action are not tax deductible. | |
| This email was sent to: alexander@yorkteaparty.org. |
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Happening near you!
Dear Rob,
If you are like me, your weekend to-do lists are just as formidable as your to-do lists during the week.
Here is a sample of mine:
- Make caterpillar cake for my son’s birthday (the only craft I have mastered)
- Figure out what that fuzzy thing is growing in my bathroom shower
- Save America’s health care!!!
Wait, what’s that #3? No single person can save America’s health care alone--that’s too a big lift. That’s the bad news. The good news is that if we each put this on our to-do lists this weekend, then saving America’s health care is a lift we can accomplish together. Now is the time to do it because while McCain’s announcement that he is voting “No" on the repeal of Obamacare is very encouraging news, we are not out of the woods yet. We need a total of three Republican US Senators to vote no in order to kill the terrible, awful, Graham-Cassidy health care repeal bill.
Ignore that icky fuzzy thing growing in the bathroom (for today) and make your way to a health care event near you this weekend! Click these links to find out what’s happening near you:
https://action.momsrising.org/go/30620?t=6&akid=9616%2E847037%2EIbTCPg
https://action.momsrising.org/go/30621?t=8&akid=9616%2E847037%2EIbTCPg
We cannot let up now!
What’s happening?
The US Senate is planning a vote next week on the Graham-Cassidy health care bill to repeal Obamacare. We can’t stress how bad this Graham-Cassidy bill is. Just a few highlights:
- Cuts coverage for 32 million American, 15 million next year alone. [1]
- Raises costs for people by 20 percent or more. [2] Plus, if you're over 50, you could pay as much as 5 times more for coverage.[3] And, women who may get pregnant would pay more than men, and would, once again, have their choice of providers restricted. [4]
- Allows insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. [5]
- Fundamentally weakens Medicaid and cuts health care funding for states by $4 trillion over the next two decades– including funding for nursing home care, care for children with disabilities, and mental health care. [6]
We need to make sure that our leaders across the country see how mobilized we are against this bill to make sure they stop trying to repeal Obamacare and instead, continue the bi-partisan work that finally has started in Congress to improve Obamacare.
It’s critical that we continue to raise our voices now to ensure our families’ healthcare security.
Again, here's where to find out about health care events near you this weekend!
https://action.momsrising.org/go/30620?t=10&akid=9616%2E847037%2EIbTCPg
https://action.momsrising.org/go/30621?t=12&akid=9616%2E847037%2EIbTCPg
Thank you for continuing to move mountains for our nation’s families!
- Donna, Kristin, Felicia and the whole MomsRising team
P.S. Don’t have time to go to an event this weekend? Please call your US Senator and leave them a message to: Vote NO on the Graham-Cassidy bill. Here’s that number: 1-888-496-4842
[1] What Are the Potential Effects of the Graham-Cassidy ACA Repeal-and-Replace Bill? Past Estimates Provide Some Clues - The Commonwealth Fund
[2] Repeal the Individual Health Mandate - Congressional Budget Office
[3] Graham-Cassidy Legislation Threatens Affordable Coverage for Older Americans - AARP Public Policy Institute
[4] The new Obamacare repeal bill is the worst yet for women’s health - Anna North
[5] How many with preexisting conditions would be priced out of coverage under Cassidy-Graham? - The Washington Post
[6] Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson Bill Would Reduce Federal Funding to States by $215 Billion - Avalere
Like what we're doing? Donate: We're a bootstrap, low overhead, mom run organization. Your donations make the work of MomsRising.org possible--and we deeply appreciate your support. Every little bit counts. Donate today on our secure website.
On Facebook? Become a Fan. Follow us on Twitter.
Want info from MomsRising.org in Spanish? Sign up to receive emails from our Spanish-language community, MamásConPoder.org!
What should MomsRising tackle next? Tell us what's on your mind.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Trump Impeachment Ring Leader Loses Her Mind [VIDEO]
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