Healthcare@: #5Actions of the Week!

Dear Rob,

Happy weekend! We hope you have some time to recharge before the start of a new week. We're making it easy to catch up on all of the top actions from the last week, with our latest #5Actions round up! As always, please forward and share with family and friends, too!

1. Don't Let the Dinosaurs Win

BACKGROUND: Back in 1993 two HUGE things happened. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was signed into law and the movie Jurassic Park broke box office records. Now, 25 years later Jurassic Park will see its second reboot--with new and improved dinosaurs and modernized special effects! But our UNPAID national family and medical leave laws are stuck in 1993 and haven’t evolved to meet the needs of contemporary working families! → Tell Congress, our family and medical leave laws need a reboot too. We need PAID family and medical leave so all people can care for their families without fear of losing their job or damaging their family's finances.

2. Tell Congress: Protect our Health Care and Nutrition Programs!

BACKGROUND: We have a real threat on our hands! Congressional Republicans held their Republican Retreat last week to set their 2018 agenda and talked about making scary changes to key programs that boost our economy and help struggling families provide vital healthcare and nutrition. 40.6 million people currently live in poverty and many of them depend on assistance programs like Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food stamps) in order to make ends meet. Without these life-saving programs, moms, children, and families will suffer. We won’t stand by silently while cuts and changes are made to programs like Medicaid and SNAP, putting our families and economy at risk. **Sign our letter to Congress now telling them to protect the healthcare and nutrition programs that boost our families and our economy!

3. Take Action to Protect SNAP and Medicaid from Strict Work Restrictions!

BACKGROUND: Right on the heels of passing the largest, most unpopular tax scam in decades, Republicans are now pivoting to take away health care, nutrition assistance, and affordable housing that we, and our economy, desperately need. How? They are trying to restrict important programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and housing assistance when families aren’t working or in training – even if they are sick, caring for young children or for family members who have disabilities or are ill, or dealing with a family crisis. **Sign our letter calling on President Trump and the U.S. Congress to protect the health care, nutrition, and housing our families and economy need in order to thrive.

4. Tell Congress: Support Our Littlest Learners!

BACKGROUND: The struggle is real when it comes to finding high-quality, affordable early learning opportunities for our little ones. Childcare and pre-K costs are sky high—in fact, in 30 states and the District of Columbia, infant care costs exceed the average cost of college tuition. This is why we are inspired, thrilled, excited, and overall relieved that three leaders in Congress,are taking a stand to address these issues by introducing the Child Care for Working Families Act. This legislation will address our nation-wide early care crisis by lowering childcare costs for low-income and middle-income families, support universal pre-K programs for all 3 and 4 year-olds, and significantly improve compensation and training for the childcare workforce to ensure that our nation’s teachers and caregivers have the support they need. **Sign our letter NOW encouraging your members of Congress to create a brighter future for our littlest learners, workforce, and economy by supporting the Child Care for Working Families Act.

5. Don't Forget to Pre-Order MomsRising's Resistance Book about Women, For Women, and To Women!
BACKGROUND: In his first State of the Union address to the nation, Donald Trump didn't even utter the word “women” once. NOT ONCE. That's why MomsRising is so excited to announce a new book about women, for women, and to women, covering our top issues, advocacy tactics, and stories from all of us: Keep Marching. Authored by MomsRising President and Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, 100 percent of the book proceeds will go to fuel MomsRising's work. Scheduled to come out in May by Hachette Books, Keep Marching has already been named one of the 2018 key books of “resistance” in the New York Times. This highly researched looks at the barriers women face every day, including stories from people like you and me, solutions and action plans to break through & a call for all bad-ass women for justice to come together and rise. (*Remember: 100% of proceeds go to MomsRising so it's a two-for-one. You get to support MomsRising AND get a book). Pre-order it now!