Today’s Action: Take action during August Recess

It’s the longest recess of the year, when our representatives in Congress are at home through September 8. Our Representatives and Senators will be holding town halls, taking meetings, and attending local events…which gives us plenty of opportunities to make our demands face-to-face! Make a commitment this month to get personal with at least one of your Congressional reps.

Ask for a one-on-one meeting. Contact their local office to make your meeting request, and follow-up after a week if you haven’t heard back! Arrive with your three biggest requests prepared, and try to give each request a clear follow-through (ex: cosponsor a bill, make a public statement, join a caucus). Type up your requests in a letter to deliver to your rep at the end of the meeting, just in case they weren’t taking notes!

Attend a town hall. If your reps are offering a public forum, this is a great opportunity to make your demands with witnesses. Contact their office to ask if any town halls have been scheduled (and if not, why not?) and visit Town Hall Project to search for events near you (this site includes Democratic Presidential candidate events, in addition to Congressional!)

Organize a protest visit. Is your rep refusing to hold a town hall and declining private meetings? No problem. Ask their offices if they’ll be attending ANY public events during August recess, and join them there to ask your questions. Be sure to film it and broadcast it on social media! No events? Make the signal loud and clear: you cannot hide from your constituents. Gather your friends, family, and community to protest at their offices. Check out Indivisible’s additional resources for protest visits!

And the topics? Oh, there are so many… but here’s a few to get your started…

• Launching an impeachment inquiry is now supported by a majority of House Democrats  – does your Rep? What’s their reason for refusing to impeach a president who has clearly committed impeachable crimes?
• #ClosetheCamps and stop family separation (still happening despite court order) – tell your reps to shut down concentration camps
• Listen to Robert Mueller and protect our elections from foreign influence – we need legislation NOW
• Secure equal rights protections with the Equal Rights Amendment for women and the Equality Act for LGBTQ+
• Raise the national minimum wage to $15/hour – cosponsor and pass the Raise the Wage Act (Senate/House)
• Join the Congressional Progressive Caucus, giving more power to the progressive voting bloc

This is a big chance to make our voices heard, and if we want to get our democracy moving in the right direction, it’s critical that we seize it.