Call to Action Archive
Suit Up Maine’s current calls to actions (C2As) can be found on our homepage, but past C2A can be viewed here in our archive by topics. For more information on the specific issues and the working groups that produce them, click on the issue headers below.
SAVE THE USPS
Trump admitted that he is sabotaging the U.S. Postal Service in order to suppress the vote.
QUICK ACTION: Learn how we got here, how Susan Collins laid the groundwork for this crisis, and what you can do to help protect our mail service and our votes.
EVERYONE COUNTS: Complete your 2020 Census!
The Trump administration is using every trick in the book to derail and devalue the 2020 Census in order to disenfranchise minority communities. This critical count of the national population determines congressional representation, legislative districts, and vital federal funding for states.
QUICK ACTION: Complete your 2020 Census now and tell Susan Collins to pass the HEROES Act.
BLOCK EXTREMIST & UNQUALIFIED JUDGES: No Zealots in Lifetime Positions
We’re tracking the most concerning nominees to lifetime judicial appointments, in partnership with other progressive groups. Justin Walker, a nominee to the DC Court of Appeals, opposes the ACA, unions, and civil rights and is the latest in a long line of extremist, unqualified nominees.
QUICK ACTION: Learn more about Walker’s extremist record and tell Collins and King to vote NO on his confirmation.
2019 Maine Legislature Roundup Recap
The first regular session of the 129th Maine Legislature was gaveled to a close just after dawn on Thursday, June 20. Legislators considered more than 2,000 bills since convening in December. Our State Government Working Group collaborated with other grassroots...
read moreVICTORIES & GOOD NEWS ROUNDUP: 2019 Maine Legislature edition
As 2019 draws to a close, we’re taking stock of this year’s many legislative victories. We didn’t win every battle, but Maine is in a far better position today than we have been in a long while, and we’re on our way to repairing the damage of the past 8 years. Read the latest Victories & Good News Report: Maine Legislature Edition and let your legislators know how you feel about their votes!
read moreTAKE ACTION MAINE: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and communities around Maine are holding events to draw attention to intimate partner violence and violence prevention
QUICK ACTION: Attend an event near you.
BLOCK EXTREMIST & UNQUALIFIED JUDGES: No Zealots in Lifetime Positions
We’re tracking the most concerning nominees to lifetime judicial appointments, in partnership with other progressive groups. Justin Walker, a nominee to the DC Court of Appeals, opposes the ACA, unions, and civil rights and is the latest in a long line of extremist, unqualified nominees.
QUICK ACTION: Learn more about Walker’s extremist record and tell Collins and King to vote NO on his confirmation.
Victories & Good News Roundup: Blue Wave Edition
Democrats flipped the U.S. House of Representatives and broke Republican strangleholds at the all-important state level, where redistricting decisions are made, not to mention countless laws that affect everyday life. These state and national Blue Wave wins are due in large part to the efforts of thousands of citizen activists who ran for office, worked on campaigns, educated voters, knocked on doors, made phone calls, sent postcards, and got out the vote for candidates who support a progressive agenda.
read moreREADY, SET, VOTE: New GOTV Dashboard has everything you need
Suit Up Maine’s new GOTV Dashboard has everything you need to vote, get out the vote, and volunteer for your favorite candidates!
read more#FakeEmergency: Tell Congress to Override Trump’s Veto
Trump’s #FakeEmergency attempts to snatch Congress’s power of the purse, funding from military construction projects, and citizens’ private land, despite evidence that no emergency exists. Both the House and Senate have passed a bill to repeal the emergency declaration.
QUICK ACTION: Thank our Maine MoC for voting to uphold Congress’s constitutional authority, and ask them to urge more fellow legislators to join them in overriding Trump’s expected veto.
PUBLIC CHARGE RULE: Oppose Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Regulation
Trump proposed a new rule seeking to limit U.S. entry as well as visa and green card applications by low- to moderate-income immigrant families and immigrants with disabilities.
QUICK ACTION: Submit a public comment by midnight, Monday, Dec. 10 opposing this new rule.
#FamiliesBelongTogether: Oppose Inhumane Immigration Policy
While more than 100 children have yet to be reunited with their parents, Trump is radically changing asylum rules, moving thousands of unaccompanied children into internment camps, and deporting the family members who come to claim them.
QUICK ACTION: Keep the pressure on your MoC to demand investigations and oversight, block Trump’s nominee to lead ICE, and give to the organizations providing direct legal support.
Let the FBI Do Its Job: Key Witnesses for Kavanaugh Investigation
The FBI reopened its background investigation of Brett Kavanaugh, but now the White House and Senate Republicans are attempting to drastically limit the people who can be interviewed.
QUICK ACTION: We’ve compiled a list of key witnesses and individuals the FBI must be free to interview. Tell your Senators: let the FBI do its job!
#StopKavanaugh: Oppose Extremist’s Supreme Court Nomination
Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation is on shaky ground with credible accusations of sexual assault now public. Serious questions also remain about whether he lied under oath and whether senators should have access to more information relating to his time serving in the White House.
QUICK ACTION: Tell Susan Collins to demand the FBI investigate assault claims, allow the National Archives to complete its work, and resolve questions of lying before any confirmation vote takes place.
CASE REVIEW: Kavanaugh on the Issues
A number of legal challenges are headed for the Supreme Court, the outcomes of which will affect the health, civil rights, environment, and economic stability of Mainers. Leaders of SUM and several advocacy groups met with Maine’s senators’ judicial advisers during Senate recess on Kavanaugh’s record on the issues.
Read our report on these cases and Kavanaugh’s relevant history.
NO FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE: Oppose Andrew Wheeler for EPA Director
UPDATE 2/28: Andrew Wheeler was confirmed by the Senate 52-47, with both Maine senators voting NO. Former coal lobbyist and acting EPA director Andrew Wheeler has been nominated by Trump to take over the position permanently. The Senate could vote on his confirmation as early as THIS WEEK.
read morePROTECT CLEAN AIR: Oppose Fuel-Efficiency Freeze
Trump’s proposed freeze on fuel-efficiency standards would increase oil consumption, CO2 emissions, gas costs, and health risks.
QUICK ACTION: Submit a public comment opposing the proposal before the October deadline!
PROTECT THE CLEAN POWER PLAN: Oppose Trump’s repeal
The Trump Administration is taking steps to repeal the Clean Power Plan, a blueprint for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and stemming the speed of climate change.
QUICK ACTION: Voice your opposition to the stripping of environmental and health protections by submitting a public comment on the EPA’s plan by this THURSDAY.
SINCLAIR PROPAGANDA: Fight Back Against Far-Right Control of Local TV
Ultra-conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group forces its affiliates to air “must run” segments that attack the press and promote pro-Trump propaganda, and is about to expand its reach to 7 out of 10 American homes.
QUICK ACTION: Tell Maine’s Sinclair-owned stations, WGME CBS 13 and WPFO FOX 23 (207-797-1313), that you refuse to watch propaganda, and ask your Rep to support HR 3478, limiting the number of stations Sinclair could own.
DO THIS, NOT THAT: How To Effectively Resist Trump on Social Media
Want to know how to effectively fight Trump’s messaging on social media? Here are our Top 5 do’s and don’ts, including when it is appropriate to use the term “numb as a hake.”
read more#FakeEmergency: Tell Congress to Override Trump’s Veto
Trump’s #FakeEmergency attempts to snatch Congress’s power of the purse, funding from military construction projects, and citizens’ private land, despite evidence that no emergency exists. Both the House and Senate have passed a bill to repeal the emergency declaration.
QUICK ACTION: Thank our Maine MoC for voting to uphold Congress’s constitutional authority, and ask them to urge more fellow legislators to join them in overriding Trump’s expected veto.
PUBLIC CHARGE RULE: Oppose Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Regulation
Trump proposed a new rule seeking to limit U.S. entry as well as visa and green card applications by low- to moderate-income immigrant families and immigrants with disabilities.
QUICK ACTION: Submit a public comment by midnight, Monday, Dec. 10 opposing this new rule.
#FamiliesBelongTogether: Oppose Inhumane Immigration Policy
While more than 100 children have yet to be reunited with their parents, Trump is radically changing asylum rules, moving thousands of unaccompanied children into internment camps, and deporting the family members who come to claim them.
QUICK ACTION: Keep the pressure on your MoC to demand investigations and oversight, block Trump’s nominee to lead ICE, and give to the organizations providing direct legal support.
Take Action: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Communities around Maine are holding events during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October to draw attention to intimate partner violence and rally support for prevention efforts. Take action and attend an event near you!
read moreBAN BUMP STOCKS: Submit a Public Comment by June 27
The ATF has proposed a rule that would ban bump stocks under the National Firearms Act, and the public comment period is open until June 27. Gun rights activists have already added tens of thousands of comments opposing the measure. QUICK ACTION: Submit your comment before the deadline, voicing your support for the rule change.
read more#WearOrange: Attend Gun Violence Awareness Events June 1-2
The only way the issue of gun violence will be addressed is if people who care continue to demand action through election day and beyond. #WearOrange Weekend begins June 1st, with events all over Maine.
QUICK ACTION: Attend one near you, arm yourself with the sharpest facts, and support the gun violence prevention groups doing the heavy lifting!
MAINE EDUCATION FUNDING: Tell Legislature to Honor Will of the Voters
Republicans in the legislature are balking at the voters’ repeated demand that the state fund 55% of the public school budget. Demand that the will of the voters be heard by attending the Fund Our Damn Schools rally in Augusta on Wednesday, May 31 and contacting your legislators to make sure they know that 55% state funding is critical to our state’s future.
read moreHOLD DEVOS ACCOUNTABLE: Oppose Discrimination in Education
In a recent budget hearing in the House of Representatives, Betsy DeVos indicated that she would not be opposed to allowing schools that engage in discrimination to receive federal funding. Contact Betsy DeVos, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, and your Members of Congress to let them know that this is unacceptable and that taxpayer money should never be given to schools that discriminate against any group of students or staff.
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