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people power
Bernie Sanders Mobilizes Organizers to Fight GOP Budget Bill in Key Swing Districts
Organizers hired by Sanders in recent months "will fan out across the country this week, targeting 15 Republican-held districts" in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and other states, the senator said.
Each of the districts was a stop on Sanders' recent "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, which drew large, energetic crowds even in areas typically seen as Republican strongholds. According to the senator's team, roughly a third of the more than 265,000 rally attendees were not registered Democrats.
The week of action kicked off with an organizing call led by Sanders, according to an announcement, with canvassing, days of action, and rallies being organized in at least eight states.
The senator's team provided a look at some of the material organizers plan to distribute during their actions. The literature urges constituents to call their representatives and urge them to vote no "on a bill to cut Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and education to pay for hundreds of billions of dollars in more tax breaks for billionaires."
One of the lawmakers targeted is Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who said last month that he would not accept more than $500 billion in Medicaid cuts over a 10-year period.
The Republican proposal includes more than $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid and would likely throw more than 8 million people off the program, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Sanders said the following Republican lawmakers will also be targeted as part of the swing-district pressure campaign against the reconciliation package:
- Mariannette Miller Meeks (IA-1)
- John James (MI-10)
- Zach Nunn (IA-3)
- Derrick Van Orden (WI-3)
- Tom Barrett (MI-7)
- Bryan Steil (WI-1)
- David Valadao (CA-22)
- Kevin Kiley (CA-3)
- Juan Ciscomani (AZ-6)
- David Schweikert (AZ-1)
- Scott Perry (PA-10)
- Ryan Mackenzie (PA-7)
- Gabe Evans (CO-8)
- Tony Wied (WI-8)
News of the actions came as Republicans on key committees prepared Tuesday for several markup hearings on their reconciliation proposals, which include around a trillion dollars in combined cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as well as major tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations.
The American Prospect's David Dayen reported last week that House Republicans deliberately scheduled the Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Agriculture Committee markup hearings on the same day "to make it hard for the opposition to focus."
In a social media post on Monday, Sanders highlighted the GOP bill's proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP and declared, "It must be defeated."
Sanders is also working to harness the energy of his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour to recruit progressive candidates for office. Politicoreported earlier this month that "the Vermont senator is teaming up with the liberal group Run for Something and other outside organizations to provide support to potential candidates."
"We want to make sure that we're not just going into these spaces and holding rallies and disappearing, and we’re not just asking people to run for office," Jeremy Slevin, a top Sanders adviser, told the outlet. "We're giving them the tools they need to actually do it."
'We Don't Do Kings': Mass Protests Planned to Counter Trump's Birthday Military Parade
See the full list of planned events and locations here.
"Donald Trump wants to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a big fancy parade with tanks in the streets," explained Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, on Monday's broadcast of The Rachel Maddow Show. "This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. He wants to project strength. He wants everybody to think that he is all-powerful. That he rules the world."
"He doesn't," Levin added. "Real power is not in D.C. It's distributed all across the country. And what we're looking to do on No Kings Day is to say, look—Donald Trump does not own the flag. He does not own patriotism. In fact, we can all show up in opposition to a king in this country."
The event's website says the goal of the mass demonstrations is to show that "from city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we're taking action to reject authoritarianism."
"In America, we don't do kings," the website states. "On June 14th, we're showing up everywhere he isn't—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings."
News of the latest mass mobilization against Trump and his far-right agenda came days after the U.S. Army confirmed plans for a parade on June 14—the Army's 250th birthday and Trump's 79th.
"The Army anticipates featuring 150 vehicles, 50 aircraft, and 6,600 soldiers," The Washington Postreported, citing an Army spokesperson. "The parade will accompany a fireworks display and a day-long festival on the National Mall with military demonstrations, musical performances, and a fitness competition."
The price tag for such festivities could be massive, with two unnamed defense officials tellingNBC News that it could be as high as $45 million. In an interview that aired over the weekend, Trump called the potential cost "peanuts compared to the value of doing it."
"We have the greatest missiles in the world," Trump declared. "We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we're going to celebrate it."
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said in a statement Monday that "this would be an unprecedented waste of money to please this self-absorbed con man, and the public should make clear it's unacceptable."
"The egotist-in-chief wants taxpayers to foot the bill for a military parade on his birthday," said Cohen, the lead sponsor of legislation that would "prohibit the use of federal funds for a military parade in the District of Columbia intended for the personal celebration of President Donald J. Trump, and for other purposes."
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