NCJW Weekly Advocacy Wrap-Up: July 23
National Council of Jewish Women works all day, every day, to advance policies and efforts that directly affect the most vulnerable populations in the United States. In this email, find our top three actions you can take immediately to make a difference.
 
We are working to confirm fair, independent, and qualified federal judicial nominees to the circuit courts. Additionally, NCJW is focused on keeping anti-abortion language like the Hyde Amendment (which denies abortion coverage in federal health plans) out of appropriations (spending) bills that, for the first time in recent history, are not included! And finally, we support Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s promise to pass both a narrow infrastructure bill and a broad recovery package simultaneously. Read below, and click all three links to make your voice heard!
 
Want to go further? Visit ncjw.org/act to see all the actions you can take today to better the lives of women, children, and families.
The issue: Federal judges make decisions that affect our daily lives, and the majority of the bench is not reflective of the communities they serve. 
The good news: There is a new crop of nominees who would bring much-needed diversity and experience to the federal bench. 
Our task: Urge your senators to support the nominations of Myrna Pérez, Eunice Lee, Veronica S. Rossman, and Chief Judge Gustavo Gelpí, Jr.


The issue: For over 40 years, the Hyde Amendment has been added to annual appropriations (spending) bills. This policy denying insurance coverage of abortion to those enrolled in federal health plans and programs disproportionately harms Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities and is a painful example of how systemic racism permeates our federal laws and regulations.
The good news: We are thrilled that the House has introduced spending bills that do not include the Hyde Amendment and similar abortion coverage bans.
The issue: At the moment, President Biden and a bipartisan group of senators have reached an agreement on a narrow infrastructure bill. But this bill leaves out NCJW priorities, such as health care, childcare, and anti-poverty measures — pieces that Congress plans to include in a separate recovery package. If the infrastructure bill is passed on its own, there may not be the political willpower in Congress to also pass this broad recovery legislation that would most impact women, children, and families.
The good news: Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi have promised to pass both a narrow infrastructure bill... TAKE ACTION NOW
Last Friday, a U.S. district judge blocked the Biden administration from approving new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). This decision means that thousands of young adults are now barred from receiving those legal protections — and the dignity and safety that accompanies DACA status. 

The ruling shows the clear and pressing need for legislative action to protect Dreamers during this congressional term. DACA, which was first implemented by the Obama administration in 2012, grants protection from deportation to "Dreamers" -- undocumented people brought to the United States at a young age by their parents. According to recent polls, 85 percent of Americans support legal status for Dreamers. Friday’s news underscores the urgent need for Congress to provide permanent solutions for these individuals who have made their lives in the U.S. and contributed so much to it.


Without legislation to establish citizenship, Dreamers, people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and essential workers will continue to live in fear of the threat of arrest, jail, and deportation. Many of these individuals are currently on the COVID frontlines as healthcare professionals and other essential workers, giving back to the country in which they were raised.

The Senate can use the budget reconciliation process to pass this critical legislation with a simple majority of votes, but we must act quickly to ensure this happens. It’s important that you add your voice and let your members of Congress know a path to citizenship for our neighbors and friends has never been more urgent.
Voting rights are a priority for NCJW and our allies across the country. Click here (https://www.ncjw.org/act/action/support-the-for-the-people-act-s1-in-the-senate/) to call your U.S. Senator and ask for support for the For the People Act.

Or join Jews across the country who will be meeting virtually with their U.S. Senators to advocate in support of the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act as part of the Reform Movement’s Racial Justice Campaign. These two bills will protect the right to vote and dismantle an unequal system that has long prevented every voice from being heard in our democracy. Meetings with Senators from 19 states have already been scheduled. 

California congregations will meet virtually with Senator Alex Padilla’s Office on Monday, August 2 at 12 pm and with Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Office on Thursday, August 5 at 10 am.

Please join us for one or both of these lobby meetings and show your support for voting rights! You do not have to be a member of a reform congregation. You do not have to be Jewish. Invite your friends!

Register for the meeting with Senator Padilla’s Office August 2 at 12 pm (participants will join at 11:30 am): rac.org/Padilla-mtg

Register for the meeting with Senator Feinstein’s Office August 5 at 10 am (participants will join at 9:30 am): rac.org/Feinstein-mtg
Save the Date: August 28 March On for Voting Rights.
On Saturday, August 28, March On, SEIU, National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute are organizing a “March On for Voting Rights” to demand that legislatures across the country end their push for restrictive voting laws and that Congress pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Restoration Act. These critical bills will ensure free, fair access to the ballot for every American voter. Marches will be held in Atlanta, Houston, Miami and Phoenix, where voting rights are under attack, and in Washington, DC, where Congress is debating voting rights legislation. To learn more about the March On for Voting Rights, visit www.marchonforvotingrights.org. Stay tuned for how to get involved with NCJW!
 
Advocacy Opportunities
  • National Voter Registration Day. Sign up to be a partner for 2021 National Voter Registration Day, happening on September 28.

Resources
 
Join us for Vote Forward letter writing!
Our section is ready and writing.

Go to https://votefwd.org/ncjwca Log in or sign up, but don’t adopt any voters on this screen. Go to View All Active Campaigns and select the Social Campaign
We're writing and stockpiling 1.5 million letters to voters in Virginia in advance of the general elections on November 2. Virginia’s odd-year elections tend to serve as a bellwether for the midterm elections, so boosting turnout is crucial.

The Virginia campaigns have two waves:
FIRST WAVE: We start with a “vote by mail” letter wave, and stockpile those letters until we mail on Saturday, September 18, right when absentee and early in-person voting begin.
SECOND WAVE: When all of those letters are written, we’ll roll out a wave of “please vote” letters, and stockpile those letters until the Saturday, October 16 mail date.

Quiet summer days are the best time to write letters!

P.S. Forever stamp prices are expected to increase by three cents in August, so now is a great time to replenish your stamp inventory.

Questions? Email: advocacy@ncjwlongbeach.org