Authors: Andrea Fernández Aponte, Emma Buckhout
Update April 27, 2017: Your pressure on Congress is making a difference! This week, with backlash on both sides of the aisle, Mr. Trump appeared to have to back down from his demands that Congress immediately pass money for his immoral and ineffective border wall. However, he’s vowed not to give up, so neither can we!
Today, Congress said it will pass a temporary agreement tomorrow to put off further negotiations until next week. Stalling is not enough—please click here to CALL your members today to tell them to say NO to the wall. And don’t forget to speak out on social media as well!
This is it. Congress has until this Friday, April 28th to to pass a funding bill, or risk shutting down our government. The main point of contention? The wall.
President Trump is pressuring Congress to designate an extra $3 billion for the remainder of fiscal year 2017 (which goes through the end of September) to begin the construction of his precious border wall and ramp up immigrant detention and deportation forces. And he’s willing to cut programs that Americans depend on, undermine compromise in Congress, and risk a government shutdown to get his way.
Congress needs to hear from you TODAY. Call your members and tell them to say NO to Trump’s ineffective and immoral wall>>
This wall goes against our country’s values. What’s more, it will not stop immigration. Instead, it will place the most vulnerable people seeking protection at our border—especially families and children—at greater risk, forcing them to take even more perilous routes and pushing them into the hands of smugglers, traffickers, organized crime, and corrupt officials. It will also jeopardize our relationship with Mexico and our Central American neighbors. Above all, building a physical barrier will do nothing to address the root causes of extreme violence and poverty driving people from their homes in the first place.
Trump’s demands for the wall also threaten the most vulnerable in our communities at home. Funding his ridiculous wall means taking away billions of dollars that should go towards our children’s education, our already lacking healthcare, our infrastructure, and protecting the environment. Not to mention that this $3 billion dollar request is just the beginning—the full wall would cost over $21 billion, on top of exorbitant costs for more detention centers and immigration officials. Going through with Trump’s rash requests would mean cutting funds for critical domestic and international programs for years to come. We will NOT stand idly by while Trump squanders our tax money on xenophobic and foolish projects like this one.
Across Congress, Democrats have vowed they won’t go forward with the wall, and Republican legislators have expressed serious concerns, as well. Yesterday, faith leaders from around the country marched on Capitol Hill to demand a budget that supports justice and human dignity, and others have already started sending letters to Congress. Now it’s our turn.
Join us to stand firm and #resist Trump’s un-American agenda.
Take Action
CALL
Tell them to stand up to the Trump Administration and refuse to waste our money on a harmful and ineffective border wall, detention centers, and deportation forces. Instead, support our basic needs, at home and abroad.
Why call? A phone call from a constituent can hold more weight than an email, and far outweighs a Facebook post or a tweet. So, please take two minutes to call and make sure that your voice is heard!
TWEET
You can look up your members’ twitter handles here!
SHARE ON FACEBOOK
Click on one of the images below to share it on Facebook!