Add Twitter To Your Toolkit
Sunday February 5
(adapted from Rogan's List)

If you don’t have Twitter, get it! You’ll need it for the resistance.
Once you've joined, then mosey on over to “Tweet Sheet Tuesdays”, a group where folks can all simultaneously post prepared tweets on Tuesdays at noon Eastern. It's great, and it's SO EASY.
On Tuesday Jan 31st, this group posted a tweet about the EPA, and next Tuesday, Feb 7th, all will be tweeting to Senate Democrats encouraging them to resist the Trump agenda. Take a look at the group Facebook page and the Tweet Sheet now.
Oppose the Appointment of Steve Bannon to the National Security Council
Friday, February 3
(adapted from Rogan's List)
Several options to oppose Bannon's dangerous influence in our government.
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Contact your senators about this highly unusual situation regarding Bannon's appointment to the National Security Council. Political appointees such as Bannon should not have a seat at the table in place of genuine, experienced military leaders. Ask them to formally request that the Senate force the White House to comply with 50 U.S. Code § 3021 - National Security Council - "Section (a) (6) - the Secretaries and Under Secretaries of other executive departments and of the military departments, when appointed by the President by and with the ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE SENATE, to serve at his pleasure." http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2017-01-31/steve-bannon-on-national-security-council-may-require-senate-confirmation
There are many grave concerns about this individual having any voice whatsoever, or even information in regards, to National Security Council information. We would like to see our concerns voiced in a hearing by our Senators. Find your senators here: http://act.commoncause.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sunlight_advocacy_list_page
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Sign the White House petition to “Fire Steve Bannon”. Steve Bannon poses a threat to our democracy. He has said that he wants to send the status quo crashing down. He appears to be the person calling the shots at the White House and no one elected him. He is not qualified to be on the National Security Council.
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Call your House representative and urge them to take a stand against the appointment of Steve Bannon to the National Security Council. 5calls.org has background information, as well as a sample script here.
Say No to ACA Repeal, Medicare & Medicaid Cuts
Wednesday February 1
Please call your senators and representative today to oppose repealing the ACA without a replacement and to oppose any cuts or restructuring of Medicaid. The call-in number is 866-426-2631 (Thanks to SEIU for providing the toll-free call-in number; those who call will hear a brief overview of the issues and will be asked to enter their zip code before being transferred to their members of Congress.)
Talking points you might use for the calls:
- No repeal of the ACA without simultaneous replacement - If Congress votes to repeal the ACA, a replacement package that provides equivalent or improved access to comprehensive, affordable, quality health coverage must be included in the same legislation.
- No cuts to and restructuring of Medicaid - More than 100 million individuals rely on Medicaid over the course of each year. Program cuts, along with block grant or per capita cap proposals, would hurt people who have no alternative means of paying for essential services. See the National Health Law Program's "Protect Medicaid" series for more information.
- Preserve Medicare for current and future seniors and people with disabilities - Premium support and other restructuring proposals to shift more costs onto beneficiaries would make health care far less affordable and accessible to seniors and people with disabilities.
Learn more about the Cassidy-Collins replacement bill, and why it is a "totally inadequate substitute for the ACA".
(Action info courtesy of Mara Youdelman of the National Health Law Program.)
Opposing the Muslim Ban
Tuesday, January 31
Ordinarily, today would have been a day for making calls to Senators Gillibrand and Schumer to oppose the #SwampCabinet. These efforts have been successful, and both NY Senators have vowed not to confirm any of the rest of Trump's cabinet nominees.
Action you can take today:
Persuading Members of Congress is not the only thing all-of-us can do to fight the Muslim Ban. (adapted from the Wall-of-Us blog)
Here are 2 more strategies:
- Thank the leaders from the following companies who have spoken out against the Ban: d
- Apple
- Netflix
- Lyft: Lyft donated $1M to the ACLU and clearly condemns Trump’s actions. In contrast, Uber issued a vague statement. Riders are deleting the Uber app and opting for Lyft.
- Tesla
- Microsoft
- Airbnb: Airbnb is offering free housing to refugees affected by the ban.
- GE
- Ask the companies who have not stepped up to do so. Here is a ;list of the CEOs who are currently on Trump's Business Advisory Council. Only two of them have spoken up. This group is meeting with Trump on Friday. Let's ask them to stand up against the ban.
Sample message/tweet: CEOs of major companies are standing against Trump’s Muslim Ban. Will you? #WallofUs #CompaniesAgainstTheBan
Track Trump's Agenda
Monday, January 30
Having trouble keeping track of everything coming out of Washington these days? So are we! Fortunately, the New York Times has created a useful tool, a Trump Tracker, to help us all stay up to date on executive orders and memoranda.
You'll want to bookmark the page, as it will be updated on a regular basis.
In case you've also been wondering about where in the process certain cabinet nominees have landed, the Times is also maintaining a handy online guide.
Support Net Neutrality
Call (202-418-1000) or email ([email protected]) the new FCC Commissioner, Ajit Pai, and tell him that you support Net Neutrality and that you expect him to support it too.
What's Net Neutrality? New York Magazine summed it up on Tuesday:
"The net-neutrality debate is about whether one class of private entities, ISPs, should be regulated in order to allow millions of other private entities, users and businesses operating online, to operate freely. Pretty much everyone agrees that they should — except for the ISPs … and Ajit Pai. Pai even wrote a 67-page(!) dissent when the order was adopted. Even Google and Facebook support the principle, in part because they often buy up the smaller startups that flourish on an unfettered internet. Imagine an internet where, rather than buying Instagram for $1 billion, Facebook instead paid for a fast lane and forced Instagram out by other means."
Read more
Stay Informed - Attend Putnam County Legislature Meetings

The Putnam County Legislature holds a full meeting once a month, and its committees generally meet monthly as well. The legislative calendar is at http://www.putnamcountyny.com/legi/legislative-calendar/. We will post meeting notices on our Take Action Calendar, and when available, include documents related to these meetings.
Tonight, January 26 at 6:30 pm is the Audit Committee meeting.
Here is the agenda for that meeting:
Educate Yourself About the NYS Budget
Wednesday, January 25
This cold icy weather offers an excellent opportunity to stay indoors and do some heavy reading.
Governor Cuomo released his proposed 2017-18 budget on January 18th, and hearings in Albany began on January 24th.
The hearing schedule has been organized.
Budget documents are available on the Division of the Budget website.
Read an analysis of the Health/Medicaid portion of the budget by the Mental Health Association in NYS..
Read the NYS Senate analysis of the budget(the white book).
Read the NYS Assembly analysis (the yellow book).
The NYS 2017-2018 Budget makes for excellent dinner conversation and bedtime reading material. You can always download the pdfs and read them offline.
Rally to Stop the #SwampCabinet
Tuesday, January 24 at 12 noon
Attend a Rally to Stop Trump's #Swampcabinet
Info from Indivisible, MoveOn and the Working Families Party:
Republicans are trying to push through some of the most problematic, troubling nominees ever. They must be stopped.
That’s why, on Tuesday, January 24th, MoveOn members are joining with Working Families Party, People's Action, and other allies across the country to rally Democratic and Republican senators with a clear message: "Stop the #SwampCabinet." Donald Trump riled up crowds claiming he'd "drain the swamp" and chase corruption out of Washington. But, so far, he has done nothing but nominate individuals that will continue to foster the same corruption he describe during his campaign.
At these rallies at senators' local district offices, we will tell our senators and the media why Trump's cabinet is not what America wants or needs. Democrats need to use every tool in their toolbox to delay and stop these nominees, and Republicans need to oppose these nominees if they care about draining the swamp.
One Park Place, Suite 100
Peekskill, NY 10566
Phone: (914) 734-1532
Fax: (914) 734-1673
PO Box 893
Mahopac, NY 10541
Tel. (845) 875-4585
Fax (845) 875-9099
Since this is a PO Box and not an office, you will have to call her.
both NY Senators share an office at:
780 Third Ave
New York, NY 10017