We know these are incredibly tough times for everyone. We wouldn’t be continuing to fight and support our candidates' campaigns (which takes funding) if flipping the Senate and keeping control of the House wasn’t critical. This pandemic highlights the need for better leadership. We understand you must care for yourself and your loved ones. We completely understand if you can’t contribute right now but we would still love to have you on our team. Stay well. John, As you know, several U.S. Senators dumped their stock holdings in advance of this crisis. Five Senators -- four Republicans and a Democrat -- sold stock after receiving inside information during the onset of the coronavirus crisis. Even in times of crisis, many of our elected representatives will choose themselves and their wealthy donors over literally saving American lives. "Members of Congress should not be allowed to buy and sell individual stock," said BNC representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a press release. "We are here to serve the public, not to profiteer." As AOC says, “It’s stomach-churning” that the first response was to prioritize their pocketbooks instead of warning and preparing their constituents for the impending pandemic. AOC put her words to paper by proposing legislation that would put an end to insider trading and profiteering by members of Congress. The bill, proposed by AOC and her colleagues Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Rep. Joe Neguse, pushed to renew the Ban Conflicted Trading Act, which was originally introduced to the Senate in December 2018 by Sen. Jeff Merkley. The current legislation that addresses profiteering just isn’t strong enough. This is exactly why we need more regular-working people elected to Congress. It seems like these days, there’s no bar too low. Our federal government has a long and inexcusable history of putting profit before people, even in times of national crisis. As Americans, we have a duty to hold our representatives accountable. This is an incredibly stressful time for every single person in this country. It’s difficult to think about elections right now, but the COVID-19 pandemic is laying bare the bitter truth that the majority of representatives care more about their pocketbooks or their power than about the people. Even when it means life or death. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Congress cut funding for pandemic research and preparedness under both Presidents Obama and Trump. Our country’s priorities are in need of a tectonic shift, and the only way we do that is by electing leaders who pledge not to take corporate money, who have seen how devastating a lack of healthcare and livable wages are in their communities -- even before COVID-19. We need leaders who will put stock in protecting the health and safety of the American people, not leaders who sell stock so they can profit off a pandemic.
Zeynab Day |
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