August 21, 2020

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The Latest
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*Team, the 2020 election is 74 days away, and we are ready to fight for Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris. And to fight for a progressive climate plan, millions of green jobs, and a more equitable economy.* We couldn’t be more excited for the Biden-Harris ticket, but we know Donald Trump won’t go down without a fight. It’s up to us to support climate leaders, defend the USPS, and make a plan to vote. Read on for the latest from Team Tom, plus resources for you to take action.

* 📺 Tom joined progressive leaders at the Democratic National Convention this week to show his strong support for the Biden-Harris ticket and to encourage voter turnout. On Thursday, he discussed how we can meet the climate crisis alongside fellow members of Biden’s Climate Engagement Advisory Council (CEAC). *If you missed the discussion, you can watch it now! ( [link removed] )*
* 🌱 Getting the United States to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is not only a significant climate win — it’s a big jobs creator, putting millions of Americans back to work while building a green, equitable economy. Tom and fellow CEAC member Lonnie Stephenson (President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) wrote about how Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan will do just that. *Read more here. ( [link removed] )*
* 📣 Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee sponsored the H.R. 40 bill, which would form a commission to study Reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans. Tom is helping build public awareness for the bill. Earlier this month, he and the Congresswoman discussed the issue on a digital forum with Dr. Ben Chavis, President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). *Take a look! ( [link removed] )*
* 📰 California’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery has been working hard to prepare children to go back to school safely. Learn more about Tom’s work with the task force to bridge the digital divide as well as other newsworthy updates. *Check out Tom in the News here. ( [link removed] )*

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Community Circle
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Team Tom member Nancy P. from California stood up for our democracy by safely attending a “Save the USPS” rally — *way to go Nancy!*

Read more about the Trump administration’s attack on the postal service below. And if you want to be featured in the next Community Circle, send a photo of you taking action to [email protected] ( [email protected] ).

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Action Toolkit
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Tom has endorsed 19 climate leaders who are on the ballot this November. Support immediate climate action by *donating to their campaigns today. ( [link removed] )*

Reparations are necessary for racial equity, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is building support for Reparations in Congress. *Read “Reparations are Past Due” to learn more. ( [link removed] )*

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Worth a Review: The United States Postal Service
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The postal service in America has existed longer than the United States has been a country. 91% of Americans ( [link removed] ) , regardless of party affiliation, currently support the USPS. It delivers mail that people’s lives depend on — benefit checks, medications (including almost all Veterans Affairs prescriptions), and money orders for folks who don’t have access to traditional banking services. The postal service also employs over 600,000 workers across the country — 40% of whom are people of color, 97,000 of whom are veterans, and over half a million of whom belong to unions.
Right now, the USPS is in dire financial need. Why? Because of the 2006 law ( [link removed] ) passed by the Bush administration that sabotaged the USPS’s finances. Republicans forced the postal service into debt, and then argued the public program cannot compete with private enterprise.
A few months ago, Trump appointed Republican mega-donor Louis DeJoy to Postmaster General who, unsurprisingly, has a real conflict of interest. DeJoy has at least $30 million in assets in Postal Service competitors ( [link removed] ) , making his appointment corrupt and dangerous. Once in office, DeJoy instituted ‘cost-cutting’ changes, including removing mail-sorting machines ( [link removed] ) and disallowing overtime. This created life-threatening mail delays and rampant fears over the Post Office’s ability to handle the country’s mail needs. Under mounting pressure, DeJoy claimed to have stopped these changes, but has made no commitment to fix the damage.
So here’s what everyone needs to do: * *Make a voting plan.* Vote early in-person or by mail. For mail-in voting, fill out your ballot and send it back as soon as possible. You may also be able to drop off at an election center, polling places, or the supervisors office. *If you can’t vote early* , make a plan to vote in person on November 3 — be sure to wear a mask and social distance. Go here for state-specific voting info: [link removed] ( [link removed] )
* *Add your name to save the USPS.* ( [link removed] )

*Tom’s take:* “Trump’s dismantling of the Postal Service and Republicans’ quiet compliance is a last-ditch effort to keep Americans from exercising their right to vote. We cannot let Trump’s lies undermine the election, and we cannot stand idle while he destroys a vital American institution.”

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