When the history of the Trump era is written, each of us who is part of this shared project called Public Citizen will know that we did everything we could to limit the damage Trump inflicted on our country and our planet — and that we laid the groundwork for delivering on the aggressive, progressive agenda Americans overwhelmingly favor and our country desperately needs.

But I have to be perfectly honest with you — Public Citizen is feeling a real financial strain, and we need your help.

The good news is, when you donate right now, you’re contribution will be double matched. That’s two dollars for every dollar you chip in!

Look, I know we’re sending a lot of emails asking you to donate.

We’re doing that because we truly need your support — and because with so many other organizations and political candidates sending end-of-the-year fundraising emails, it’s easy for our messages to get lost in your inbox.

Mindful of the number of emails, we try to keep the messages light and fun.

But in this note, I want to be a little more serious — to highlight some of what we’ve done together over the past year and what we can do in 2020 and beyond, so long as we have the funds we need.

Here’s just a small sampling of what you and Public Citizen did together in 2019:

• Co-coordinated the Nobody Is Above the Law network calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump and helped turn out more than 200,000 people calling for impeachment in more than 600 different locations on the eve of the impeachment vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

• Spearheaded the coalition that successfully passed the For The People Act (H.R. 1) — the most sweeping pro-democracy legislation in a generation — in the House and launched an aggressive campaign to build support in the Senate that has already gathered 47 co-sponsors.

• Helped draft legislation to slash prescription drug prices and ensure patients have access to affordable medicines. In December, the House voted on legislation that we made much tougher and that, if passed, would reduce medication costs by tens of billions every year.

• Won passage in New Hampshire of a resolution to overturn Citizens United, making The Granite State the 20th state to endorse our constitutional amendment.

• Moved the debate over Medicare for All from the fringes of political discourse to the very center of policy debates. Efforts are underway in more than 200 cities and towns to pass resolutions demanding Medicare for All.

Again, that’s only a sampling.

We filed ethics complaints; petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to remove unsafe medicines from the market and impose a moratorium on new opioid approvals; issued cutting edge reports; sued the Trump administration over its illegal border wall and other unconstitutional maneuvers; launched an effort to cut the Pentagon budget; and much, much more.

In 2020, we will continue to challenge the Trump administration’s illegal conduct, Trump’s self-enrichment schemes, and the handover of power to the corporations the government is supposed to be regulating.

But we can’t and won’t be only defensive.

We’re paving the way for transformational change that is within reach:

• We’re pointing to a House hearing on a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and a House vote on the amendment.

• We’re developing a major grassroots program in key Senate states to win passage of H.R. 1, the For The People Act.

• We’re going to continue building momentum for Medicare for All, passing resolutions across the country and growing the number of congressional co-sponsors.

• We’re launching new programs and projects to take on Big Tech, to impose restraints on the companies that seek ever greater control over the minutiae of our lives.

• We’re intensifying efforts to challenge the monopoly model that enables Big Pharma to charge outrageous prices that force more than one in six Americans to ration needed treatments.

• We’re advocating for innovative new measures to empower consumers and citizens — and restrain corporate crime and wrongdoing.

And again, that’s only a sampling.

But here’s the thing — we’ve thrown everything we’ve got at limiting the damage inflicted on our nation by the Trump administration.

And, at the same time, we’ve maintained our long-term agenda of advocating for a more just and equitable America.

In a way, you could say our workload has doubled. But our financial support has not.

That’s why it’s so crucial right now, at the end of 2019 and as we plan our investments for the coming year, that we hit our fundraising targets.

We need to raise $250,000 in online contributions by midnight on December 31. And with very little time left, we’re far off the pace.

With a two-for-one match in place, can you contribute right now?

Thanks so much for all you do.

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. Become a Monthly Donor today and EVERY ONE of your first 12 monthly installments will earn the two-for-one match!
 
 
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