Public Citizen · [email protected]

August 12, 2021 at 8:47 PM

Senate Republicans' overnight attack on democracy

At around 4:30 a.m. yesterday, Senate Republicans used a procedural maneuver to block (for now) the landmark For the People Act. The For the People Act would fight the Republican Party’s racist, undemocratic assault on our democracy by strengthening the right and ability to vote, ending partisa…

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August 11, 2021 at 1:11 PM

what happened this morning

Early this morning, Senate Republicans invoked the filibuster — three times, no less — to stall bills that would counteract the most sustained attacks on our democracy in half a century. First, Senate Republicans filibustered the entire For the People Act (a.k.a. H.R.1/S.1) — a commonsense pack…

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August 10, 2021 at 6:27 PM

tell them we need the boldest action they can deliver

The U.S. Senate just passed its bipartisan infrastructure bill, which includes hundreds of billions for roads, bridges, rail, water, and broadband. (The House will vote on that bill later this summer.) Congress is now moving on to the much larger budget plan — some $3.5 trillion in critical inv…

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August 6, 2021 at 6:26 PM

when will Biden step up for voting rights?

It was 56 years ago today. On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the landmark Voting Rights Act into law. For nearly half a century, that historic legislation — which Congress strengthened many times on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis — made true multiracial democracy in our c…

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August 5, 2021 at 5:09 PM

Cuomo must resign

The Attorney General of New York has determined that Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women — 9 of whom did or still do work for him — in violation of state and federal law. You can read more about that investigation in Politico and The New York Times. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo…

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August 4, 2021 at 1:11 PM

no recess, no filibuster, no excuses

The For the People Act would safeguard voting rights, end partisan gerrymandering, stop billionaires from buying elections, and more. Senators should not let a congressional recess, the Jim Crow filibuster, their personal vacation plans, or anything else get in the way of passing this desperate…

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August 3, 2021 at 7:41 PM

traveling from all across America to defend democracy

It’s happening TODAY! Over 100 state legislators — from all across America — are in Washington, D.C., today to urge the Senate not to go on recess until it passes the For the People Act (a.k.a. H.R.1/S.1) to protect our democracy. They’re joining the Texas lawmakers who fled to D.C. a few wee…

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August 2, 2021 at 8:13 PM

this pandemic is nowhere near over

No matter how much we all wish it were so, the coronavirus pandemic is NOT over: The much more contagious Delta variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are spiking in many parts of the country. Far too many people have refused to get va…

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July 31, 2021 at 2:12 PM

one day only

Support Public Citizen Have you heard about Sustainers? Sustainers are people who take their support of Public Citizen to the next level by signing up to make an automated, recurring donation every month. Become a Sustainer TODAY and a longtime benefactor will match your contribution dollar-fo…

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July 29, 2021 at 2:51 PM

strengthen and expand Medicare

This week marks the 56th anniversary of Medicare, which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law on July 30, 1965. Medicare is one of our nation’s most important anti-poverty programs, enabling hundreds of millions of seniors to live in dignity and with guaranteed access to health care. Now w…

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July 28, 2021 at 11:01 PM

56 years ago this week

This week marks the 56th anniversary of Medicare, which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law on July 30, 1965. Medicare is one of our nation’s most important anti-poverty programs, enabling hundreds of millions of seniors to live in dignity and with guaranteed access to health care. Now w…

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July 27, 2021 at 5:53 PM

not since World War II

A trillion dollars. That’s how much the IRS estimates our nation is losing in unpaid taxes — largely from giant corporations and the super-wealthy — every year. Just a reminder of what that looks like numerically: $1,000,000,000,000. It’s enough to cover the entire annual budgets of these 4…

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July 26, 2021 at 9:10 PM

pay your damn taxes

A trillion dollars. That’s how much the IRS estimates our nation is losing in unpaid taxes — largely from giant corporations and the super-wealthy — every year. Just a reminder of what that looks like numerically: $1,000,000,000,000. It’s enough to cover the entire annual budgets of these 4…

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July 23, 2021 at 9:43 PM

not-so-good news

Support Public Citizen I’ve sent you a few emails about our all-out campaign to advance the For the People Act before the Senate goes on recess two weeks from today for the remainder of the summer. (One of my earlier notes is copied below in case you missed it.) More than 500 people have donated…

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  Robert · [email protected]

July 23, 2021 at 5:52 PM

we have to fight like hell

Support Public Citizen August 6 is a momentous date for voting rights. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965. For nearly half a century, that landmark legislation — which Congress strengthened multiple times on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis — …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

July 23, 2021 at 1:11 PM

do everything we possibly can to find a way around the filibuster

Support Public Citizen Two weeks to go. See my earlier note (copied below in case you missed it) for more about why August 6 — just two weeks from today — is such a pivotal moment in the fight to preserve our democracy. And, if you can, please donate right now — anything you chip in today will…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

July 22, 2021 at 7:43 PM

could it be you?

Support Public Citizen Saving democracy is not optional. We HAVE to do it. That’s why Public Citizen is in full-on campaign mode to advance the For the People Act. But time is not on our side. See my earlier message, copied below, for more about this make-or-break moment for democracy. I k…

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July 22, 2021 at 2:52 PM

a momentous day for voting rights

Support Public Citizen I am so grateful for — and inspired by — the response from Public Citizen supporters all across America to my note yesterday about our work to pass the For the People Act. I’ve copied that email below in case you missed it. Please give it a quick look if you haven’t alread…

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  Robert · [email protected]

July 21, 2021 at 6:27 PM

the shortest email ever?

Support Public Citizen My thanks to everyone who took a few minutes to read — and respond to — my note this morning. I know it’s not the shortest email ever, but please give it a quick look if you haven’t already (it’s copied below in case you missed it). - Robert ****** August 6 is a mome…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

July 21, 2021 at 12:36 PM

two weeks to save this democracy

Support Public Citizen August 6 is a momentous date for voting rights. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965. For nearly half a century, that landmark legislation — which Congress strengthened multiple times on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis — …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

July 19, 2021 at 6:27 PM

Billionaire Astronaut Reentry Fee

At 9:00 a.m. EDT tomorrow, July 20, Jeff Bezos — founder of Amazon and richest person on Earth, with a net worth of $202 billion as estimated by Forbes’ “Real-Time Billionaires List” — will launch himself into space. (A quick pause to say that if there are so many billionaires whose fortunes ar…

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July 16, 2021 at 7:20 PM

even more than the Pentagon got from Trump

$753 billion. That’s how much the Biden administration has requested from Congress to fund the military in the coming year. For comparison, that’s almost three times the budget for the entire state of California (and no state budgets more than The Golden State year after year). Or — looking…

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July 15, 2021 at 6:20 PM

the existential threat to our democracy

Hear me clearly. There’s an unfolding assault taking place in America today — an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections. An assault on democracy. An assault on liberty. An assault on who we are — who we are as Americans. ... We’re facing the most significa…

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July 14, 2021 at 2:37 PM

the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War

Hear me clearly. There’s an unfolding assault taking place in America today — an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections. An assault on democracy. An assault on liberty. An assault on who we are — who we are as Americans. ... We’re facing the most significa…

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July 13, 2021 at 7:11 PM

yes, Mitch McConnell really does think you're *that* stupid

“I’m perplexed by the reluctance of some to get vaccinated, totally perplexed.” That’s what Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said last week. Perplexed, huh? Could it have anything to do with Republican politicians all across America who lined up to join Donald Trump in downplaying the se…

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July 12, 2021 at 8:06 PM

do you know the answer?

Let’s play Jeopardy! Category: Voter Suppression for $600. Clue: Don’t mess with this state, where it is harder to vote than anywhere else in America. Response: What is Texas? That’s right, the Lone Star State by many estimates makes it harder for its citizens to exercise their righ…

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July 10, 2021 at 7:19 PM

President Biden takes a swing at Big Business

Joe Biden just took the most significant action any president has taken in generations to confront the menace of corporate monopolies. In an executive order yesterday, President Biden tasked agencies throughout his administration with helping to level the playing field for consumers, workers, a…

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July 9, 2021 at 6:20 PM

Big Pharma's big phraud

For decades, Big Pharma has insisted that its outrageous price gouging is necessary to cover the costs of research and development. Never mind that much of the research and development behind new drugs is done at public universities and government agencies that are supported by American taxpaye…

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July 8, 2021 at 8:18 PM

a really bad FDA decision

Support Public Citizen 29 days ago, I emailed you about Public Citizen’s emergency response to the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a new Alzheimer’s treatment called aducanumab. We demanded that the FDA revoke its approval because there is nowhere near enough evidence that aducanumab …

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July 7, 2021 at 6:44 PM

did Mitch McConnell accidentally tell the truth?

Senator Mitch McConnell gave a rambling speech to a small audience at a university in Kentucky yesterday. He noted that the Bluegrass State is getting $4 billion thanks to the American Rescue Plan. That’s the landmark coronavirus relief package passed earlier this year — without a single Repu…

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July 3, 2021 at 3:08 PM

definitely not being sarcastic

$201.8 billion. That’s where Forbes pegs the net worth of Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos as of 5:00 p.m. Friday. Bezos is actually worth $7.1 billion more than the gross domestic product of Iowa — the entire state of Iowa — for 2019. (You know that old saying: “Worth more than all the corn…

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July 2, 2021 at 5:39 PM

Supreme Court OKs racist voting restrictions

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court gave the green light to racist voting restrictions even as Republican legislators are seeking to undermine voting rights throughout America. Here’s what went down: Arizona’s Republican-dominated Legislature and its Trumpist governor recently enacted laws that…

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July 1, 2021 at 12:08 AM

even if I had a vat of honey

Support Public Citizen There’s no way to sugarcoat this: Unless we see a serious uptick in online donations in the few hours left before TONIGHT’S MIDNIGHT DEADLINE, we will head into the second half of 2021 without all the resources we need to power the critical work you and Public Citizen are …

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  Robert · [email protected]

June 30, 2021 at 8:50 PM

cake and pie in the park?

Support Public Citizen This is the situation: We need 131 people to donate before midnight to lock in the full $25,000 in dollar-for-dollar matching funds. Maybe that sounds like a piece of cake. Easy as pie. A walk in the park. But this is where things always stall out. We get this clos…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 30, 2021 at 5:32 PM

the thing I've been telling you about

Support Public Citizen Tonight’s midnight deadline is coming up fast. And we are still $6,859 short of earning the full $25,000 in dollar-for-dollar matching funds I’ve been telling you about (see my earlier note, copied below in case you missed it). Please donate to Public Citizen right now i…

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  Robert · [email protected]

June 30, 2021 at 1:52 PM

attacked by Trump mob

Support Public Citizen It’s great to know there are so many Public Citizen supporters ready to stand with us when we are attacked by neo-fascists and fanatical Trumpists. See my note from yesterday (copied below in case you missed) for a few examples of the kind of hate directed at the work we’r…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 29, 2021 at 11:41 PM

update on three of our most critical campaigns

Support Public Citizen You and Public Citizen are doing so much essential work together. I wanted to update you on where things stand with three of our most critical campaigns. STRENGTHENING OUR DEMOCRACY Last week, every Republican in the United States Senate — every single one — voted agai…

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June 29, 2021 at 7:15 PM

hate mail

Support Public Citizen We get a lot of hate mail at Public Citizen. Here’s just a sampling of recent comments (with expletives edited): You are disgusting pathetic traitors who hate America. Get rid of scum like you who did nothing to earn your place in this country! Should have guessed you’…

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  Robert · [email protected]

June 29, 2021 at 2:36 PM

my job

Support Public Citizen My thanks to everyone who responded to my note yesterday (copied below in case you missed it). We still have quite a ways to go to earn the full $25,000 in dollar-for-dollar matching funds. And tomorrow’s midnight deadline is really closing in. If you can, please donate…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 28, 2021 at 9:25 PM

bad news

Support Public Citizen So far, 2021 has had more than its share of bad news: In a brazen bid to remain in office despite losing an election, Donald Trump engineered his Big Lie that the 2020 election was “rigged” and “stolen” — and he came alarmingly close to succeeding. On January 6, Trump ad…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 28, 2021 at 3:11 PM

only a fraction of what we are doing

Support Public Citizen You and Public Citizen are doing so much essential work together. I wanted to update you on where things stand with three of our most critical campaigns. STRENGTHENING OUR DEMOCRACY Last week, every Republican in the United States Senate — every single one — voted agai…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 26, 2021 at 6:18 PM

suing Georgia for racist voter suppression

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it is suing Georgia over racist and illegal voting restrictions recently signed into law by that state’s Trumpist Governor, Brian Kemp. Specifically, as noted by Attorney General Merrick Garland, “Georgia’s election laws were enacted with…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 25, 2021 at 6:58 PM

states' rights

This is not a short note. Please read through to the end. And please take action. Let’s start with some quick history: The 15th Amendment — which was intended to prohibit racial discrimination in voting — was ratified in 1870. But after Reconstruction, blatantly racist voting laws throughou…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 24, 2021 at 10:46 PM

tune in to our Gala now!

Public Citizen’s FREE, online Gala starts in just a few minutes, at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Tune in now! I’ll share Public Citizen’s plan for winning passage of the For the People Act despite Tuesday’s flagrantly partisan Republican filibuster of the landmark legislation to defend our democracy. We’…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 24, 2021 at 5:14 PM

dress code for tonight's event

Public Citizen’s annual gala is TONIGHT at 7:00 p.m. (EDT). This year’s gala is an online, “virtual” event — which means you can wear whatever you want! And it’s free! All you need to do is RSVP. I’ll share Public Citizen’s plan for winning passage of the For the People Act despite Tuesda…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 23, 2021 at 7:02 PM

let's have some fun, and let's get to work

Public Citizen’s annual gala is tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. (EDT). This year’s gala is an online, “virtual” event. And it’s free! All you need to do is RSVP. I’ll share Public Citizen’s plan for winning passage of the For the People Act despite yesterday’s flagrantly partisan Republican filibus…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 23, 2021 at 2:56 PM

no intention of letting democracy be smothered on our watch

Support Public Citizen Late yesterday, the U.S. Senate completed its first full vote on the For the People Act. This vote was whether or not to defeat a Republican filibuster and simply begin debate on the desperately needed legislation — it was not the final vote to pass the bill. Yet every R…

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June 22, 2021 at 11:18 PM

every Republican senator just voted against democracy itself

Support Public Citizen Moments ago, the U.S. Senate completed its first full vote on the For the People Act. This vote was whether or not to defeat a Republican filibuster and simply begin debate on the desperately needed legislation — it was not the final vote to pass the bill. Yet every Repu…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 22, 2021 at 1:11 PM

contact your senators *before* today's vote

The U.S. Senate is voting TODAY whether to begin debate on the landmark For the People Act. The For the People Act includes critical measures to protect voting rights, end partisan gerrymandering, and stop billionaires from buying elections along with other reforms to strengthen our democracy. …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 21, 2021 at 6:02 PM

Senate vote on For the People Act

Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate is expected to hold its first full vote on the landmark For the People Act. Urge your senators to protect voting rights, end partisan gerrymandering, and stop billionaires from buying elections by supporting the For the People Act when the Senate votes. Add your name…

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