50+ Messages / Page

  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 19, 2022 at 6:16 PM

will you be one of them?

Support Public Citizen Who’s ready to take their support of Public Citizen to the next level? We’re seeing a dip in the online donations that power the work you and Public Citizen do together to hold Big Business and Uncle Sam accountable. So I’m looking for 20 people to join our popular Month…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 17, 2022 at 5:40 PM

Amazon may have lied to Congress

A congressional committee has accused corporate giant Amazon of lying under oath about ways it blocks competition. Here’s some of what the House Judiciary Committee said in a letter last week to Attorney General Merrick Garland: We write to alert the Department of Justice to potentially crimi…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 16, 2022 at 7:38 PM

no more monopolies

Today begins a new era in the fight against corporate monopolies. That’s thanks to a bill — the Prohibiting Anticompetitive Mergers Act of 2022 — introduced in Congress by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Mondaire Jones. The legislation would confront the danger of acute corporate concentration…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 15, 2022 at 7:17 PM

they are exploiting the Ukraine crisis

Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, and BP combined made $71 billion in *profits* last year. With increased global economic activity, the international price of oil jumped even as these companies’ costs remained the same — meaning outrageous profits for companies that are racing us toward climate cata…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 14, 2022 at 10:15 PM

don't let Big Oil profit from Ukraine

Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, and BP combined made $71 billion in *profits* last year. With increased global economic activity, the international price of oil jumped even as these companies’ costs remained the same — meaning outrageous profits for companies that are racing us toward climate cata…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 11, 2022 at 8:18 PM

you might not want to read this if you live in Florida

Darkness is descending on the Sunshine State. Imagine it’s election season. You’re heading out to put your ballot in a drop box, and you swing by your parents’ house to pick up their ballots so they don’t have to drive. Or maybe you volunteered to take ballots from folks in your church to t…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 9, 2022 at 10:04 PM

Congress making major mistake that could endanger millions of lives

Congress is about to vote on a major spending bill. The bill includes emergency funding for Ukraine and much-needed help for working families here in America. It was also *supposed* to include $5 billion in funding to continue fighting COVID-19 around the world — which of course is both the r…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 8, 2022 at 7:39 PM

the Pentagon keeps getting more and more

The Pentagon got a staggering $778 billion this year. And now President Biden is getting pressure to throw even more money at the military-industrial complex in his next budget. Public Citizen and 85 other organizations — including American Friends Service Committee, Greenpeace USA, Indivisib…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 7, 2022 at 8:07 PM

tell DOJ to investigate Trump

Conspiracy. Fraud. Obstruction. The bipartisan January 6 committee says it now has enough evidence to conclude that Donald Trump (and others) might have criminally conspired to commit fraud and obstruction in carrying out their attempted coup d’etat. But no matter how much evidence it uncover…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 6, 2022 at 10:03 PM

cynical and cruel

The Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, did something last week that calls his human decency into question. Abbott decreed that widely accepted medical treatments for transgender youth — known as gender-affirming care — will now be classified as “child abuse” in Texas. He also threaten…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 5, 2022 at 7:15 PM

is this governor just plain evil?

The Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, did something last week that calls his human decency into question. Abbott decreed that widely accepted medical treatments for transgender youth — known as gender-affirming care — will now be classified as “child abuse” in Texas. He also threaten…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
March 4, 2022 at 7:06 PM

when will Donald Trump face criminal charges for January 6?

Conspiracy. Fraud. Obstruction. The bipartisan January 6 committee says it now has enough evidence to conclude that Donald Trump (and others) might have criminally conspired to commit fraud and obstruction in carrying out their attempted coup d’etat. But no matter how much evidence it uncover…
  President's Office · [email protected]
February 28, 2022 at 11:24 PM

at moments like this

Support Public Citizen Earlier today, I emailed to let you know that we are in danger of coming up short in the online fundraising that powers the work you and Public Citizen do together. I noted that at moments like this, we sometimes run into a situation where so many people assume enough othe…
  Robert · [email protected]
February 28, 2022 at 8:18 PM

not sure if you saw

Support Public Citizen Earlier today, I emailed to let you know that we are in danger of coming up short in the online fundraising that powers the work you and Public Citizen do together. I noted that at moments like this, we sometimes run into a situation where so many people assume enough othe…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 28, 2022 at 5:29 PM

we need to look behind the curtain

Support Public Citizen Not sure if you saw the emails I sent you over the weekend. I wanted to give you a “peek behind the curtain” you might not get from other nonprofit organizations. Every year, we find ourselves facing a shortfall at the end of February. And it’s not just that February i…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 27, 2022 at 8:31 PM

did it take you by surprise?

Support Public Citizen It happens every February. Here’s the situation: We typically see an uptick in online donations on the 30th and 31st of each month. But of course there is no 30th or 31st of February. So with another February winding down, we’re facing a drop-off in donations and a s…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 26, 2022 at 4:27 PM

it's happening *again*

Support Public Citizen It happens every February. Here’s the situation: We typically see an uptick in online donations on the 30th and 31st of each month. But of course there is no 30th or 31st of February. So with another February winding down, we’re facing a drop-off in donations and a s…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 23, 2022 at 9:10 PM

Big Pharma’s price gouging is out of control

$101,087,677,294. That’s how much the U.S. spent on the top 20 prescription drugs in 2020. But while Big Pharma is making a killing for their shareholders and executives, almost one in three Americans are rationing their prescriptions because they can’t afford them. How can Big Pharma make …
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 22, 2022 at 9:26 PM

using public office for personal gain

Sometimes the corruption is almost mundane. Like when members of Congress buy and sell stocks based on insider information they get before it becomes public. Like when they don’t disclose large stock trades in clear violation of congressional rules (that Public Citizen helped put in place, by…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 21, 2022 at 10:44 PM

the IRS could make it easier

Americans waste billions of hours and billions of dollars filing their taxes. Even though, for people with relatively basic taxes, the IRS has all the information it needs to pre-fill forms and do the math. The IRS has the authority — under a 1998 law passed by a Republican-majority Congress …
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 19, 2022 at 7:06 PM

cowards

We saw a shameful display of political petulance this week. Every single Republican on the Senate Banking Committee chose *not* to show up for a vote on President Biden’s nominees to the Federal Reserve. As a reminder, the Federal Reserve (a.k.a. “the Fed”) is our nation’s central bank. It wa…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 16, 2022 at 7:23 PM

a shameful display of political petulance

We saw a shameful display of political petulance yesterday. Every single Republican on the Senate Banking Committee chose *not* to show up for a vote on President Biden’s nominees to the Federal Reserve. As a reminder, the Federal Reserve (a.k.a. “the Fed”) is our nation’s central bank. It wa…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 15, 2022 at 8:57 PM

do not let Rudy Giuliani weasel out

Rudy Giuliani was supposed to testify last week to the congressional committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. But Giuliani postponed his appearance. Giuliani, of course, is the former New York City mayor who became Donald Trump’s personal attorney and was part of the “elite strike …
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 14, 2022 at 8:28 PM

reform the Postal Service

Last week, the House of Representatives passed — by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 342 to 92 — a critical piece of legislation called the Postal Service Reform Act. But this landmark bill won’t become law if it stalls out in the Senate. Add your name to our petition urging the Senate to…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 12, 2022 at 7:27 PM

we can rescue the United States Postal Service

Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed — by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 342 to 92 — a critical piece of legislation called the Postal Service Reform Act. But this landmark bill won’t become law if it stalls out in the Senate. Add your name to our petition urging the S…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 11, 2022 at 8:18 PM

soup to nuts

Marjorie Taylor Greene is very disturbed. Greene is a QAnon believer and Trump adherent who was elected to Congress in 2020 from the state of Georgia. Yesterday, she went on One America News* and said this: “Now we have Nancy Pelosi’s gazpacho police spying on members of Congress.” Greene…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 9, 2022 at 7:25 PM

what is Ivanka Trump hiding?

Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka was in the Oval Office with him multiple times on January 6, 2021. There may even have been moments when Ivanka was the *only* other person in the room with her father. It is long past time for Ivanka Trump to tell the American people what she witnessed as her f…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 8, 2022 at 7:30 PM

Republican Party calls January 6 'legitimate'

“Legitimate political discourse.” As of this past Friday, the official position of the Republican Party is that what happened on January 6, 2021, was just “legitimate political discourse.” Let’s recap: Donald Trump flat-out lied that the election was “stolen” from him. Fox “News” and its …
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 7, 2022 at 8:25 PM

did Kyrsten Sinema forget?

The numbers are in. Over the last three months of 2021, Senator Kyrsten Sinema raked in $1.6 million in campaign contributions. It’s the most she’s raised in any quarter since she became a senator three years ago. And she’s not even up for reelection until 2024. Here’s the thing: Only a …
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 6, 2022 at 3:33 PM

to every Republican in Congress

“Legitimate political discourse.” As of this past Friday, the official position of the Republican Party is that what happened on January 6, 2021, was just “legitimate political discourse.” Let’s recap: Donald Trump flat-out lied that the election was “stolen” from him. Fox “News” and its …
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 5, 2022 at 8:23 PM

January 6 was just 'legitimate political discourse'

“Legitimate political discourse.” As of yesterday, the official position of the Republican Party is that what happened on January 6, 2021, was just “legitimate political discourse.” Let’s recap: Donald Trump flat-out lied that the election was “stolen” from him. Fox “News” and its ilk — a…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 4, 2022 at 7:25 PM

who does Senator Kyrsten Sinema work for?

The numbers are in. Over the last three months of 2021, Senator Kyrsten Sinema raked in $1.6 million in campaign contributions. It’s the most she’s raised in any quarter since she became a senator three years ago. And she’s not even up for reelection until 2024. Here’s the thing: Only a …
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 3, 2022 at 7:12 PM

Donald Trump back in the White House?

This past weekend — at a “campaign” rally in Texas — Donald Trump suggested that if he becomes president again, he might pardon the violent insurrectionists he himself incited into storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. There’s a temptation to shrug off the outlandish things that (still)…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
February 2, 2022 at 7:18 PM

Donald Trump says he might pardon January 6 insurrectionists

This past weekend — at a “campaign” rally in Texas — Donald Trump suggested that if he becomes president again, he might pardon the violent insurrectionists he himself incited into storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. There’s a temptation to shrug off the outlandish things that (still)…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 31, 2022 at 9:14 PM

did you sign away your legal rights?

Whether we know it or not, most of us have signed away the right to have our day in court if our legal rights are violated at work or if we are ripped off by a giant corporation. How? It’s called “forced arbitration.” Forced arbitration clauses are a non-negotiable part of the take-it-or-le…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 28, 2022 at 6:54 PM

has it really been 12 years?

It has been 12 years since the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United ruling gave billionaires and Big Business license to spend as much money as they want distorting our elections. Public Citizen called for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United the same day the ruling was …
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 27, 2022 at 6:41 PM

only a constitutional amendment will fix this

It has been 12 years since the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United ruling gave billionaires and Big Business license to spend as much money as they want distorting our elections. Public Citizen called for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United the same day the ruling was …
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 25, 2022 at 7:25 PM

the endangered white-tufted newt

On Sunday, former Congressman Newt Gingrich went on Fox News (of course) to suggest that members of the bipartisan committee investigating the January 6 insurrection might be jailed if Republicans take back Congress. Gingrich even likened the January 6 investigators — not the violent seditionis…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 24, 2022 at 6:24 PM

shame on them

What happened in the Senate last week was a tragedy for our nation. First, Senate Republicans voted in lockstep against legislation — the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act — that is critical to safeguarding our democracy. Then, Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — both of who…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 21, 2022 at 7:34 PM

disappointed, but not dispirited

The United States Senate failed the American people this week by shamefully voting down crucial legislation to protect our democracy. So, what comes next? First, we are going to keep fighting for the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. In an era when Congre…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 20, 2022 at 3:22 PM

a tragic moment for our nation

Last night was a tragic moment for our nation. First, Senate Republicans voted in lockstep against legislation — the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act — that is critical to safeguarding our democracy. Then, Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — both of whom had just voted *for…
  Robert · [email protected]
January 19, 2022 at 3:37 PM

what we do today could decide the future of our democracy

Friend, today the future of our democracy is at stake. Congress has combined the Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Acts into one proposal — called the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act — and it could come up for a vote in the Senate as soon as today. If this bill passe…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 18, 2022 at 8:51 PM

Senate debating *right now*

This is the choice facing America today: We can take decisive action right now to protect voting rights. Or ... We can see this country devolve into something other than a democracy — perhaps irreversibly. As we speak, the Senate is debating two proposed laws — the Freedom To Vote Act and…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 17, 2022 at 8:19 PM

"no celebration without legislation"

Here’s how we anticipate this week playing out: Tomorrow (Tuesday) the Senate will reconvene and begin debate on the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Yes, debate will actually occur without Republican obstruction. Senators will make the case for — and agai…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 15, 2022 at 5:35 PM

these Republican senators *used to* believe in democracy

It was July of 2006. Not even 16 years ago. Congress reauthorized the Voting Rights Act — which was initially passed in 1965, during the height of the Civil Rights movement, to prohibit racial discrimination in voting. The Senate voted 98 to 0 to reauthorize the landmark legislation (two se…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 14, 2022 at 7:30 PM

what is wrong with Kyrsten Sinema?

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (of Arizona) gave a speech yesterday on the floor of the United States Senate. Her Democratic colleagues are trying to overcome the Senate loophole known as the filibuster, which Republicans are abusing to prevent anyone from stopping them from dismantling our democracy i…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 13, 2022 at 9:06 PM

what the heck is Senator Kyrsten Sinema doing?

Earlier today, Senator Kyrsten Sinema (of Arizona) gave a speech on the floor of the United States Senate. Her Democratic colleagues are — as we speak — trying to overcome the Senate loophole known as the filibuster, which Republicans are abusing to prevent anyone from stopping them from disman…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 12, 2022 at 7:14 PM

when will these 16 Republican senators stop being hypocrites?

It was July of 2006. Not even 16 years ago. Congress reauthorized the Voting Rights Act — which was initially passed in 1965, during the height of the Civil Rights movement, to prohibit racial discrimination in voting. The Senate voted 98 to 0 to reauthorize the landmark legislation (two se…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 10, 2022 at 10:09 PM

will Biden deliver for democracy?

Republicans all across America are trying to: Make it harder for some people — like working Americans, people of color, immigrants, seniors, city residents, and younger people — to vote. Institute flagrantly partisan gerrymandering schemes that would distort elections in their favor. Give g…
  Public Citizen · [email protected]
January 6, 2022 at 3:22 PM

it was one year ago today

January 6 was not a singular moment. More than the culmination of Donald Trump’s failed effort to overturn the 2020 election results, it was the launch of the institutionalization of the Big Lie. Now, the Big Lie has mutated from a specific claim about 2020 into an outright assault on democra…