Sisters,

This week our democracy worked! Town halls, phone calls, emails and visits to Congress made a difference. They heard loud and clear that the American public did not want to replace the Affordable Care Act with a crappy piece of legislation that would have left millions without coverage, increase costs for those that did manage to keep coverage, and reduce benefits—all for the sake of a tax cut for the wealthy. Celebrate last week’s win, but stay focused!

Our work is only beginning. The Administration and Congress have told us that their next move is to put the Trump tax reform plan into action. We can expect that they will propose dramatic tax cuts that will mostly benefit the wealthy, and try to sell us a bill of goods that these tax cuts will be good for all. Because after all when rich people get richer, they invest in the American economy and everyone will do better, right? Horseshit. However, I digress. More on tax reform in another post.

This post is an open letter to all who oppose the proposals of the current administration. Now is not the time to gloat and dust the dirt of your shoulders. Instead, we must all double down, roll our sleeves up even more, and stay busy resisting anything that will hurt us, our families and communities. There are three things you need to do ASAP.

1. Make sure you know who your legislators are and their positions on issues. Just because the presidential election is over, you cannot stop paying attention to what elected officials say and do. They are making decisions every single day that affects your life!  Don’t think so? In less than 100 days in office, the Trump Administration has proposed a Muslim travel ban; promised support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities-and then didn’t deliver anything; overturned Clean Water rules, making unsafe water a reality across America; appointed scary (read unqualified or maliciously qualified) people to his Cabinet; and supported the Dakota Access Pipeline that will ruin sacred American Indian burial grounds. There’s more, but we do not have time or space. Do you get it? A lot of bad things have already happened, and more is to come.

2. Tell Your Elected Official Do Not Gloat-Govern. Clearly, Congress remains a crazy partisan gaggle that can’t seem to get anything done. Both sides need to understand that we expect them to collaborate and work together to get things DONE! There are too many serious issues in play for either side to sit down and play the blame game. I understand that the Republicans control the debate; however, they still work for us-the Democrats must resist the temptation to gloat about the GOP’s failure to pass a healthcare bill and start using all the rules and tools at their disposal to get stuff done.
3. Volunteer for WE CAN! Many of you want to know what you can do and WE CAN will Together WE CAN make a difference. We are much stronger than we think we are!

We are in for a long fight to protect our rights and not roll back decades of progress for civil and women’s rights. WE CAN do it together!

Sister Stephanie