Tell Congress: Stop using children as political pawns. Pass DACA and CHIP

After kicking the can down the road three times since last September, congressional leaders -- led by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan -- have had months to find a long-term solution to fund the federal government. 

They still haven't. 

Throughout this process, they've played partisan games with children's health insurance, and offered no serious solutions for the hundreds of thousands of young DACA recipients waiting for help -- despite consensus across the aisle to protect DREAMers.

This looming shutdown isn't about federal funding, or unsolvable political differences.

It's about ignoring a growing bipartisan consensus. The American people, overwhelmingly, want to fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and protect the 800,000 young immigrants who know America as their only home. 

This shutdown fight is about Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, along with the White House, refusing to do the right thing because of politics. It's about them playing to the most conservative members of their caucus instead of truly governing for the majority.

This is unacceptable, and it's proof of what we've known all along: Congressional leadership cannot govern responsibly. It's time we hold them accountable. Call a key senator today: 

https://www.ofa.us/take-action/call-congress/

SAMPLE SCRIPT

Hi, I'm [YOUR NAME] from [YOUR HOMETOWN AND STATE]. 

I'm calling to urge you to work across the aisle to fund CHIP and protect DACA recipients. There are millions of uninsured children who need health care, and hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients who go to our schools, serve in our military, contribute to our communities, and know this country as their home. They deserve permanent protection.

We shouldn't have to decide between taking care of kids and funding the government. Please, stop toying with the idea of a government shutdown and come up with a bipartisan solution to fund both of these programs - millions of lives depend on it.

Arizona citizens - here is your contact information. 

Sen. John McCain

P. 202-224-2235
F. 202-228-2862

Phoenix Office
P. 602-952-2410
F. 855-952-8702

Tucson Office
P. 520-670-6334
F. 855-952-8702

https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

Sen. Jeff Flake

P. 202-224-4521
F: 202-228-0515

Phoenix Office
P: 602-840-1891
F: 602-840-4092

Tucson Office
P: 520-575-8633
F: 520-797-3232

https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff

More information:

G.O.P. to Use Children’s Health Insurance as Lure for Averting Shutdown

Children’s health insurance has become a political hostage

#DACA #CHIP

Call Democratic leaders: No more delays or excuses. Protect Dreamers and save CHIP.

The next chance for Democrats to secure permanent protection for Dreamers and funding for children’s health care is just a few days away. Call today to make sure Democratic leaders stand up and fight. Click below for a sample script and the number to call:

Democratic leaders will not stand up for Dreamers or children unless we force them to act. In December, 31 Democrats helped Republicans fund the government for a few weeks without any protections for Dreamers and only temporary funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).1,2 That was not just a failure by each of those Democrats, but also a massive failure of leadership. Dreamers whose Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status is expiring right now and children who are already losing their health care cannot wait any longer for relief. Democrats have the power to force a vote on the DREAM Act and secure funding for CHIP as the budget fight comes to a head again on Jan. 19. Help flood the offices of Democratic leaders with calls to make clear that failing again to protect Dreamers and restore CHIP is not an option. Call Democratic leaders: Time to fight. Lead your caucus in blocking any spending package that does not include a clean DREAM Act and funding for CHIP. Click here to start your call. For each day that Congress waits to pass the DREAM Act and fully fund CHIP, more lives are ruined and families torn apart. DACA gave many people brought to the United States as children by their parents the ability to work and live in the country. Since Donald Trump ended the program, more than 15,000 Dreamers have lost their legal status. And 122 more a day become targets for deportation while Congress waits to pass the DREAM Act. Donald Trump recently made clear that any permanent legislative solution to protect Dreamers from deportation would come at the cost of greenlighting his border wall and punishing immigrant communities by shredding the fabric of the country’s immigration system with cuts to the diversity visa lottery and family-based immigration.3 We cannot allow Democrats to cave and accept any compromise bill that would protect Dreamers but waste billions of taxpayer dollars to help Trump fulfill his xenophobic campaign promises. CHIP gives more than 9 million low- and middle-income children access to lifesaving health care. Republicans allowed it to expire in September. Now, more than a dozen states are preparing to shut down their CHIP programs completely.4 Congress approved temporary funding for CHIP in December. We must keep pushing until it restores the program completely. To keep Dreamers safe and millions of children healthy, we need Democratic leaders to do their jobs, keep their commitments and use their leverage now. Can you help flood their offices with calls demanding that they hold the line on a clean DREAM Act and CHIP? Call Democratic leaders: Time to fight. Lead your caucus in blocking any spending package that does not include a clean DREAM Act and funding for CHIP. Click the link below to start your call. https://act.credoaction.com/call/dreamchip_demleaders/?t=7&akid=26866%2E3130208%2E40HnP - Nicole Regalado CREDO Action Click below for a sample script and the number to call: References: CREDO, "Democrats who voted to deport Dreamers graphic," posted Dec. 21, 2017. Tara Golshan, "The 2017 government shutdown fight, explained," Vox, Dec. 21, 2017. Andrea Germanos, "WH Regurgitates Anti-Immigrant Wish List as Trump Doubles Down on Making Dreamers Bargaining Chips," Common Dreams, Jan. 6, 2018. Phil Galewitz, "CHIP funding could run out as soon as this month in some states," CNN, Jan. 5, 2018.

URGENT calls needed: Senate Democrats must defend Dreamers and restore CHIP

protect our children

Democrats could protect more than 800,000 Dreamers from deportation and restore access to health care for 9 million children if they stand their ground during end-of-year budget negotiations. Will you make a call today to make sure they act? Click below for a sample script and the number to call:

In the next few weeks, Congress will decide the fate of millions of children most threatened by Donald Trump. Right now, Democrats have all the leverage they need to force Congress to protect them – but it’s up to us to make sure they act. Congress must approve a budget bill by the end of the year to fund the government and keep it running – and Republican leadership needs the support of Senate Democrats to make that happen. If Senate Democrats form a united front on passing a clean DREAM Act and reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) during the budget negotiations, they could force a vote on a must-pass spending package that would save millions of children’s lives and protect hundreds of thousands of Dreamers from deportation. We must make sure that every Democrat in the Senate holds the line and votes in lockstep to protect the immigrants and children under attack by Donald Trump and his administration. Call today. Call key Senate Democrats: Time to fight. Do everything you can to pass a clean DREAM Act and save CHIP now. Click here to start your call. Trump’s heartless attacks on immigrants and children are already ruining people’s lives. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) gave many people brought to the United States as children by their parents the ability to work and live in the country. Since Donald Trump ended the program, more than 100 Dreamers a day lose their work permits and protection from deportation. Nearly 150,000 could face deportation by March if Congress does not reinstate the program immediately.1 CHIP gives low- and middle-income children access to lifesaving health care. Republicans allowed it to expire in September. Now, more than a dozen states are preparing to shut down their CHIP program completely.2 If Congress does not renew funding for CHIP, more than 9 million children will lose their health care. To keep Dreamers safe and millions of children healthy, we need key Democratic senators to stand strong. Can you help flood their offices with calls demanding that they fight for a clean DREAM Act and federal funding for CHIP? Call key Senate Democrats: Time to fight. Do everything you can to pass a clean DREAM Act and save CHIP now. Click the link below to start your call. https://act.credoaction.com/call/dacachip_calls_dems1/?t=7&akid=26319%2E3130208%2EBR_XVu - Nicole Regalado CREDO Action from Working Assets Click below for a sample script and the number to call: References: Dara Lind, "Thousands of immigrants are losing their DACA protections already," Vox, Nov. 10, 2017. Colby Itkowitz and Sandhya Somashekhar, "States prepare to shut down children’s health programs if Congress doesn’t act," The Washington Post, Nov. 23, 2017.

Sign the petition: Tell Congress: Every child deserves health coverage. Renew federal funding for CHIP now.

The petition to Congress reads: "Immediately renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program and refuse to trade CHIP for deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act or any other part of our social safety net." Add your name:

Trump Republicans have put the lives of millions of children in jeopardy.1 The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covers essential health services for more than 9 million low- and middle-income children in states across the country, but Republican congressional leaders just let its federal funding expire.2 Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and other right-wing extremists in Congress could have saved CHIP months ago, but instead they launched several failed attempts to gut the Affordable Care Act. Now, they are trying to leverage CHIP to make deep cuts to our social safety net.3 We must speak out now to demand that Congress immediately renews CHIP with no strings attached. Tell Congress: Every child deserves health coverage. Renew federal funding for CHIP now. Click here to sign the petition. CHIP is a widely successful health program. It has lowered the percentage of uninsured children in the United States from nearly 14 percent, when the Clinton administration launched the program in 1997, to 4.5 percent in 2015.4 Low- and middle-income children and pregnant women rely on CHIP to access: Preventive health check ups Immunizations Dental and vision care Lab work and x-rays Emergency services Allowing federal funding for CHIP to expire shows that Republicans are incapable of governing. It also makes clear that their party cares more about advancing their agenda than the lives of American children. Providing health care for children should not even be up for debate, but Republican leaders are so consumed with their quest to gut our health care and social safety net that no vulnerable population is off limits for them to exploit. Right-wing Republicans Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy derailed legislation to renew CHIP when they introduced their latest version of Trumpcare in September. Instead of advancing a bill to reauthorize CHIP, Republicans put the full weight of their caucus behind legislation that would have stripped health care away from low-income people and children, women, seniors and sick people just to give Donald Trump the win he so desperately wants. Our resistance forced Republicans to give up their Trumpcare push for the time being, but the fight to protect our health care and the health care of our children is far from over. States like Arizona, California, Nevada, North Carolina and Utah are already running out of funding to keep their state’s CHIP program going. Minnesota will run out of funding by the end of October.5 In the face of massive public outrage over their failure to fund CHIP, Republicans in the Senate Finance Committee recently advanced a bill to restore funding, but House Republicans are refusing to finance CHIP without cuts to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act.6 We must speak out now to demand that Congress restores CHIP and refuses to advance any bill that trades funding for the program for cuts to any part of our social safety net. Add your name now. Tell Congress: Every child deserves health coverage. Renew federal funding for CHIP now. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/congress-chip?t=7&akid=25443%2E3130208%2EF4q9s1 Nicole Regalado, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Valerie Strauss, “9 million kids get health insurance under CHIP. Congress just let it expire.” The Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2017. Clio Chang, “The GOP’s Struggles to Re-Authorize CHIP Is a Devastating Indictment,” New Republic, Sept. 28, 2017. Robert Pear, “Bill to Rescue Children’s Health Program Hits Snag in House,” The New York Times, Oct. 4, 2017. Strauss, “9 million kids get health insurance under CHIP. Congress just let it expire.” Chang, “The GOP’s Struggles to Re-Authorize CHIP Is a Devastating Indictment.” Pear, “Bill to Rescue Children’s Health Program Hits Snag in House.”