Common Cause

Campaigns

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  Stop Trump's attacks on transparency and the COVID-19 response package

  President Trump is once again waging a war against legitimate, independent oversight of his administration. His latest target? Glenn Fine -- the acting inspector general who was set to watchdog the administration's management of the $2 trillion COVID-19 response package that Congress passed last month. Fine, a longtime and dedicated public servant, was chosen by a panel of inspectors general to lead these oversight efforts. But Trump just had Fine removed from his position -- without explanation. This is just the latest attempt by Trump to eliminate any and all supervision over his actions. He also recently fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general who brought the Ukraine whistleblower’s complaint to Congress -- and he attacked inspector general Christi Grimm on Twitter after she released a report describing widespread COVID-19 testing delays in the U.S. Trump took one lesson from his party’s lockstep defense of his impeachable conduct: there’s no line you can’t cross that Republicans in Congress won’t back you up on. We’re seeing the consequences of that inaction now -- as Trump continues to openly abuse his power. Unless we speak out, Trump won’t stop until there isn’t a single watchdog left in the White House -- no one overseeing his administration's decisions, and nobody to put a stop to waste, fraud, or abuse of power. The Special IG must aggressively oversee the administration of this money and use their subpoena power to get necessary information. Similarly, both the SIGPR, the Congressional Oversight Commission and the PRAC must be given live access to the computer servers of the Treasury and any agency shoving money out its doors. Add your name to condemn Trump’s firing of Glenn Fine -- and to demand strict oversight of the Trump administration.

  107,930 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  Demand statehood for DC

  Wyoming has 578,000 people, is 92% white, and has two US senators. Vermont has 624,000 people, is 94% white, and has two US senators. DC has 705,000 people, is 47% Black -- and has zero senators. As local advocacy group DC Vote notes: “With a majority Black and Brown population, the fight for DC Statehood cannot be separated from the fight for racial justice.” But right now, those living in our nation’s capital don’t get the fundamental rights that their fellow Americans enjoy -- like a meaningful vote, real representation, and a full voice in their government. That’s because the Constitution says that only states can be represented in Congress. And as a result, DC residents have no one to fight for them in the Senate -- and in the House, they only have a non-voting delegate. People in DC pay more in total federal income tax than those in 22 other states -- only to get no say in how those tax dollars are spent. (It’s the reason DC license plates say “Taxation Without Representation.”) And Washingtonians have fought and died in every war our country has been in -- yet those veterans are denied the very freedoms they risked their lives for. These Americans have been denied a seat at the table of our democracy for far too long. And the Washington, DC Admission Act -- which was passed by the House in June -- would bring an end to this long-standing injustice. If you believe that EVERY American deserves an equal say in our democracy, tell the Senate to make DC the 51st state.

  1,096 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  Impeach and Remove Attorney General Barr

  Late on a Friday night, William Barr’s Justice Department sent out a press release stating that Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was “stepping down” from his position. But this announcement came as a total shock to Berman, who responded: “I learned in a press release from the Attorney General tonight that I was ‘stepping down’ as United States Attorney. I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position[.]” That’s right: Barr blatantly lied to the American people and tried to strongarm Berman into abandoning his role -- so that he could fill it with a Trump lackey. Berman has consistently fought for justice and upheld the rule of law -- despite Barr’s conversion of the DOJ into a partisan Trump protection machine. For example, Berman’s office prosecuted Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, who went to prison -- and Berman is currently investigating top Trump confidant Rudy Giuliani. It’s no surprise that Trump wanted Berman out -- and that he sent Barr to do his dirty work. And the day after Berman denied his resignation, Barr had Trump fire Berman -- though Berman fought to ensure his successor would continue to investigate Trump's allies. Barr has time and time again shown that he is unfit to serve as Attorney General. He dropped all charges against Trump’s former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, even after Flynn pleaded guilty… he brazenly misled the public about Robert Mueller’s findings… and his Department of Justice tried to bury the whistleblower complaint that led to Trump’s impeachment. Barr’s attacks on Berman are yet another example of his willingness to damage our nation’s system of justice to protect President Trump. Common Cause called for Barr's impeachment and removal at the end of last year [1] -- and now, we're renewing that vital call. If you agree, add your name to demand that Congress respond to Barr’s many abuses of power -- by impeaching him and removing him from office. 1) https://www.commoncause.org/press-release/common-cause-calls-for-impeachment-of-attorney-general-william-barr/

  618 of 800 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  John Bolton must take the stand

  John Bolton has made shocking new allegations about President Trump’s conduct in office. Now, he must take the stand to tell the Senate and the American people about what he knows. In his new manuscript, Bolton asserts that President Trump said he planned to delay security funding to Ukraine until an investigation into the Bidens was launched. He also reveals new details about how senior cabinet officials -- including Attorney General Barr and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney -- were involved in the scandal. This is a major clue as to why John Bolton was one of several witnesses that the White House blocked from cooperating with the House’s impeachment inquiry. The information he might reveal in his testimony could completely undermine Trump’s defense. And it’s possible that Bolton -- who allegedly once equated the Ukraine scandal to a “drug deal” -- would be a big crack in the dam, leading to more and more administration officials coming forward to tell the truth and avoid going down with Trump. Bolton has already stated that he’s “prepared to testify” in the impeachment trial. If the Senate blocks a credible, high-level witness like Bolton from taking the stand -- this trial will NEVER give the American people real answers or justice. Add your name to tell your senators: we deserve to hear what John Bolton has to say. Call on him to testify as part of Trump’s impeachment investigation.

  68,247 of 75,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
• Limit Tax Money Spent on Trumps

  Trump's family business trips and vacations cost taxpayers over $11 million in just his first month in office. That $11 million paid for security on Trump's children's business trips on behalf of the Trump business organization and for Trump's three trips to the Mar-a-Lago resort, which he owns. By contrast, the Obamas' personal travel expenses averaged $12 million per year through eight years in office. In light of this exorbitant spending, Representative Earl Blumenauer introduced the No Taxpayer Revenue Used to Monetize the Presidency Act, or, the No TRUMP Act, to prohibit the use of taxpayer funds to pay for events, overnight stays, food, and other miscellaneous expenses at hotels owned or operated by a president or his or her relatives. What's worse, while the taxpayers continue to pay millions for him to play golf, Trump recently unveiled his cruel and immoral budget plan that would cut funding to PBS, NEA, Meals on Wheels, heat assistance, and other important social services. Essentially, we, the taxpayers, are paying exorbitant sums for the wealthy Trumps to further enrich themselves personally. It's hypocrisy and it's unfair to taxpayers. Lawmakers must find a way to limit extravagant spending by this administration—especially when it profits the president personally—and prevent similar behavior by future administrations and presidents.

  219,040 of 300,000 Signatures

  Created by Maja Seif
• Tell the GOP to stop blocking important election security bills

  "Over the course of my career, I've seen a number of challenges to our democracy. The Russian government's effort to interfere in our election is among the most serious." - former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, during his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee Robert Mueller made it entirely clear to our members of Congress and the American people: Russia’s attack on our elections was drastic -- and if we don’t immediately improve our election security measures, we can expect it to happen again in 2020. But the fact of the matter is -- despite multiple warning signs, leaders in Washington, D.C. haven’t done NEARLY enough to protect our election systems from foreign interference. In fact, just after Mueller's powerful testimony, one GOP senator blocked a series of commonsense, bipartisan election security bills -- and Senator McConnell personally blocked two more election security bills from being voted on today. We can’t afford to put off fortifying our electoral process any longer. 2020 is fast approaching -- and if we don’t act now to stop foreign entities from spreading misinformation, hacking voting machines, and attempting to collaborate with campaigns, the very foundation of our democracy could be at risk. We deserve the utmost confidence that the American people decide who wins our elections, not Russian operatives. And we already know the strong, simple solutions that work -- like paper ballots and post-election audits. But now, it’s up to Congress to act. Add your name to tell your representatives: secure our elections, before it’s too late.

  36,873 of 40,000 Signatures

  Created by Devon Nir, Common Cause
• A new low: Officials in Georgia have sent police officers to challenge Black voters' registration...

  This is outrageous: officials in a Georgia county have sent police officers to citizens' homes, not because they committed any crimes, but to challenge their right to vote! According to the New York Times, last year Hancock County, Georgia, officials required more than 180 Black voters in the town of Sparta to appear in court and prove their residence —or lose their right to vote, as many already have. By all outside appearances, such tactics were designed to keep Black voters from electing the candidate of their choice. The terrifying precedent this sets is bigger than one election. Imagine a police officer showing up at your door to deny your right to vote. Worse, they're putting the burden of proof on YOU, forcing you to show up at a court hearing to get your rights back. It’s easy to see how this kind of intimidation could cause voters to stay home in November. And since these anti-voter tactics often target communities of color, they distort and weaken our democracy. If we still had the Voting Rights Act, Hancock County officials would have had to get approval from the Department of Justice before they moved forward with their scheme. But in 2013, the Supreme Court said the VRA's protections weren't needed anymore. Now, racist attacks on the right to vote across our nation are proving the highest Court in the land is wrong. It's clear we need to reinstate the Voting Rights Act's protections against this kind of egregious voter suppression. Call on Congress to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act today and restore these critical protections that ensure every American has a voice at the polls.

  1,141 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
• Tell House Democrats: Don't side with Big Cable

  A handful of House Democrats are joining up with Big Cable lobbyists to SHUT DOWN our efforts to restore Net Neutrality. We need to tell them they should be on our side -- not Comcast or Verizon's. In 2017, the Trump Administration got rid of the Net Neutrality protections that stop Comcast and Verizon from controlling what we can see or do online. But earlier this year, we successfully fought back -- passing the Save the Internet Act through the House of Representatives. The Save the Internet Act would reverse the Trump FCC’s decision and restore the protections against blocking, throttling, or charging special fees to access the websites we visit every day. Plus, it’ll let the FCC investigate and punish companies that break those rules -- like when Verizon throttled the Santa Clara Fire department during its wildfire response. Earlier this year, activists like you flooded the House with calls and emails -- and we got all 235 members of the Democratic caucus to pass the Save The Internet Act. Now, Big Cable lobbyists are trying to kill our efforts to restore Net Neutrality. They’re circulating a letter in the House -- with about 40 Democratic members signed on -- encouraging House leaders to abandon the Save the Internet Act in favor of a watered-down ‘bipartisan working group’ on Net Neutrality. The Save the Internet Act is already a bipartisan bill - 86% of Americans and 77% of Republicans support restoring FULL Net Neutrality protections. A new group, packed with Big Cable-friendly lawmakers, meant to water down Net Neutrality can’t represent that consensus. That’s why it’s critical to get every Democratic House member off this letter. There’s no time to waste, and your voice can make a difference. Tell the House majority to stand up for the Open Internet today.

  14,380 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Devon Nir
• Investigate Rep. Devin Nunes

  President Trump’s web of lies and corruption is continuing to grow -- and the latest to be implicated is California Representative Devin Nunes. Rep. Nunes -- ranking member of House Intelligence Committee and one of President Trump’s most aggressive supporters in Congress -- is under suspicion of meeting with former Ukrainian prosecutor general Viktor Shokin in Vienna last year. The purpose of this alleged covert meeting? To obtain information on Trump’s political rival, Vice President Joe Biden. If true, these new accusations would implicate Rep. Nunes in the crime at the heart of Trump’s impeachment inquiry -- and raise new questions as to how deep the Trump administration’s corruption goes. Rep. Nunes is threatening and attempting to discredit news outlets like CNN that reported this story. Congress must thoroughly and expeditiously investigate these claims. Rep. Nunes, who has access to classified and top-secret information, has already lied and sought to derail the House’s impeachment investigation -- and we can’t let him cover up his own potential role in Trump’s scheme. Add your name to tell Congress: the American people deserve a democracy where elected officials are held to the highest ethical standards -- and those who fail to meet such standards are held accountable.

  37,992 of 40,000 Signatures

  Created by Devon Nir
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  Impeach and Remove President Trump

  Bribery. Abuse of power. Obstruction of justice. Corruption. Violation of our Constitution. Time and time again, President Trump has put himself above the law and broken his oath to preserve, protect, and defend our democracy. Now, Congress must take a stand against his repeated and shameless wrongdoing -- by impeaching President Trump and removing him from office. The Founding Fathers put impeachment in the Constitution for a situation like this one: an out-of-control president acting as if they are totally above the law. In the past three years, Trump has solicited a bribe from the Ukraine government… obstructed justice in the Russia investigation... failed to safeguard our elections… profited from his presidency… and broken campaign finance laws. But the decisions made in this moment extend beyond Trump and his presidency. Our members of Congress have a constitutional duty to hold the executive branch accountable -- and if they turn a blind eye to Trump’s lawlessness, it’ll give every president going forward the green light to exploit and abuse our democracy. That’s why we must call on Congress to once and for all prove that nobody -- not even the president -- is above the law by impeaching President Trump and removing him from office. To learn more about Common Cause’s call for the impeachment and removal of President Trump, please visit www.commoncause.org/remove.

  110 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause