Remind U.S. Congress that they represent YOU! - Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Dec. 2017 - Congress is determined to pass their disastrous tax bill before their scheduled recess begins on Friday. This week is critical - we need your voice to stop this bill. Your advocacy has already significantly delayed their process, and with your help we can grind it to a halt. There are a lot of people trying to influence the outcome of this fight, which is why it’s so important that your Members of Congress hear from the people they represent--you. What’s in the tax bill? Short answer: we don’t know yet. Long answer: all the components of the previous House and Senate bills are on the table, including: Taking the “affordable” out of Affordable Care Act. The Senate version of the bill repeals the individual mandate. The consequences of that would be a 10% hike in premiums and 13 million Americans losing health insurance outright. Blowing up the deficit, paving the way for massive cuts to Medicaid and social services. The tax bill will increase the deficit by at least $1.5 trillion - and Congress has openly admitted that they’re planning on paying for it by slashing funding to Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and other social services. Automatic cuts to Medicare, food stamps, special education, and affordable housing. The $1.5 trillion deficit created by the tax bill would trigger mandatory cuts to federal programs across the board. Medicare alone would see a $25 billion cut in 2018. A health tax on people with high medical expenses. The House bill eliminates the medical expense deduction, which allows people to deduct medical expenses exceeding 10% of their income. What can I do? You can use ContactingCongress.org to find the phone numbers of your Members of Congress. When you call, you can use our script below, and if you don’t speak, you can call using your AAC device, or get a friend to call in and read your message. My name is [your full name]. I’m a constituent of [Representative/Senator] [Name], and I live in [your town]. I’m calling to ask the [Representative/Senator] to vote NO on the final tax bill. No matter what the conference committee does, we already know that the final bill would balloon the deficit, leave the door open to cut funding to Medicaid, and automatically cut vital services including food stamps, special education, and Medicare. People with disabilities in our state like [me/ my family member/ my friends] are not disposable, and our basic services are not your trust fund. Please vote AGAINST any tax bills that repeal the ACA or set up cuts to services disabled people rely on to survive. We’re calling on you to defend everyday Americans by standing up to this tax bill. Calling your Members of Congress is crucial because it shows them that the people they were elected to represent do not support this bill.  What now? If you’ve already called, call again. After you call, send your Members of Congress an email or a fax. This site makes it easy to send free faxes to your Senators and Representative. Then, ask 5 people to call and email their Members of Congress too. Congress is making a huge push to get this bill through this week - so let’s show up, push back, and stop the tax bill in its tracks. SOURCE:

Autistic Self Advocacy Network Dec. 2017 press release