Stop the Budget Bill!
Stop the overreaching Republican “budget” bill — call our senators and tell them to hold the line!
With the disastrous MAGA tax and spending bill passing the House, we need to push hard on our senators to do everything they can to stop it. We need a firm, very public commitment from Warren and Markey to bring the Senate to a grinding halt. Not one minute of business as usual can take place.
Please reach out to our senators today and let them know it’s time to do everything they can to stop this bill—and keep calling until they’ve committed to doing everything in their power.
Ed Markey: 202-224-2742
Local office numbers:
413-785-4610 – Springfield, MA
617-565-8519 – Boston, MA
Elizabeth Warren: 202-224-4543
Local office numbers:
413-788-2690 – Springfield, MA
617-565-3170 – Boston, MA
What should I say?
There’s plenty to hate in this bill, so if you already know how this bill would affect you personally, share that when you call—senators sometimes find it helpful to have personal stories of their constituents in their back pockets. But if you need some help in knowing what to say, here’s a script you can use:
Hello. My name is [name] and I live in [location in MA to show you’re a constituent].
(Optional:) My number is [your phone] and my email is [your email].
House Republicans have just passed a murderous MAGA budget bill filled with provisions that will hurt and kill your constituents. There are two things you can do to stop this.
First: DELAY. Deny ALL calls for unanimous consent for ANY Senate business, no matter how mundane. And bombard this bill with a vote-a-rama, the longest vote-a-rama ever. Break records. Make history.
Second: BLOCK. Use the Byrd rule. This bill is filled with non-budgetary items. It stops trans people from accessing life-saving healthcare. It strips courts of Constitutional power. Object to these overreaches. It takes 60 senators to override. They do not have the votes. Speak up and use this rule to prevent these abusive overreaches.
Use your power to stop this. Stand up, speak out loudly, and act now.
Thank you for your time.
What’s the context?
If you are interested in learning more about the sections of the bill in question, the text of the bill can be found here.
Section 70302 contains the modifications to court proceedings and is a little arcane. When a plaintiff seeks an injunction, “Security” represents the defendant saying, “What if you’re wrong in your injunction and I lose money because of it?” The presiding judge may impose security at their discretion, in the form of a bond paid by the plaintiff in the amount that the defendant might lose, but it is extremely unusual to do so when seeking an injunction against the government. The dollar amount in question can get very large!
Section 44201(h) is more straightforward: If your insurance policy, no matter the source, also happens to be exchanged on the ACA, then it is forbidden from listing gender transition-related healthcare as an essential health benefit.
If you are interested in learning more about the Byrd rule, more information can be found here. The Senate normally allows a senator to filibuster, which prevents a bill from progressing unless 60 senators vote to overcome the filibuster. The Senate also has a process called reconciliation, in which a bill that deals with topics limited to revenue, spending, and/or the federal debt limit can be passed by a simple majority—without the threat of filibuster.
The Byrd rule allows a senator to point out that a section of the reconciliation bill goes outside those three topics. The section is struck from the bill, unless 60 senators vote to waive the Byrd rule for that section.