Action Items to choose from (or do all of them: your choice!) Scroll down to the matching number of your option: 

1. Time Sensitive: Tell USPS to oppose privatization and protect vote-by-mail 
2. Ending the shutdown 
3. Support Tennessee candidate for the House of Representatives 
4. Sign a petition to demand that companies who have donated to Trump’s ballroom take back their donations 

Reminder: When you call vs when you email via our reps’ websites (best way to contact them in writing), don’t forget to begin with: “Hi, my name is [name] and I’m a constituent calling from [zip code]. That is important, because if they don’t know you’re actually a constituent, your opinion will be ignored. 

Contact info: Angus King             
DC: (202) 224-5344
Augusta: (207) 622-8292 

Susan Collins         
DC: (202) 224-2523 
Augusta: (207) 622-8414
Bangor: (207) 945-0417

Chellie Pingree      
DC: (202) 225-6116
Portland: (207) 774-5019  
Waterville: (207) 873-5713  

Jared Golden         
DC: (202) 225-6306 
Bangor: (207) 249-7400
Caribou: (207) 492-6009 
Lewiston: (207) 241-6767

Find your State Representative: 
By name: Here
By district: Here

(Please note that for those of you receiving this email who are not represented by Senators or House members in our district, I have to leave it up to you to find the contact info for your own representatives.)

Actions 

1)  Time Sensitive: Tell USPS to oppose privatization and protect vote-by-mail: 

   This week the US Postal Service is holding its annual open meeting, and this is the one chance for the board members to hear from the public. Today, Monday, November 10^th, is the last day for comments from the public. 

• Speak out to oppose any effort to privatize the USPS. 
• Show your support for ensuring that mail-in ballots remain an option for voters.  
• Advocate for the Postal Service to expand banking services around the country. (Postal banking would allow everyone, including low-income families and people who don’t live near banks, to access banking services at their local post office. 
• Demand more opportunities for the public to weigh in on USPS business. 

You can submit your comments here: https://act.citizen.org/page/90449/action/1 

2)  Ending the shutdown:  
   I don’t know about you, but I’m very disappointed in Senator Angus King and the Democrats who voted on this empty shutdown deal. First of all, the GOP has given no cause for anyone to believe their promises of a vote to be held later. Plus, even if it is held, if the Republicans hold the line on not extending the ACA premium tax subsidies, the vote will mean nothing: It will show the people which of their Senators chose to throw their constituents under the bus with the currently skyrocketing costs of health insurance.   
   Silver lining? That should help flip more Senate seats in the midterms.  
   But I think that silver lining would have been there even had the Democrats (and those that caucus with them, like Angus King) stood firm in their resolve. The Republicans were doing a fine job all by themselves in spotlighting their cruelty and disregard for human lives.     And speaking of Republican cruelty: As states have tried to move to fill in the SNAP gap caused by the administration’s refusal to release funds to pay for SNAP benefits, the Trump administration has told states that they must told states that they must “immediately undo” any actions to provide full food stamp benefits to low-income families. They are threatening harsh financial penalties on states that do not comply quickly with the new federal orders. Talk about sick! Political games are more important to these…[fill in the blank with whatever nasty wordage you like]…than making sure people don’t go hungry, especially now, right before Thanksgiving. The cruelty is unbelievable. So whatever happens with the shutdown, we need to keep pushing our representatives not to collude with the GOP’s cruel policies and to stand firm for the rights to healthcare for all Americans. 
   Silver lining? Now Mike Johnson will have to call the House back into session, at which point he’ll have to swear in Adelita Grijalva, who will then sign on to demand the release of the Epstein files. It’ll be interesting to watch him dance around that. 
   Contact Angus King and tell him how disappointed you are in his working with the GOP to come to a pathetic compromise to end the shutdown. Sure, the deal voted on will, if made law, help all the federal workers furloughed/fired during the shutdown, but what about all the Mainers who stand to lose their healthcare and access to rural hospitals that will be force to close now (Ellsworth is one of those in danger of closing)?  
   Contact Susan Collins and blast her—again—for voting with her party on a budget that will cause so much harm to her constituents.  
    Contact Jared Golden and tell him to stand firm with House Democrats in demanding an extension of the ACA tax credits. All the Senate Dems were asking, by the end, was an extension of one lousy year, not the permanent solution first demanded. Is that really too much to ask? Tell Golden, too, that Mike Johnson must now swear in Adelita Grijalva and hold the vote to release the Epstein files. And, of course, Golden must vote for the release of those files. 
 

3)  Support Tennessee candidate for the House of Representatives:  
    Democrat Aftyn Behn is running for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District House seat on December 2nd. This is an open seat following the retirement of GOP Rep. Mark Green in July. This is a very Republican district, but so far, the race is fairly close. If she loses, the Democrats might lose any advantage they have when it comes to a vote on the release of the Epstein files.  
   Ways you can help her campaign: 

• Sign up to write postcards to rally Democrats to vote in this critical special election. Once you sign up, you’ll receive free postcards, a voter list, and instructions with three short message options. Depending on those instructions, you’ll have until November 17^th or 21^st to mail your postcards (you have to provide the postcard stamps), so NOW is the time to move on this. You can sign up here: https://turnoutpac.org/postcards/ I have to say, though, that the website is not super clear on how to sign up, other than simply joining them or signing up for updates. 
• Donate to Aftyn Behn’s campaign: https://www.aftynforcongress.com/  

4)   Sign a petition to demand that companies who have donated to Trump’s ballroom take back their donations: 

   It’s so obviously yet another pay to play scheme. Sign Public Citizen’s petition (https://act.citizen.org/page/90246/petition/1), but also consider boycotting at least some of those companies. And, as always, when you boycott, post on social media and send letters to the companies in question explaining what you are doing and why. (While you’re at it, read this piece from The Existentialist Republic: https://open.substack.com/pub/cmarmitage/p/the-bombshell-inside-trumps-13-billion?r=8g9ww&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false) 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance