We’re at the point where I’m repeating myself a lot with these civic actions. Lately there are some really huge things going on that require our unflagging focus and repeated entreaties to our legislators. The two big ones are, of course, Venezuela and the Epstein files. Trump has chosen to distract us from the Epstein files with Venezuela’s oil, but both involve criminal actions by him and both are yet more grounds for impeachment. I am suggesting calling/writing every day and encouraging friends and family to do the same (in person and on social media), because numbers matter: We need to flood our legislators’ phone lines and inboxes with demands for action.  

     As always, choose the actions that speak to you the most, and if you want more, go back over the most recent Action Items emails. 

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

1. Stop the illegal war on Venezuela and impeach Trump 
2. Keep up the focus on the Epstein files 
3. Speak up to protect trans youth AND the right of medical professionals to make decisions about patient treatment without the government butting in 
4. Maine-specific action 

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)  Stop the illegal war on Venezuela and impeach Trump: 

     After campaigning on a “no more wars” policy, Trump has bypassed Congress to strike Venezuela, kidnap their president, and arrest him on trumped-up (pun intended) charges of massive drug trafficking (shortly after he pardoned the president of Honduras, who was guilty of major drug trafficking). Now he’s threatening Mexico, Panama, Canada, Greenland, and other countries. What the hell?  

     Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden to demand that Congress immediately begin the process to impeach Trump. Enough is enough, and we are way, way past “enough.”  

     Add that it is past time for Congress to take back its constitutional authority and stop Trump’s aggressive and illegal acts of war. (Susan Collins especially needs to hear this: She voted against last November’s joint resolution directing the cessation of US military involvement in any non-Congressionally-authorized hostilities against Venezuela.)  

    Do this every day, if you can. Also post on social media to encourage others to contact their legislators in Congress. 

2)  Keep up the focus on the Epstein files: 
     The DOJ has just blown past the statutory deadline (set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act) to submit to Congress written justification for any documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files that were redacted or withheld. So far we’ve learned from the files already revealed that “co-conspirators” definitely existed (federal prosecutors once considered charging them), that people of power/money traveled repeatedly on Epsteins private aircraft, and that Epstein maintained access to staff and services from Mar-a-Lago. Recently released video footage has also contradicted prior official statements regarding the surveillance system at the federal detention facility where Epstein died in August 2019. This is serious stuff and must be brought to light.  
     It’s not enough that the Epstein Files Transparency Act was enacted by overwhelming bipartisan majority. Now that Act must be enforced. Congress has plenty of ways to respond to the DOJ’s stonewalling, including invoking contempt powers, conditioning appropriations, and initiating impeachment proceedings against officials who knowingly violate federal law. As in everything going on these days, Congress must step up and assert its authority.  
     Pressure Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden, every day if you can, to demand that their colleagues in Congress to do the right thing and enforce the law with every tool at their disposal. 

3)  Speak up to protect trans youth AND the right of medical professionals to make decisions about patient treatment without the government butting in: 
    Trump is sidestepping Congress (as usual) to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth by using the rulemaking process. The proposed rule, RIN 0938-AV87, would bar any hospital system that participates in Medicaid or Medicare from offering gender-affirming care to transgender youth, regardless of whether that care is paid for with federal funds or privately.  
     Please note that regardless of how you might feel about gender-affirming care, this rule would set a very bad precedent for the insertion of government between doctors and their patients, and especially for the rights of women (or anyone, for that matter) to make their own decisions about their own health. 
    The rule must first go through a 60-day public comment period, which ends at 5pm on February 17th. We can do our part by submitting our comments. During this comment period, this rule can still be challenged, delayed, and fought, but only if people show up and refuse to let it move forward quietly. The Human Rights Campaign is making it easy for people to compose and submit comments: https://act.hrc.org/page/183931/petition/1 (their form is at the bottom of the webpage) 
 

4)  Maine-specific: 
Help get Nirav Shah on the ballot as a gubernatorial candidate:  
    Wendilee is collecting signatures for Nirav Shah to get his name on the ballot. To sign you must be a registered democrat. You can sign for multiple candidates. Contact Wendilee (wendileeheathobrien@proton.me) if you want to sign; she will come to you or you can go to her gallery (316 Main Street in Winter Harbor). She has sheets for Winter Harbor and Gouldsboro. 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance

I know we’re all angry/upset/scared about Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela and his kidnapping of their evil dictator Maduro and his wife, so I just wanted to share Indivisible’s toolkit for action items you can do right away. Feel free to use their letter and call script: I think right now numbers are more important than making everything personal. They should be flooded with emails and phone calls. The actual content doesn’t matter beyond making clear that you want them to do everything they can to stop this insanity. 

1. Start by signing and sending their letter to your representatives: https://act.indivisible.org/sign/stop-trumps-war-in-venezuela/ You can add your own comment or send it as it is.
2. Call their offices: Use Indivisible’s call script (https://indivisible.org/resource/call-now-tell-your-representative-stop-trumps-war-venezuela)   or compose your own. You know the drill.
3. Share this toolkit with everyone you know and also on social media:  https://act.indivisible.org/share/link?type=fb&page_name=stop-trumps-war-in-venezuela&action_id=24854271&akid=.3507471.lZcGEO&ar=1&rd=1

Together in civic action,

Bold Coast Civic Alliance

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

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2026 and our continuing fight to bring compassion, fairness, and peace into the hearts and minds of all Americans (citizens or not).  

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

1)      Help save the Kennedy Center’s independence and reputation 

2)      Stop Trump’s illegal attacks on Venezuela 

3)      Demand that the ultra-rich polluters pay their fair share 

4)      Resist Trump’s attempts to destroy alternative energy growth and to bolster coal 

5)      Keep fighting ICE by boycotting companies that are enabling it 

6)      Watch the CBS CECOT prison story that was pulled off the air 

7)      Learn what we might do to fight in 2026 

8)      Maine-Specific Actions 

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) Help save the Kennedy Center’s independence and reputation: 

   On Tuesday, Dec. 23^rd, Congresswoman April McClain Delaney (MD-06) introduced two pieces of new legislation:  

1. H.R.6925, the Kennedy Center Protection Act – “To require the removal of any signage or other identification from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that differs from the designation ‘John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’, as designated under section 3 of the John F. Kennedy Center Act (20 U.S.C. 76i)” 
   In plain English: basically to undo the recent addition of Trump’s name on the  
   John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; 
2. H.R.6926, the Federal Property Integrity Act – “To prohibit the naming, renaming, designating, or redesignating of any Federal building, land, or other asset in the name of a sitting President” 
   In plain English:to ban Trump from doing this to any other federal asset during  
   his tenure (which, given his love of spreading his “brand” all over the world, he is 
   sure to do), and to prevent future presidents from trying the same thing.  
      So far, there are 3 co-sponsors, John Larson (CT-1), Jahana Hayes (CT-5), and Adelita Grijalva (AZ-7)—all Democrats. Contact Rep. Jared Golden to urge him to co-sponsor these bills. This is the United States of America, not the United States of Trump. 
    

2) Stop Trump’s illegal attacks on Venezuela: 
     So far, no proposed legislation to take back Congress’s power to declare war has passed either the House or the Senate. The Republican legislators are still too afraid of Trump to attempt to clip his wings at all, and the Democrats have not succeeded in making more than a couple of them see sense and act. But this has to stop, especially when we have a kill-happy play-soldier at the head of the Pentagon and a sociopathic, power-hungry lunatic with the keys to the nuclear codes as his boss. Unless war has been declared, the extrajudicial murders of civilian boats and the (only known…so far) attack on a dock in Venezuela are all illegal. And it’s Congress’ job, not the president’s, to declare war. Plus, the evidence that has been presented in support of these attacks is very, very thin.  
   Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden to ask that they introduce new legislation to block war with and unprovoked/unjustified military actions against Venezuela, including those aimed at bringing about regime change in that country.  
 

3) Demand that the ultra-rich polluters pay their fair share: 
    As climate disasters intensify, the ultra-rich and fossil fuel corporations continue to dodge accountability for their role in worsening the crisis. Oxfam America’s latest research shows that a person from the richest 0.1% produces more carbon in a single day than a person in the bottom 50% produces all year. Yet while the super-rich profit from environmental destruction, everyday people pay the price. The ultra-rich are not just overconsuming carbon, but also actively investing in and profiting from the most polluting corporations. Oxfam’s research finds that the average billionaire produces 1.9 million tons of CO2 a year through their investments, while the rest of us are left to shoulder the burden of the growing climate crisis.  
   Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden to demand that they push for legislation to tax the very richest of the rich so that the federal government will have the money to help communities most harmed by the floods and wildfires, droughts and heat waves caused by the climate crisis.  
    And/or you can sign this petition: https://act.oxfamamerica.org/page/90180/petition/1 
 

4) Resist Trump’s attempts to destroy alternative energy growth and to bolster coal: 
   On Monday, December 22^nd, Trump ordered the suspension of five offshore wind projects that were under construction along the East Coast and poised to deliver power to more than 2.5 million homes and businesses. At least one was already partially working. The next day, his administration ordered two coal-burning power plants in Indiana to continue operating past their scheduled closure dates while it also gave hundreds of coal plants an additional five years before they will need to prevent toxic chemicals from leaching into sources of drinking water. 
    Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden to urge them to oppose these moves by Trump to kill the proliferation of greener energy and to bolster his beloved coal industry—an industry that is probably the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. This is more evidence that he 1) is irrational and motivated by whims rather what is best for this country’s land and its people; and 2) cares only about further enriching the hugely wealthy fossil-fuel companies and his billionaire cronies; the health and safety of the American people is of no interest to him. Our legislators must act to reverse both recent orders. 
 

5) Keep fighting ICE by boycotting companies that are enabling it: 
    Choose at least one of these companies that you already do business with and boycott them (https://icelist.is/boycott/). Contact their CEOs and boards to let them know you are doing this and why. Post about it on social media and ask friends and family to do the same. 

     If you’re a Spotify or Pandora user, here are some replacement possibilities that aren’t complicit in supporting ICE: 

• Tidal (www.tidal.com): Artist-owned, transparent royalty model, and no record of hosting ICE or DHS recruitment campaigns.  
• Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/home): Operates under strict ad-placement standards and does not run third-party government recruitment ads.  
• SomaFM (www.somafm.com): Over 30 unique channels of listener-supported, commercial-free, underground/alternative radio broadcasting to the world. All music hand-picked by SomaFM’s award-winning DJs and music directors. 
• LuxuriaMusic (www.luxuriamusic.com): Unique, eclectic, and diverse Internet radio programming.  
   

6) Watch the CBS CECOT prison story that was pulled off the air: https://archive.org/details/60minutes-cecotsegment 

7) Learn what we might do to fight in 2026: 
Read this short article (https://open.substack.com/pub/robertreich/p/what-you-can-do-in-2026) and do what you can. 
 

8) Maine-specific actions:  

If you are so inclined, help get Graham Platner on the ballot: 
     If you want to help collect signatures to get Graham on the ballot, sign up now: https://www.mobilize.us/grahamformaine/event/871380/  

Support making solar energy more affordable for Mainers: 
     LD 1730: An Act to Make Small, Portable, Plug-in Solar Generation Devices Accessible for All Maine Residents to Address the Energy Affordability Crisis is being carried over to the new legislative session of 2026. This bill, sponsored by Senator Nicole Grohoski, would create a new category for small plug-in solar generation devices less than or equal to 1,200 watts, eliminate interconnection requirements for these devices, and establish basic safety requirements. You can read the latest concept draft of this bill here: https://legislature.maine.gov/backend/App/Services/getDocument.aspx?documentId=121199 
     A hearing is scheduled for January 6^th, this coming Tuesday. You can join the Zoom hearing or submit written testimony here: www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/  Choose “Public Hearing” and then for committee choose “Energy, Utilities, and Technology,” and then the date, Jan. 6, 2026, 1pm. Written testimony can be submitted any time between now and the day of the hearing. 
     If any of your legislators are on this committee, you should also contact them directly. For local (Hancock County) folks, note that the sponsor of this bill is Hancock County’s state senator. 
     Members of the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee: 
Senate:  
Mark Lawrence, Chair (D-York) 
Nicole Grohoski (D-Hancock) 
Matthew A. Harrington (R-York) 
House:  
Melanie F. Sachs, Chair (D-Freeport) 
Christopher J. Kessler (D-South Portland) 
Valli D. Geiger (D-Rockland) 
Sophia B. Warren (D-Scarborough) 
Walter Gerard Runte, Jr. (D-York) 
Kilton M. Webb (D-Durham) 
Steven D. Foster (R-Dexter) 
Nathan J. Wadsworth (R-Hiram) 
Reagan L. Paul (R-Winterport) 
Mathew David McIntyre (R-Lowell) 
 

p.s. If you haven’t done all the actions in these emails and have the energy and/or the time, don’t forget to go back to previous Action Items emails to redo actions you feel strongly about or to do some you haven’t done yet. If, on the other hand, you want more Action Items than I’m able to provide these days, check out https://indivisiblebangor.org/call-to-action/. You’ll see my most recent emails there, too, but a lot of other stuff from Indivisible Bangor, Indivisible Mid Maine, Hancock County Democrats, and Washington County Democrat. 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance

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

1. Release ALL the Epstein files NOW
2. Get rid of FBI head Kash Patel
3. Don’t let Congress forget about the problem of Pete Hegseth
4. Support Libraries
5. Speak up against the politization of CBS News
6. Help Protect Trans Youth 
7. Boycott LinkedIn
8. Slow down the proliferation of huge AI data centers

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) Release ALL the Epstein files NOW:  

    The DOJ continues to fall spectacularly short of the statutory requirements for releasing the Epstein files. They’ve been dribbling out relatively small numbers of files, many of which have been heavily redacted. The law stated clearly that the deadline for releasing the entirety of the Epstein files was December 19^th—nowhere did it say they could be released whenever all the redactions are finished. Now House members Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) have threatened to draft inherent contempt charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi. If passed, inherent contempt charges would allow the House to bypass the courts and force Bondi to either release the files or face personal consequences such as imprisonment. There has also been talk about pursuing impeachment charges. 

     For those of you who, like me, have never heard of “inherent contempt charges,” here’s a brief explanation from Wikipedia: Under this process, the procedure for holding a person in contempt involves only the chamber concerned. Following a contempt citation, the person cited is arrested by the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House or Senate, brought to the floor of the chamber, held to answer charges by the presiding officer, and then subjected to punishment as the chamber may dictate (usually imprisonment for punishment, imprisonment for coercion, or release from the contempt citation). 

     Contact Congressman Jared Golden to demand that he support the drafting and filing of inherent contempt charges against Pam Bondi. She should resign now or be impeached. It is so obvious to everyone that she has weaponized the entire DOJ in service to Trump.  

2) Get rid of FBI head Kash Patel: 
     Kash Patel stated under oath that there were no other human traffickers in the Epstein files, yet the newest tranche of documents released by the DOJ after being vetted by the FBI supposedly provide evidence that there were at least ten known traffickers involved in Epstein’s circle. Not only is Kash Patel entirely incompetent and unfit for the job of head of the FBI, but he also lied under oath, which is a crime. The Constitution gives Congress the power to be a check on this kind of criminal behavior.  
    Contact Senators King and Collins and Congressman Golden to tell them that Patel (and Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, and Donald Trump, for that matter) should be impeached and removed from office. Congress needs to step up and do its job. 

3) Don’t let Congress forget about the problem of Pete Hegseth: 
    The list of unacceptable and possibly illegal actions Hegseth has taken as Secretary of Defense is longer than I feel like typing here. He is unfit for leadership and must be investigated and prosecuted for his unlawful actions. Contact Senators King and Collins and Congressman Golden to urge them to pursue filing charges against and impeaching Pete Hegseth. Also remind them that the full video of the “second strike” needs to be released. (See https://michaeldsellers.substack.com/p/breaking-second-strike-video-what)  

4) Support Libraries: 
   Senators Jack Reed (RI) and Representative Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) have introduced the Right to Read Act (HR 6640 and S 3365), a bill that would invest in school libraries, strengthen literacy, and defend students’ freedom to read. You can read more about it here: https://www.everylibrary.org/applaud_reintroduction_federal_right_to_read_act_2025) 
   Contact Senators King and Collins and Congressman Golden to ask that they support the Right to Read Act.   

5) Speak up against the politization of CBS News: 
   CBS News has always been a trusted source of honest news in this country, just as 60 Minutes has always represented the gold standard of journalistic excellence and integrity. But now that the new CBS, owned by the Trump-loving Ellison family, has made a last-minute decision to cancel the CECOT story on60 Minutes is unacceptable. CBS is no longer a TV station dedicated to unbiased coverage. Instead, it has clearly chosen allegiance to a fascist administration over true, honest journalism.  
    Contact CBS and let them know that you will be boycotting their stations as well as Paramount Plus. You can tell them, too, that you’ll be writing to their advertisers and letting them know that you won’t be shopping with them as long as they continue to buy adds with CBS and Paramount. You can reach them via their comment page online (https://help.cbsnews.com/s/contactsupport), their ombudsman feedback page (https://ombudsman.cbsnews.com), their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CBSNews), or by direct messaging them on their Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/cbsnews). 
You can also email the following CBS executives: 
   Tom Cibrowski, President & Executive Editor, CBS News: CibrowskiT@cbsnews.com 
   Stacey Benson, CFO, CBS News: BensonS@cbsnews.com  
   Ross Dagan, CBS Executive VP & head of news operations: DaganR@cbsnews.com 

6) Help Protect Trans Youth: 
    Trump is now beginning the process of banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth through a rulemaking process, thus sidestepping Congress and the legislative process entirely. The proposed rule, RIN 0938-AV87, would bar any hospital system that participates in Medicaid or Medicare from offering gender-affirming care to transgender youth, regardless of whether that care is paid for with federal funds or privately.  
    The rule must first go through a 60-day public comment period, which ends no later than 5pm on February 17^, 2026. We can do our part by submitting our comments. During this comment period, this rule can still be challenged, delayed, and fought, but only if people show up and refuse to let it move forward quietly.  
   You can leave a public comment here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/19/2025-23465/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-hospital-condition-of-participation-prohibiting-sex-rejecting 
   As always, the strongest comments are specific, grounded in facts or lived experience, make good arguments, and make clear the real harm this rule would cause. Note that public comments really are public, so if you have a reason to protect your anonymity, do it. 

7)  Boycott LinkedIn:
    LinkedIn is yet another company that is allowing ICE to recruit via their platform by posting ICE recruitment ads. If you don’t absolutely require LinkedIn for your job, consider suspending your account. Share this information with all your LinkedIn contacts first. 

8)  Slow down the proliferation of huge AI data centers: 
    More than 230 environmental groups and other organizations have signed a letter to congress demanding a national moratorium on the construction of new data centers that power artificial intelligence. These data centers not only cover huge tracts of land but also use an extraordinary amount of electricity and water, threatening local water tables and causing utility rates to rise. This is all so new and happening so fast that sufficient regulations don’t exist yet. The goal of a moratorium is to allow time to find a way to build U.S. competitiveness in the AI race that will be safe for the environment and won’t drive up people’s already increasing electricity prices. 
    Contact Senators King and Collins and Congressman Golden to urge them to support this push for a slowdown on this new industry. 
   Also contact Maine officials and representatives to push for the same in Maine.  
Maine State-level Contact Info: 
Governor Janet Mills: 287-3531 or https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/contact/share-your-opinion 
Attorney General Aaron Frey: 207-626-8800 or email attorney.general@maine.gov 
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows: 207-626-8400 or https://www.maine.gov/sos/about-us/contact-us-form 
State Controller Douglas E. Cotnoir: 207-626-8420 or douglas.e.cotnoir@maine.gov 
State Treasurer Joseph C. Perry: 207-624-7477 or Joseph.C.Perry@maine.gov  
Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services Sara Gagné-Holmes:  (207) 287-3707 
And, of course, contact your representatives in the state legislature, which depends on your district: 
House District 11: Tiffany Strout (207- 598-7043 or email: Tiffany.Strout@legislature.maine.gov  ) 
House District 12: Billy Bob Faulkingham (207-460-6967 or William.Faulkingham@legislature.maine.gov–he won’t be interested, but we should certainly annoy him as much as possible) 
House District 13: Russell P. White (207- 460-6359 or email: Russell.White@legislature.maine.gov  ) 
House District 14: Gary Friedmann (207-460-7362 or email: Gary.Friedmann@legislature.maine.gov ) 
Senate District 6: Marianne Moore (home: 207-454-0501 or 207-952-2050; State House: 207-287-1505; email: Marianne.Moore@legislature.maine.gov  ) 
Senate District 7: Nicole C. Grohoski (cell: 207-358-8333; State House: 207-287-1515; email: Nicole.Grohoski@legislature.maine.gov ) 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance

(Please let us know if you feel these Action Items emails are clouding things with too much explanation, or if you’d like any other changes to the way I’ve been doing this.)  

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

1. Support the right of our troops to disobey illegal orders 
2. Stop the buildup to war with Venezuela 
3. Quit Spotify until they quit broadcasting ICE recruitment ads 
4. Two Maine-specific anti-ICE Actions 

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 

Actions 

1) Support the right of our troops to disobey illegal orders:  

         Defiance.org is a fairly new organization co-founded by Miles Taylor, ex-DHS Chief of Staff during the first Trump administration and the author of the 2018 New York Times op-ed titled, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” which he wrote under the name “Anonymous” (in 2020, while campaigning against Trump’s reelection, he revealed that he was “Anonymous.” 

        Defiance.org, in partnership with WhistleblowerAid.org, has launched Phase One of what it planned to be an ongoing effort to help members of our military obey lawful orders, recognize manifestly illegal ones, and know where to turn to understand the difference.  This campaign includes: 

• Geo-targeted public service announcements, online and via social media 
• Billboards near key U.S. military installations 
• Information about confidential, independent support available through Whistleblower Aid, a trusted nonprofit that offers legal intake and case support for servicemembers and government officials 
• A volunteer-driven push to distribute information in military communities nationwide 

We can help with that last part. Defiance.org has: 

• Downloadable posters that we can distribute in our communities and/or near military hubs – Bases, Recruitment Centers, MEPs, ROTC Units, National Guard + Reserve Centers, etc. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DO2ah0f4c_DoxQ4FnVhcX3L4ecvJCfR3/view) 
• Downloadable wallet cards you can keep on you to share with military members when you cross paths (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K60TWTsKfVu2-8YM1ZAo-WXB4qOVrXoa/view)  
• A downloadable you can use to post about the campaign on social media (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K0pkOcrHd5SjdNv7Pp-KFazZh80ovRXB/view) 

2)  Stop the buildup to war with Venezuela: 

     Trump seems bound and determined to start a war between the U.S. and Venezuela. And it’s not about drugs, since Venezuela is not the origin of most of the drugs that are smuggled into our country. It’s about two things: distraction (from Trump’s incredibly low approval numbers and all the illegal things he’s been doing that people are starting to wake up to, not to mention the Epstein files—yes, let’s not forget those or let up on the pressure to make sure everything gets released) and oil. Trump is claiming that Venezuela stole oil from the U.S. What actually happened was that, after multiple foreign oil companies, including those from the U.S., moved in on and built up Venezuela’s oil industry, Venezuela nationalized its oil industry, taking control of the oil it produced. The assets taken back belonged to the oil companies, not the U.S. government. And that was almost 20 years ago. Old story and never since seen as crucial to the U.S. oil industry. Which brings us back around to: distraction. 

     The United States has no right to unilaterally shoot boats out of the water without legal justification. We have not declared war against Venezuela, nor is there justification for that, either. But Trump and wannabe soldier Pete Hegseth are itching to start a war, and they have to be stopped. Americans don’t want another years-long land war…or any other kind of war. 

     So far, bipartisan legislative attempts to prevent unauthorized war or military action with Venezuela have been voted down by Republicans in both houses of Congress. We need our congresspeople to step up and keep pushing for legislation that will put Congress back in the driver’s seat, where it belongs, when it comes to war efforts. Contact Senators King and Collins and House Rep. Golden to urge them to sponsor and/or support new bills to prevent any military action or attempted regime change in Venezuela unless authorized by Congress, as directed by the Constitution. 

3) Quit Spotify until they quit broadcasting ICE recruitment ads:  
    If you love Spotify Wrapped, please consider not posting as long as Spotify is still airing ICE recruitment ads. Instead, consider sharing posts about the campaign to boycott Spotify until these ads stop. https://app.sosha.ai/toolkit/spotify-wrapped-ice-trump-01aa 
 

4) Two Maine-specific anti-ICE Actions:

• Activate Maine has a toolkit to help us fight ICE in Maine: https://www.activatemaine.com/icetoolkit (Please note that they haven’t yet updated their website to delete the part about asking Governor Mills to allow LD 1971 to become law: She has already announced that she will not veto this bill in January, which means that it will become law.) 
• Get involved with the Maine ICE watch hotline: 
       Just as they say, “If you see something, say something,” follow this directive: “If you see ICE, report ICE.” According to News Center Maine, the ICE watch hotline “…functions like a community dispatch system. When someone calls in to report a possible ICE sighting, trained volunteers answer the phone. If the report involves a live ICE presence, two additional volunteers—called verifiers—are dispatched to the scene to confirm the sighting. Once verified, the information is quickly relayed through trusted networks to inform immigrant communities across the state.” The goal is to verify and monitor immigration enforcement activity and provide support resources such as legal assistance, immigrant support services, and community resources. No data from these calls is collected or stored, and all calls are encrypted for security. 
        If you see evidence of ICE activity, call 207-544-9989 (hours of operation: Monday – Friday, 6am – 9am and 5pm – 9pm). 

          You can also look into fighting ICE in Maine here: https://linktr.ee/noice4me 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance

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

1. Oppose the escalating illegal military action in the waters off the shore of Venezuela 
2. Protect transgender young people 
3. Protect the health and safety of American children 
4. Keep up the fight for science 
5. Maine-specific actions 

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) Oppose the escalating illegal military action in the waters off the shore of Venezuela: 

    First, contact Congressman Golden and thank him for voting for H.Con.Res.62, the House bill “To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.” Unfortunately, the bill failed, despite some Republicans crossing over to vote with the Democrats.  

   Yesterday, Senator Ruben Gallego introduced S.J.Res.100 – A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against vessels operating in the Caribbean Sea or the Eastern Pacific Ocean that have not been authorized by Congress. Contact Senators King and Collinsand urge them to co-sponsor this bill. While we’re at it, also ask them to support Sen. Adam Schiff in his push for unanimous consent for a bill requiring the administration to release the video of the Sept. 2 boat strikes. When the administration doesn’t want us to see something, that usually means we definitely ought to see it. And if crimes were committed, Pete Hegseth needs to be impeached and prosecuted.  

2) Protect transgender young people: 
    I apologize for being a bit behind the times recently. Life has been getting in the way. That said, the House passed H.R. 3492, the Protect Children’s Innocent Act, which will criminalize gender-affirming care for transgender young people (under 18). They also voted for H.R. 498, the bill titled “Do No Harm in Medicaid Act,” which aims to change the laws relating to Medicaid funding for procedures related to gender transition for minors, defined as individuals under the age of 18. The proposed legislation amends the Social Security Act, specifically targeting federal funding for certain medical procedures. 
     I, personally, an disgusted by these votes. Transgender folk are a very, very small percentage (about 1%) of the U.S. population, and gender-affirming surgeries are almost never done on young people under age 18.  Regardless how one feels about helping transgender children align their physical bodies with their gender identity, it seems to me that that sort of decision belongs with the child, the parents, and their doctor, not with the federal government. International guidelines already exist for treatment of transgender children; I don’t think laws criminalizing it are the best way to go. I will never understand why the Republicans are always so concerned with what’s inside a person’s underwear. 
    So we should contact Jared Golden to thank him for voting against these bills. But while we’re at it, we also need to let him know that the Republicans’ eleventh-hour healthcare plan is ridiculous. It includes all the anti-woman and anti-life issues they want to push, while including nothing that will help Americans actually be able to afford their healthcare. Tell Jared Golden to support Hakeem Jeffries’s bill extending the ACA premium tax credits. It’s not an ideal solution to the problems of our healthcare system, but it’s necessary for the time being. You can read about the GOP offering here.  
 

3) Protect the health and safety of American children: 
     The Department of Health and Human Services has terminated seven grants totaling millions of dollars to the American Academy of Pediatrics, including for initiatives on reducing sudden infant deaths, improving adolescent health, preventing fetal alcohol syndrome, and identifying autism early. The AAP has been a harsh critic of RFK Jr.’s chaotic and anti-science leadership of the HHS. “The sudden withdrawal of these funds will directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States,” said Mark Del Monte, AAP’s chief executive and executive vice president. Once again, the Trump administration is risking the health of millions of vulnerable youngsters just to teach the AAP a lesson—one which, so far, the AAP is refusing to learn. Contact Senators King and Collins and Representative Golden to urge them to push back against this hostile removal of grant funds and demand the impeachment and removal of RFK., Jr. as Secretary of the Dept. of Health and Human Services. 
 

4) Keep up the fight for science: 
     Russell Vought, the extreme right-wing director of the Office of Management and Budget and one of the primary architects of Project 2025, has called the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, one of the world’s leading Earth science research institutions, “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country” and said that the federal government would be “breaking up” the institution.  
     The National Center for Atmospheric Research is widely considered a global leader in both weather and climate change research, with programs aimed at tracking severe weather events, modeling floods and understanding how solar activity affects the Earth’s atmosphere. But Vought hates climate change, and Trump hates Colorado (he is furious that Colorado Governor Jared Polis has refused to pardon Tina Peters, the county clerk jailed for refusing to do her job of issuing a wedding permit to a same-sex couple—if I recall correctly), so here is another attack on the health of the planet and on the economy of a blue state.  
     Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Jared Golden and urge them to speak out against this destructive move. 
 

5) Maine-specific actions: 

1. Thank Governor Mills for making the decision to allow LD 1971 to become law. That is the law that prevents local Maine law enforcement from working with Federal agents like those from ICE and CBP in Federal anti-immigration enforcement. 
2. Support the National Popular Vote bill compact: 
        The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact was designed to base the election of the President on a one-person-one-vote basis, insuring that the Presidency would go to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC. The “interstate compact” would go into effect among participating states only after they collectively represent an absolute majority of Electoral College votes (currently at least 270). Then, in each Presidential election, the participating states would award all of their electoral votes to the candidate with the largest national popular vote total across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a result, that candidate would win the presidency by securing a majority of votes in the Electoral College.  
        The compact bill has been enacted into law by 18 states with 209 electoral votes, including Maine. However, this was another bill that Janet Mills allowed to become law by neither signing it into law nor vetoing it when she had the chance (like the recent LD 1971 anti-ICE-collaborating law). Plenty of Maine GOP legislators want it repealed. We have to keep support for it alive (if you agree with it, of course!). 
        Contact your Maine state legislators and tell them how important the National Popular Vote bill is to you. 

     Your representatives in the state legislature depends on your district. Here are most local districts; if you live in a different district in Maine than those above, you can find your representatives here. 

–House District 11: Tiffany Strout (207- 598-7043 or email: Tiffany.Strout@legislature.maine.gov  ) 

–House District 12: Billy Bob Faulkingham (207-460-6967 or William.Faulkingham@legislature.maine.gov –he won’t be interested, but we should certainly annoy him as much as possible) 

— House District 13: Russell P. White (207- 460-6359 or email: Russell.White@legislature.maine.gov  ) 

— House District 14: Gary Friedmann (207-460-7362 or email: Gary.Friedmann@legislature.maine.gov ) 

— Senate District 6: Marianne Moore (home: 207-454-0501 or 207-952-2050; State House: 207-287-1505; email: Marianne.Moore@legislature.maine.gov) 

— Senate District 7: Nicole C. Grohoski (cell: 207-358-8333; State House: 207-287-1515; email: Nicole.Grohoski@legislature.maine.gov ) 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance

December 16th is Beethoven’s birthday. Something to celebrate.

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

1. Push hard to stop gun violence 
2. Push back against Trump’s verbal attacks on those he sees as his political enemies 
3. Impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth 
4. Support the Domestic Organic Investment Act 
5. Oppose the White House’s short-term farm-aid plan 
6. Help save public lands 
7. Maine-specific Actions 

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) Push hard to stop gun violence: 

     Australia just saw a horrific mass shooting last weekend, and their government is already in action, preparing a special session in which they will tighten their gun laws. We need to do the same. In America, some forty-six thousand people die from gun violence every year and yet Congress keeps refusing to act. We need an assault weapons ban. We need universal background checks. We need safe storage laws. And we need the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which Trump shut down in his first week in office, to be reopened immediately. Nothing less will do. Gun people say, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” Well, these types of laws will limit the ability of people-killers and wannabe people-killers to kill innocent people. 

     Contact Senators King and Collins and House Representative Golden to urge them to stop pussyfooting around this issue and step up and start some serious lawmaking against the problems caused by guns in our country. 

2) Push back against Trump’s verbal attacks on those he sees as his political enemies: 
     According to NBC news reports, in just the past few weeks, almost two dozen federal, state, and local officials have received a “surge” of violent threats for similar reasons — saying or doing something Trump didn’t like, resulting in his attacking them on TV or Truth Social. Right after that, the threats began. “Among those who’ve been targeted with threats after being mentioned in social media posts by the president are numerous Democrats, including Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan — but even more Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and over a dozen Indiana state lawmakers.” (NBC News) 
     Contact Senators King and Collins and Representative Golden to demand that they stand up to Trump and demand that he tell his followers that regardless of his invective, no death threats or other threats promising physical harm of any kind are acceptable and perpetrators will be arrested and investigated. Or, obviously, put this any way you want to express it. 

3) Impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: 

         Congressman Shri Thanedar (MI-13) has introduced two articles of impeachment (H.Res.935) against Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, for the following charges: 

     –Murder and Conspiracy to Murder

     –Reckless and Unlawful Mishandling of Classified Information

     Contact Congressman Jared Golden to ask him to support this resolution to impeach Pete Hegseth. We simply can’t have an army-playing clown like Hegseth in control of the U.S. military.

4) Support the Domestic Organic Investment Act: 
     Last week, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), along with Representatives Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) and Andrea Salinas (D-OR), introduced legislation to give organic producers tools to increase capacity, modernize their operations, and expand their businesses to meet growing demand. permanent program to equip organic farmers and producers to grow their businesses and meet rising demand. Contact Senator Susan Collins to thank her, and contact Senator Angus King to ask him to support this act. 
 

5) Oppose the White House’s short-term farm-aid plan: 
    Last week, the Trump administration announced that it will provide $12 billion in economic aid for farmers, with the bulk of the funds reserved for commodity crop farmers. Through a new Farmer Bridge Assistance program, $11 billion will go to one-time payments exclusively to commodities farmers, like those producing corn, rice, wheat, soybeans, cotton, sorghum and cattle. An extra $1 billion will go to so-called “specialty” farming (mostly fruits and vegetables, and presumably including organic farming). As usual, this decision by the White House pretty much supports big ag, while merely throwing a small piece of kibble to organic farmers, of which we have a lot here in Maine. Call Senators King and Collins and House Rep Golden to urge them to speak up about this discriminatory farm-aid bill. ALL farmers are being hurt by Trump’s tariffs, and small and medium farms should not be left behind.  
 

6) Help save public lands: 
     Introduced by Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) in the 118th Congress and reintroduced in the 119th, this bipartisan bill (H.R. 718, the Public Lands in Public Hands Act) prohibits the sale or transfer of public lands managed by the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service without extra oversight. It would require Congress to approve the sale or transfer of publicly accessible parcels of land larger than 300 acres, as well as water-adjacent parcels larger than 5 acres.  
    Contact Jared Golden and urge him to co-sponsor H.R. 718. Contact Senators King and Collins to ask them to sponsor a Senate version of the Public Lands in Public Hands Act. Remind them how important Maine’s vast wilderness areas are to the state’s economy. It would be wild (and equally unlikely) if they could Sponsor it together as a bipartisan bill! 
 

7) Maine-specific Actions (see contact info below): 

1.      Support LD 1383, An Act to Require State Divestment from Perpetrators of International Human Rights Violation:  

     If you don’t want Maine to be investing in corporations and other entities that are involved in or support human rights violations, contact your representatives in Maine’s Congress and ask them to support LD 1383, An Act to Require State Divestment from Perpetrators of International Human Rights Violation. Maine has millions of dollars invested in corporations like Palantir and Signature Aviation. LD1383 would withdraw those investments and replace them with cleaner investments. This link will help you compose a message to your state representatives and other state officials.

2.      Fight against EPA Superfund Cuts and PFAS Cleanup Delays:  
     The Pentagon has quietly delayed PFAS cleanup at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone by six years, and the old Brunswick Naval Air Station is also facing setbacks. Meanwhile, the Superfund program is looking at potential budget cuts. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) points to actions like ordering foam removal at Brunswick Executive Airport after last year’s 1,500-gallon PFAS spill as proof of progress. But state environmental advocates and our congressional delegation are concerned these delays will leave Maine communities dealing with contaminated water and soil longer than necessary. Contact your Maine state representatives to speak up about this problem. 

Maine State-level Contact Info: 

• Governor Janet Mills: 287-3531 or https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/contact/share-your-opinion 
• Attorney General Aaron Frey: 207-626-8800 or email attorney.general@maine.gov 
• Secretary of State Shenna Bellows: 207-626-8400 or https://www.maine.gov/sos/about-us/contact-us-form 
• State Controller Douglas E. Cotnoir: 207-626-8420 or douglas.e.cotnoir@maine.gov 
• State Treasurer Joseph C. Perry: 207-624-7477 or Joseph.C.Perry@maine.gov 
• Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services Sara Gagné-Holmes:  (207) 287-3707 
  And, of course, contact your representatives in the state legislature, which depends on your district: 

• House District 11: Tiffany Strout (207- 598-7043 or email: Tiffany.Strout@legislature.maine.gov  ) 
• House District 12: Billy Bob Faulkingham (207-460-6967 or William.Faulkingham@legislature.maine.gov –he won’t be interested, but we should certainly annoy him as much as possible) 
• House District 13: Russell P. White (207- 460-6359 or email: Russell.White@legislature.maine.gov  ) 
• House District 14: Gary Friedmann (207-460-7362 or email: Gary.Friedmann@legislature.maine.gov ) 
• Senate District 6: Marianne Moore (home: 207-454-0501 or 207-952-2050; State House: 207-287-1505; email: Marianne.Moore@legislature.maine.gov  ) 
• Senate District 7: Nicole C. Grohoski (cell: 207-358-8333; State House: 207-287-1515; email: Nicole.Grohoski@legislature.maine.gov ) 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance

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

1. Keep fighting for the extension of the ACA premium tax bill 
2. Oppose the military strikes on boats off the Venezuelan coast 
3. Fight for the Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act 
4. Maine-specific 

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: 

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) Keep fighting for the extension of the ACA premium tax bill: 

    The ACA premium tax credit extension vote failed today, as did the other proposed healthcare bills. We should thank our Senators for voting to extend the ACA premium tax credit extensions, but the fight isn’t over. We need to urge our Senators to take up every chance to revisit this issue. These subsidies (or some other workable option—NOT the ridiculous put-a-little-money-in-some-people’s-HSA-accounts bill proposed by Senator Bill Cassidy) are so important to keep our healthcare system alive. If you are a proponent of universal healthcare/Medicare for all, make sure you mention that when you call/write. 

2) Oppose the military strikes on boats off the Venezuelan coast: 
   Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden to demand that the Trump administration release the full videos of these strikes and the legal memos justifying them. The Trump administration is trying to normalize something fundamentally un-American: that a president can unilaterally erase constitutional rights, hide evidence of lethal military operations, and punish critics without consequence. The truth must be revealed to the people. 
 

3) Fight for the Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act: 
     Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden to ask them to cosponsor, support, and publicly champion the Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act (In the Senate: S. 2818 (IS); in the House: H.R.7041). Working families need a government willing to stand up for them and challenge a system that has become wildly imbalanced. We need our congresspeople to stand for the people of Maine by bringing this bill forward for hearings and action.  
   The Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act creates a simple, fair mechanism: If a company chooses to maintain an extreme CEO-to-worker pay ratio, it will pay a higher corporate tax rate. If it raises workers’ wages or reins in excessive executive compensation, it pays nothing extra. This is a market-based incentive to reduce inequality without imposing wage mandates. It rewards companies that treat workers fairly and asks more from those that don’t. 
     These greedy corporate CEOs are killing the American dream for everyone else. This bill is an important step toward closing the wealth gap that was, in my opinion, a large part of the anger that simmered, then boiled, then paved the way for the horror that is American under Trump. That has to stop, one way or another.  
   You can read an explanation of the proposed bill here: https://tlaib.house.gov/posts/tlaib-sanders-introduce-bill-to-end-outrageous-ceo-pay-and-combat-corporate-greed 
 

4) Maine-specific: 
 Urge Janet Mills to allow LD 1971 (the bill to that would forbid Maine’s law enforcement and other public offices from collaborating with ICE) become law: 

          Earlier this year, Maine lawmakers passed LD 1971: An Act to Protect Workers in This State by Clarifying the Relationship of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies with Federal Immigration Authorities. This act limits the degree to which Maine State and Local Law Enforcement are allowed to cooperate/collude with Federal Immigration enforcement (ICE and CBP, mostly. Governor Janet Mills has refused to sign it (and now it’s too late), but she can still veto it. If she doesn’t veto it when the next legislative session opens in January, the bill will become law.        

    Contact Janet Mills to urge her to NOT veto it and let it become law (personally, I suspect that is her plan, but we should remind her that we care). You can email her through her website ( https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/contact), call her at 207-287-3531, or send a snail-mail to Governor Janet Mills, 1 State House Station, Augusta, Maine, 04333. 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance

Seems like our lawmakers have finally gotten back to work—even some Republicans! Suddenly there are a number of new bills to research and act on. 

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

1. Stop Trump’s and Hegseth’s illegal warmongering off Venezuela’s shores 
2. Support H.R. 6390, the Make Housing Affordable and Defend Democracy Act 
3. Fight for Fair Social Security 
4. Oppose the government’s plan to hold back SNAP money from blue states 
5. Support the Experts Act to halt corporate corruption in government rulemaking and elevate the public’s support for strong safeguards 
6. Support the Stop Ballroom Bribery Act 
7. Support the Toxic Substances Control Act 
8. Support the renewal of the NewStart Nuclear Armed Forces Agreement 
9. Send a letter to our congresspeople to urge them to stop Medicare from using AI to deny care 
10. 2 Resistbot letters to send 

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) Stop Trump’s and Hegseth’s illegal warmongering off Venezuela’s shores: 

    Democrat Senators Tim Kaine, Adam Schiff, and Chuck Schumer, along with Republican Senator Rand Paul, have filed a bipartisan war powers resolution to prevent the United States from using the U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities with Venezuela without congressional approval. The resolution directs President Trump to cease using the military “unless specifically authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force.” Contact Senators King and Collins to support the resolution. 

2)  Support H.R. 6390, the Make Housing Affordable and Defend Democracy Act:  
    Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) has introduced a bill (H.R. 6390, the Make Housing Affordable and Defend Democracy Act) to rescind certain immigration enforcement funds and amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide for new credits related to expanding access to housing. This legislation would take the $175 billion given to ICE and put it instead toward making housing affordable for working Americans. As ICE is terrorizing more and more communities, the same communities are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. That’s just wrong. Our tax dollars should be helping Americans, not attacking and kidnapping them. Contact Jared Golden and urge him to take a stand and co-sponsor this bill, even if he thinks it won’t pass.  
 

3) Fight for Fair Social Security: 
   Senator Warren and House Representatives Larson and Horsford just introduced the bicameral Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act to provide a $200/month emergency increase to Social Security checks until July 2026. Medicare Part B premiums are rising by nearly 10% next year, yet Social Security recipients have received only a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment, amounting to just $56 per month. Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden to stand with senior citizens by co-sponsoring this bill. 
 

4) Oppose the government’s plan to hold back SNAP money from blue states: 
     Last week, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the Trump administration will block Democratic-controlled states from accessing billions of dollars they need to run their SNAP programs unless governors turn over their states’ benefits rolls to the federal government. The information they’re demanding includes vast quantities of identifying information on the over 42 million monthly participants, including names, addresses, when an individual enrolled in SNAP and whether they are still enrolled. (Per the Washington Post, it’s unclear if Rollins has the authority to demand that data, and the request could violate recipients’ privacy rights. Historically, no federal agency has required states to share this amount of private data with the federal government; current practice is for states to share only randomized samples. ) Twenty-two states, including Maine (Go, Maine!), refused to comply and sued the USDA.  
    Rollins claimed that the data from the complying states showed 186,000 dead people receiving benefits and 500,000 people receiving double benefits, and said that “more than 120 people” have been arrested on SNAP fraud. Makes me wonder: Over 600,000 supposed fraudulent benefits were paid and only 120 people have been arrested? That enormous amount of “waste, fraud, and abuse” (the constant refrain of the administration) is shocking. I’m also wondering why they need this information after DOGE supposedly got access to so much private information already. Why don’t they just demand that Musk turn over the data his minions mined from the government systems? 
    Contact Senators King and Collins, and House Representative Jared Golden to demand that Rollins and the USDA stop politicizing hunger, cease their demand for personal information that the federal government has no right to, and pay the blue states the administrative monies they are supposed to receive to run their SNAP programs. 
 

5) Support the Experts Act to halt corporate corruption in government rulemaking and elevate the public’s support for strong safeguards: 
   Senator Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Pramila Jayapal have introduced a bicameral bill (simultaneously in both parts of Congress) called the Experts Act (S. 3210; H.R. 6145), which would reform the rules for federal rule making by modernizing the process federal agencies use to develop vital safeguards like those that provide clean air and water, safe products, healthy workplaces, fair pay, and truth in lending, to name just a few. Formerly titled the Stop Corporate Capture Act, the legislation would achieve key improvements to the rulemaking process by lifting up the voices of the American people and closing loopholes that favor corrupt corporations and their lobbyists. 
   Contact Senators King and Collins and Representative Golden and push them to co-sponsor this bill.  
 

6) Support the Stop Ballroom Bribery Act: 
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Robert Garcia have introduced a bicameral bill called The Stop Ballroom Bribery Act (S.3191 and H.R. 6085) that would restrict donations for certain public projects linked to the President or Vice President, particularly from entities involved in litigation or seeking contracts with the federal government. Trump’s corrupt ballroom project is allowing companies he’s doing business with to funnel money his way. Contact Senators King and Collins to ask them to co-sponsor this bill in the Senate, and Representative Golden to co-sponsor the House version. 
 

7) Support the Toxic Substances Control Act: 
     In 2016, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was updated to reduce exposure to chemicals linked to cancer and chronic diseases. TSCA empowers states to ban chemicals like PFAS. The law prioritizes human health over corporate profits and has banned deadly solvents like trichloroethylene (TCE) and methylene chloride. States are already spending billions in taxpayer dollars cleaning up PFAS contamination—prevention is the only real solution.  
    But now the chemical lobby is pushing hard to weaken that law. Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden to tell them that this successful law should not be changed. You can personalize and send a letter to your congresspeople and Brooke Rollins, head of the USDA here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/take-action-to-protect-the-toxic-substances-control-act 
 

8) Support the renewal of the NewStart Nuclear Armed Forces Agreement: 
The NewStart Nuclear Armed Forces Agreement has been a part of a decades-long norm of limiting the deployment of deadly nuclear weapons. Its expiration in 2026 and current lack of enforcement makes it a top priority for renewal. Please join WPSR in contacting your members of Congress to join the NewSTART Arms control Resolution, H. Res 100 introduced by Representative Bill Foster and S. Res 61 introduced by Senator Ed Markey. Sign here. 
 

9) Send a letter to our congresspeople to urge them to stop Medicare from using AI to deny care: 
     A recent Senate subcommittee report on the use of AI to review prior authorizations reported that during the period that UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and CVS adopted AI tools, denials of authorization increased by anywhere from 54% to 108%, depending on the insurer. Plus, despite insurers’ claims about the bottom line benefits of AI review, the Senate study also found that patients with insurers utilizing AI will see their premiums rise $21.50/month from 2025 to 2026. So Medicare enrollees will be paying more for less. 
     You can personalize and send the letter from https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-medicare-from-using-ai-to-deny-healthcare 
 

10) 2 Resistbot letters to send: 
– urging Congress to immediately oppose the Trump Regime’s rollback of federal fuel-efficiency standards. Send it by texting SIGN PTYBKD to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram. 

– urging Congress to take immediate action to stop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new effort to undo the Biden-era rule that keeps medical debt off credit reports. That rule gave millions of Americans a fair chance to recover financially after illness or injury by preventing medical bills, often caused by emergencies or billing errors, from wrecking their credit scores. Repealing it would punish people simply for getting sick and hand power back to credit bureaus and debt collectors. We want our congresspeople to  speak out publicly, support legislation to preserve the CFPB’s medical debt rule, and ensure that medical debt stays off credit reports permanently. No one should lose their financial future because of a hospital bill. Text SIGN PDQVGT to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram. 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance

I apologize for jumping back into the fray so late this week. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! 

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

1. Push for the impeachment and removal from office of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth 
2. Keep pushing for an extension of the ACA tax credits 
3. Oppose the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Department of Education and its vital programs and workforce 
4. Sign a petition to keep our air safe from fine-particle pollution 
5. Have a copy of the constitution sent to a congressmember in your name 
6. Don’t let our representatives in Congress think we’ve forgotten or no longer care about the Epstein files 

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) Push for the impeachment and removal from office of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: 

    It’s beyond unacceptable to have a Secretary of Defense who rejects the Geneva Conventions and orders war crimes. Trump’s Teflon seems to have protected Hegseth against any real blowback from Signalgate, his demands for loyalty oaths from journalists, and every other ridiculous thing he’s done, but his excitement about killing is seriously sick and cannot be ignored. Senator Mark Kelly, whose death for “sedition” both Trump and Hegseth have demanded, gets right to the point: https://newrepublic.com/post/203827/mark-kelly-pete-hegseth-donald-trump-playing-army 

     Contact Senators King and Collins and Congressman Golden to call for impeachment proceedings on Hegseth. (Hakeem Jeffries has said the House Dems will NOT pursue impeachment against Hegseth because there’s zero chance it would pass with Republicans in charge, even if it were to make it to the floor, which he is sure it won’t. I think we can still ask Jared Golden to speak up about and get involved with any and all ways to make clear to America that Hegseth is massively unqualified for the job.)  

     Related: Urge Jared Golden to support the No Unauthorized Force in Venezuela Act, which would prohibit the executive branch from spending any federal funds on the use of military inside Venezuela or against Venezuelan forces, including remote or intermittent strikes, unless Congress passes a specific Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). 

2)  Keep pushing for an extension of the ACA tax credits: 
     Remember how the Democrats in the Senate allowed the shutdown to end by giving up on their demand for an extension of the ACA tax credits and accepting, instead, the promise of a vote on the subject? That vote looks like it could happen next week, and given the way the GOP members of Congress freaked out at Trump’s plan to extend those credits for 2 years, they seem pretty determined to stick with their own plans to continue screwing their own constituents out of affordable health insurance. Almost everyone wants—needs—those credits extended: Without those subsidies, millions of Americans will face financial or health disaster—or both—and the resulting diminished market will raise costs further for everyone else, possibly even collapsing the entire healthcare system in this country. 
     Contact Senators King and Collins and make sure they know you want those tax credits extended. Susan Collins has called the extension of these credits a “poison pill,” so we know she’s not planning to vote for it. Let her know this is a slap in the face to all her constituents who will be directly affected by her obvious lack of compassion. 
     On the House side, Hakeem Jeffries has introduced a discharge petition to force a vote in the House on a bill to extend the ACA premium tax credits by three years. Contact Congressman Golden to thank him for signing on to this discharge petition and urge him to keep fighting for affordable healthcare for Mainers. 
 

3)  Oppose the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Department of Education and its vital programs and workforce: 
     Another nasty measure sneaked into the One Big Disgusting Bill now coming to light: The hugely diminished Department of Education now programmed to eat its own tail and consume itself entirely has announced changes to the degrees that are considered “professional.” Whether a degree is considered “professional” will influence how much reimbursement a student receives for their higher education and decrease the student loan caps for these degree programs. 
     Not included in the newly proposed list of professional degrees are nursing, physician assistants, physical therapists, educators, social workers, audiologists, architects, and accountants. 
     This is absurd. As those of us in rural parts of the country already know, we need more well-trained professionals, not fewer. Our state—really, most of our country—is already experiencing a decline in healthcare providers, teachers, social workers, etc. This is a complicated issue with many varied and valid explanations, but the bottom line is that adding to the problem is not a reasonable response. It will help no one to make it harder for less-wealthy but smart and talented students to train for these high-demand professions.  
     Contact Senators King and Collins and Congressman Golden to make sure they know that we know about this development and are outraged by it. We need our representatives to push back against these revised qualifications and limits to related student loans. I’m sure solving the overall problem will take some thinking out of the box, but preventing more people from being able to study for high-demand jobs is not the way to change things for the better. If you have any personal stories related to this issue, from your own experience or that of family or friends, share them. That’s one of the best ways to reach whatever these politicians might have left of their heartstrings. 
 

4)  Sign a petition to keep our air safe from fine-particle pollution: 

     The Trump administration just announced it will abandon a critical rule that strengthened limits on deadly fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) — a move scientists warn will lead to dirtier air, more asthma attacks, more heart and lung disease, and thousands of preventable deaths. Petitions aren’t a great way to affect government behavior, but they’re better than nothing and are easy to sign. https://civicshout.com/p/tell-the-epa-no-backsliding-on-clean-air-and-climate/ 

5) Have a copy of the constitution sent to a congressmember in your name: 

https://www.defiance.org/swag/p/constitutions-for-congress

6) Don’t let our representatives in Congress think we’ve forgotten or no longer care about the Epstein files: 

Yours in Civic Action, 

Bold Coast Civic Alliance