As of Tuesday, the government has been shutdown. It is estimated to cost the country $300 million per day. Federal employees deemed non-essential have been furloughed and vital social services that people depend on will not be there for them.
But Congress is watching, and waiting to see how their constituents will react. It’s a time for on the ground action to get the message out that shutting down the government is not okay, and that now is a time for a change in priorities.
We urge folks to get out their phones and pens and make your voices heard.
Call your Congressional Reps and tell them shutting down the government has gone too far and is hurting the Missouri people.
Claire McCaskill: 314-367-1364
Roy Blunt: 314-725-4484
Lacy Clay: 314-669-9393
Ann Wagner: 636-779-5449
Submit a letter to the editor for your local newspaper. Follow this New Priorities Network Tips on how to write a letter to the editor or use talking points from the sample letter below. Remember to stay on point and emphasize that this shutdown hurts us at home while prioritizing war and corporate greed.
This government shutdown is about much more than Obamacare, it’s about budget priorities. The night before the shutdown, the Pentagon awarded $5 billion for 94 contracts to military corporations. The average per day normally is nine contracts. During the shutdown, contracts will continue to be awarded for weapons systems and parts, but they will not be announced until after the government re-opens.
In addition to this, the shutdown will cost $300 million a day. Vital social services that people depend on are being withheld. 800,000 government employees are being furloughed until further notice. Other essential personnel are being required to work without pay.
People are hurting enough. Sequester cuts are hurting Missourians and our local economies. It’s time we stopped looking at war as an essential item, and started prioritizing people over endless war and corporate profits. This shutdown hides the subsidies and tax forgiveness for large corporations and the super rich and all the money being wasted on weapons systems and endless war.
Submit your letter to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, St. Louis American, West End Word, or the newspaper you read the most.
