Democrats moaned and complained during the partial shutdown that they could not negotiate with President Trump until the government fully reopened. President Trump called their bluff and agreed to fund the government for three weeks while House and Senate conferees negotiate. But he warned them that if they did not fund his border security package, or they tried to make this about amnesty, after three weeks’ time, he would get the wall funded and built without Congress.
So now we need to step up to the plate and put pressure on the conference committee to secure the border and no amnesty! Our call to action this week asks you to sign and share our petition to the conferees, and to call the conferees and tell them, “Secure the border and no amnesty.”
- If you haven’t done so already, please sign the Petition. Then, be sure to share it on social media and email the link to like-minded friends and family when you are done signing it!
- Call the members of the conference committee listed below and use the sample script included for guidance about what to say when you call.
Sample Script
“Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I am calling today in regard to the border security conference committee. I urge [Insert Title and Name of Conferee] to include the border security measures as requested by President Trump, including the funding for the wall, and to refuse any attempts to include amnesty. My message can be summed up like this: secure our borders and no amnesty. It’s beyond time for the United States Congress to meet its obligation to secure our borders and put an end to illegal immigration. Thank you.
Senate Conferees
DEMOCRATS
Patrick Leahy – (202) 224-4242
Dick Durbin – (202) 224-2152
Jon Tester – (202) 224-2644
REPUBLICANS
Richard Shelby – (202) 224-5744
Shelley Moore Capito – (202) 224-6472
John Hoeven – (202) 224-2551
Roy Blunt – (202) 224-5721
House Conferees
DEMOCRATS
Nita Lowey – (202) 225-6506
Lucille Roybal-Allard – (202) 225-1766
Barbara Lee – (202) 225-2661
Pete Aguilar – (202) 225-3201
David Price – (202) 225-1784
Henry Cuellar – (202) 225-1640
REPUBLICANS
Kay Granger – (202) 225-5071
Chuck Fleischmann – (202) 225-3271
Tom Graves – (202) 225-5211
Steven Palazzo – (202) 225-5772
Helpful Notes
- Below are three articles we recommend reading so that you have some background on the two different justifications for President Trump being able to fund the border wall without Congress. You may want to familiarize yourself with those arguments before you make your calls or post about this issue on social media.
- Congress’ Nonpartisan Research Arm Says Trump Could Have DOD Build A Wall Without State of Emergency or Congressional Approval
- Trump Has a Strong Legal Argument That He Can Declare National Emergency at Border
- Klukowski: President Trump Has Legal Authority to Declare Border Emergency to Build the Wall
- It may be helpful to have the most recent Washington Report in front of you when you call. This way, when you call the Democrat conferees, you can have the list of quotes from many, many Democrats (including some of the conferees) in front of you where they explicitly state their support for a physical barrier on our southern border.
In liberty,
Jenny Beth Martin