https://truthout.org/articles/sanders-announces-hes-voting-no-on-778-bil...

The US Senate is set to vote for the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 on Thursday. This is likely the most important action we each can take today:
Call Sen. Merkley and Wyden and tell them to join Bernie Sanders in voting No to the National Defense Authorization bill due for a vote in the Senate on Thursday.
They have both voted No before and they need to do it again. The budget proposed by Pres. Biden was an INCREASE over 1.4% billion over the last Trump war budget. And then the House and Senate Armed Services committee approved an additional $25B to the Biden war budget.
Sen Wyden is a 503-326-7525;
Sen Merkley is at 503.326.3386.

Tell them to vote no, but to approve any amendments which would decrease the budget. Sen. Bernie Sanders has proposed such an amendment. And he as said that he will vote no.

Please call every day.

David

The Oregon Progressive Party Nov 2021 newsletter is now available at https://conta.cc/30irY3h  Read the OPP War and Peace Report, learn about the Portland Tenents Union efforts for a City of Portland ordirance to end landload haressment of tenants, why OPP signed onto a letter written by Veterans for Peace to the Portland City Council and more.

Votes on HR4350 – National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) For Fiscal 2022 and certain amendments.

Link to Govtrack.us for this bill: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr4350

HR4350 is the first of two bills to enact the national war budget. The second bill will be the National Defense Appropriations Bill, later this year.

HR4350 was overwhelmingly enacted in the US House - 316 yes/113 no. The no vote was 38 Democrats and 75 Republicans. The yes vote was 181 Democrats; 135 Republicans. So this is a bipartisan win for war which would not have been enacted except for the strong Yes vote by the Democrats. In addition to the vote on the bill, there were lots of amendments offered, some of which got votes as well. This bill now moves to the US Senate for a vote. If they approve the bill with changes, a Joint Committee will be formed to work out the differences, with another vote required in both Senate and House to approve the compromise bill. Otherwise, it will go to the President for his signature. Below is the voting summary on certain amendments and the major bill by Oregon US Representatives.

Vote on HR 4350

The House of Representative is scheduled to vote on HB4350, National Defense Authorization Act, during the week of 9-20-21. Phone calls to all Oregon Representative are called for with a message of Vote No on HB4350.

Note that ahead of this vote, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has introduced 7 amendments to this bill. One of the amendment would end the transfer of surplus military weaponry and equipment to police departments throughout the US. Other amendments deal with Colombia, Saudi Aradia, and arms sales to Israel. Read about this and the other amendment in this press release by Rep. AOC. We don't know who might be supporting or co-sponsoring these amendments but I would hope that Reps. Blumenauer, Bonamici and Defazio would.

How about calling them and asking them to support these amendments? Tell them that they should vote Yes on each of AOC's amendments and vote no on HB4350, even if all of AOC's amendments are adopted. HB4350 as originally proposed by Pres. Biden ($753 Billion) was already larger than Pres. Trump's last defense budget and then that was increased by $25 billion by the House Armed Services Committee. It is time for a peace dividend; time to move from war funding to peace funding and filling the needs of the American people.

Finding Contact information
Find phone number and other contact info for our OR Representatives here.   If you live in Washington, find them here.

If a voter as been classified as inactive by election authorities, should that person lose their ability to sign an initiative petition? That is the heart of a OR Supreme Court case now being argued.

The OR Secretary of State has said, “Yes, you should.” But her decision has been challenged in a case now before the OR Supreme Court.

Dan Meek, legal council for the OR Progressive Party, will argue on the Party’s behalf that the right of an inactive voter to sign petitions is retained by the voter and the signature should be counted, noting that prior decisions in Maryland and New York, both with similar constitutional language to Oregon’s, have found that inactive voters do not lose their right to sign just because they have been labeled inactive. As long as they meet the qualifications to be a registered voter, their signatures should be counted.

This is of interest to us at OPP because we have been active users of the initiative process. Mr Meek has pointed out that there are about 500,000 Inactive voters in Oregon and that in every signature drive, 3-5$ of all signatures are disqualified because the signers are labeled Inactive.
 

Oregon Progressive Party has endorsed a rally organized by Peace & Justice Work marking the 20th anniversary of the beginning of America's endless wars.

9/11: Twenty Years of War, Stoking Fear, Erasing Rights and Misdirected Funding
Expanded Friday Rally/March for Peace and Justice

Please mask up and stay distanced for safety

Location:  Pioneer Courthouse Sq, SW Yamhill & Broadway, Portland
Date/time:  Friday, September 10-2021, 4:30 - 6 PM

Support Rep. Lee legislation to cut Pentagon budget $350 billion.

Code Pink action is call for US Representatives to support Rep. Barbara Lee's legislation to cut US Defense Dept budget by $350 billion. https://www.codepink.org/leepentagon21 Note that at this point no OR Rep is co-sponsoring this legislation. We need to ask Sen. Merkley and Wyden to introduce this into the Senate as well.

Rep. Lee's bill here.https://www.codepink.org/leepentagon21 Note that at this point no OR Rep is co-sponsoring this legislation. We need to ask Sen. Merkley and Wyden to introduce this into the Senate as well. Rep. Lee's bill here. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/476/text?q... "> The bill number is HR 476.

Find contact info for members of Congress here:  https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Win without War notifies us that Senators Lee, Sanders and Murphy have introduced a bill into Congress to reassert the constitutional balance between the Congress and the Executive Branch in the exercise of the war power, an unbalance which currently favors the executive branch in pushing the nation toward war. The bill is the National Securities Power Act, S2391, text here.

Win without War also has a petition addressed to our OR Senators asking that they co-sponsor this bill in the Senate. Sign the petition here.

David Delk, Chair of the OR Progressive Party, submitted this letter to the editor July 22, 2021

After returning from his self-indulgent space joyride, Jeff Bezos said, “Every astronaut who’s been up into space, they say that it changes them.” He added that his joyride was thanks to the efforts of Amazon customers and employees, “You guys paid for all of this.”

In 2007 and 2011, Bezos, the world richest man (worth $177 billion) paid no federal income tax while the median American household earned $70,000 and paid 14% ($9800).

Perhaps his changed mindset will include a desire to pay his taxes.

SAVE THE DATE

Rally for Improved Medicare for All

March for Medicare for All

Hosted by Medicare for All PDX and

Oregon Progressive Party because

Health Care is a Human Right

Saturday, July 24th, 12:00 PM

Shemanski Park, 1010 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97205

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 15 million Americans lost their employer-sponsored health insurance. This in addition to the 87 million that were uninsured or underinsured before the crisis. It's time for universal, public healthcare - free at the point of service and guaranteed for all. It's time for Medicare for All.

On July 24th, Medicare for All supporters from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles to Portland are holding a national day of action for Medicare for All. Join us in Portland at Shemanski Park starting at noon. More details TBA soon! 

Please let the OR Progressive Party know if you can join us, as we will be there with our banner, some flyers, voter registeration cards. 

More information at the March of Medicare for All PDX website:  http://medicareforallpdx.com/

ELECT SERIN BUSSELL IN MAY 2021 SPECIAL ELECTION
Portland Community College Board - Zone 4

By unanimous vote of the Oregon Progressive Party state council, Serin Bussell has earned the endorsement of the OR Progressive Party for the Portland Community College Zone 4 Board position.  Serin was endorsed because of her dedication to progressive values including values she will pursue on the Board - Free Tuition, Healthcare for All, and Housing and Food Security. Serin has been actively involved in social justice movements, serving as Board Chair of the Crag Law Center, and Chair of Portland’s Open and Accountable Elections Commission. Learn more about her candidacy at her website.

Demilitarize the police

Join grassroots organizers (Code Pink) for an action-oriented online gathering where you will learn about the ways in which the US military and private companies provide military weapons, equipment and training to our local law enforcement agencies - putting community safety at risk.

We will also, in real time, take action against this together by:

Signing the “Demilitarize the Portland Police” petition
Share the petition with others and encourage them to sign it
Directly contact local City and County officials to encourage their endorsement

Please RSVP to receive the zoom link!

WHEN

February 12, 2021 at 5:30pm - 6:30pm (PST)

Oregon Progressive Party hopes that each of you will call both Sen Merkley and Wyden as well as whoever your individual Representative is with a request for they file a Resolution of Disapproval of a $500 million sale of precision bombs to Saudi Arabia, which will likely be used by Saudi Arabia in their immoral war on the people of Yemen. Congress has 30 days (ending Jan 21, 2021) to approve such a resolution, so it is important that such a resolution be acted on immediately. Find their contact info here: https://congresslookup.com/

You might also thank both senators as well as Representatives Bonamici and Blumenauer for their No votes on the National Defense Authorization Act, which funds the Department of Defense to the tune of $740.5 billion. Oregon was the only state besides MA where both our senators voted No.

https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/66929-trump-administration-pushes-forward-on-500-million-weapons-deal-with-saudi-arabia

Following the approval by the House of Representatives, the record breaking budget ($340.5 billion) went to the Senate. The Senate approved the National Defense Authorization Act - 2021 by a Yes vote of 84 - 13 No vote. Oregon was only one of two states where both of our US Senators voted No, joining Oregon House members Blumenauer and Bonomici, who also voted No. MA was the other state with both senators voting No.

Please contact both Sen Wyden and Merkley with your thank you for their support for trimming the annual war budget and voting no on the budget itself.

President Trump promised to veto the NDAA if it including provision for changed base names to rid us of names which honor confederate and civil war generals. The bill includes that provision.  But in  spite of his threat, such a veto is not expected.

The Senate vote on HR6395 is available here. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/116-2020/s264?utm_campaign=govtrack_email_update&utm_source=govtrack/email_update&utm_medium=email

What does this all buy America?  Read the DOD Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request:  https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2021/fy2021_Weapons.pdf for a detailed look at the weapons systems funded.

Perspective on the military budget by Mike Klare/Tom Dispatch:  Trump Pernicious Military Legacy: From the Forever Wars to the Cataclysmic Wars.

While Congress and the President have been trying to negotiate a COVID-19 relief package hopefully to benefit the American people, Congress has easily approved a $740.5 billion defense funding bill for 2021, which largely benefits the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex's private military contractors. Democrats and Republicans are again united as the American War Party. This bill was approved in an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 335 - 78 with more Democrats (195) than Republicans (140) voting in favor.

Only 37 House Democrats voted No. Included in the number were Oregon Representatives Blumenuaer, and Bonamici.