Take Action: Urge your House Members to End the Shutdown and Protect Vulnerable People & Families
The government shutdown continues into its second week and reports are starting to document the harmful impact the shutdown and sequester have had on hungry people and other vulnerable populations. As the shutdown continues, impacts on SNAP, WIC and other federal nutrition programs will worsen. We need to tell Congress that this situation is completely unacceptable.
Three Ways to Take Action
1) Participate in National Call-In Days (Now through Friday, 10/11)
Join in nationwide Call-In Days: Wednesday-Friday, October 9-11, to urge your House Member to pass “a clean and comprehensive” Continuing Resolution (CR) for FY2014. The piecemeal approach of passing funding bills one program at a time is not an acceptable way to fund the federal government. Annually funded nutrition programs like WIC, CSFP, and TEFAP must be funded along with all other government programs that provide a safety net for all people – especially low-income people.
Message: As your constituent, I urge you to act NOW to end the government shutdown and prevent the economic catastrophe of a government default, without conditions. Please encourage the House leadership to pass a clean and comprehensive CR to provide funding for all program services that families count on including SNAP, WIC, and other federal nutrition programs and other basic services.
Call-In Number: 1-888-659-9562*
*Special thanks to AFSCME for making this toll-free number available.
How does the government shutdown affect your ability to get through to your Member? We’ve been making lots of calls and we we’ve gotten through most of the time. If you get voicemail – please leave a message.
2) Use the NWA portal to email your member of Congress! The message is all there, simply type in your home address and it will go to your Representative.
3) Participate using Social Media/ or go old school and collect paper plates telling client stories about the impact from this Federal Shutdown and mail those to your Congressman.
FRAC is hosting a National #JustVote Twitter Storm (Thursday, 10/10, 11-11:30am)
Join a national “Twitter Storm” Thursday to rally together through social media to urge Congress to #JustVote on a clean and comprehensive CR to end the shutdown and provide funding to all programs, including food and nutrition programs.
Share stories, resources, and messages that highlight the impact of the shutdown and how it is affecting your community now – and in the near term – and why the government shutdown must end.
Sample Tweets:
MOCs low-income families need you to #JustVote to end #shutdown so they won’t lose access to #WIC & other safety net programs
#SNAPworks now, but if #shutdown continues it will have a HUGE impact on low-income families. #Justvote!
States are already beginning to cut #WIC & #headstart – continuing #shutdown will just harm families more #justvote
47M Americans rely on #SNAPworks, if #shutdown continues how will families eat in Nov?
If #shutdown conts until Nov many progs will suffer: #WIC, #SNAPworks, child nutrition & school meals, CSFP & others #justvote
Families are already facing #hungercliff, gov #shutdown will make it worse. #justvote to help protect families. thndr.it/18VVVQA
#justvote now 2 end #shutdown endorse hungercliff.org/act-now/