Welcome to another edition of Red State Scripts, a(n) (aspirationally) weekly resource for U.S. folks living in geographies represented by pro-Trump elected officials but who nevertheless feel inclined to have a bit (or a big) of a holler. These scripts aren’t meant to change any assholes’ minds — though it’d be nice, surely! — but are instead about finding a way to voice opposition, build community, and articulate grievances. Use 5Calls to find your reps, and give them a piece of your mind.
I’ll keep this quick, because the dumpsterfire is extra dumpsterfiring on every front right now: the U.S. House just passed Trump’s horrific ~ domestic policy package ~ and it’s time to get the fuck on the phone while this shitshow tap-dances its way to the Senate. Here’s a rundown via NBC:
Dubbed by Trump as the “big, beautiful bill,” the legislation extends the president’s expiring tax cuts passed in 2017 and contains an infusion of money to expand the military and carry out his mass deportation plans. It also fulfills two of Trump’s campaign promises: eliminating taxes on tips and overtime work.
The bill also slashes spending in other areas, including hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), while rescinding a series of clean energy tax credits passed by Democrats in 2022. And it raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.
But that’s only the tip of the terrible iceberg. As it stands now, this bill would award unprecedented funding to ICE, ban gender-affirming care for trans folks who are insured through Medicaid and ACA plans, and decimate an essential training system for new physicians. I cannot stress this enough: this bill is deadly, and it is all in the service of making the richest people richer at the expense of the rest of us. (Edited to add: Jezebel’s summary of some of the worst parts of this bill is very good.)
I’m not gonna let Cruz and Cornyn think their constituents aren’t opposed to this. The GOP is counting on our complacency, and I won’t concede to it.
As ever: use the 5Calls database and to give the what-for to your red-state reps.
Here’s what I’m saying to Cruz and Cornyn in Texas:
I’m [my name] and I live in zip code [mine].
Senator, I’m calling to tell you—I’m not asking—to vote down Trump’s domestic policy package in the Senate. The House version passed by a razor-thin margin, which should tell you the obvious: this package is dangerous, deadly, and unpopular even with the constituents who you believe agree with you. This bill will result in over 34,000 additional deaths every year, decimate essential health insurance coverage for tens of millions of Americans, and further enrich people who should be paying more, not less, back into the system. Trump is running an outright scam on your constituents, and you have a moral obligation to stop him.
The usual boilerplate: I try to post new Red State Scripts every week, depending on the news cycle and my own capacity (which has been low lately). If you have a script suggestion, leave it in the comments for others to use, and if you’re looking for an issue to comment on, let me know. And especially if you work for a state, local, or grassroots org producing such content for constituents, holler at me and I’ll share it, happily, with edits and adaptations made for diverse geographies — I’m grimesandrea@proton.me by email. (And if you have a script in mind and want to share it with the world, tag me on Bluesky or post it in the comments!)
As ever: Let’s holler into the void alone, together.
PS: I’ll be crafting and crowing about the state of the world with my fellow Flytrap co-founders tonight on our quarterly exclusive hang for Residents of the Bog subscribers. Join us!
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