📢 With Freedom Comes Responsibility

🗽When seniors in wheelchairs are arrested for defending Medicaid, we must ask: what kind of country are we becoming? We call on all Americans to rise up and reject cruelty.

People Power United is a group of community members that champions progress and power for the people. In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry! If you wish to support our efforts, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Friends,

This week, I walked through the halls of Congress—not alone, but with your voices and stories in my heart. I went to demand power to the people. But what I witnessed shook me to my core.

Seniors, people in wheelchairs, and individuals with disabilities came to speak out—to save Medicaid, to defend our freedom to live with dignity. And what did our so-called leaders do? They arrested them. One man, who could only communicate through a voice assist device like Stephen Hawking's (see photo above), asked a question that haunts me:

"Why do you want to kill people who are disabled?"

That's what it's come to in America. We are criminalizing the most vulnerable for demanding the bare minimum: the right to survive.

I ask you to take a moment to look at the American flag below and reflect on the values we fight for at People Power United. We believe in a country that cares for all of us, not just the powerful. America is a work in progress. It is not perfect, but it is a promise of a better tomorrow for everyone.

This is the country that put a man on the moon. That stormed the beaches of Normandy to defeat fascism. That developed a vaccine to fight a global pandemic. We are scientists and teachers, caregivers and dreamers. We love our communities. We honor our elders. And we fight for our kids. We are stronger than our worst days—and we must now do the work to make our future better than our past.

With freedom comes responsibility—and that responsibility is on all of us to fight for what is right.

As we approach the 4th of July, I urge you to celebrate freedom and defend it. Because freedom is under attack. The One Big UGLY (not Beautiful) Bill Act is a direct assault on our communities, our dignity, and our shared future.

Let me be clear: Trump and MAGA Republicans are a clear and present danger.

This is not hyperbole. It's a warning backed by facts. When people show you who they are, believe them.

MAGA Republicans don't want to represent America—they want to rule it. And they want Donald Trump, a 34-count convicted felon, a sexual abuser, a defamer, a liar, a man who called our soldiers "suckers" and "losers," to lead us possibly into another war, economic hardship, and a future defined by hate and division.

They are pushing the One Big UGLY Bill that would:

• Add $155 billion to Trump's mass deportation machine, fueling ICE raids that terrorize immigrants, tear families apart, and expand detention camps.

• Slash $186 billion from SNAP, eliminating food assistance for 2.9 million people and destroying 140,000+ jobs in school cafeterias, farms, grocery stores, and food processing plants.

• Rip healthcare away from 16 million Americans, close 330+ rural hospitals, and eliminate 600,000 care jobs in a single year.

• Hike insurance premiums by $500/year for individuals and nearly $2,000/year for families with employer-based plans.

• Wipe out hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs—while raising energy costs for struggling families.

This is not a budget. It's a declaration of war on the poor, the elderly, the sick, the disabled, the working class, immigrants, veterans, and the planet itself. All so they can fund more billionaire tax breaks and Trump's authoritarian fantasies.

We've seen this before in history—and we've risen before. And we will again.

The movement is growing from the record-breaking NO KINGS Day marches to people power victories like Zohran Mamdani's win in NYC. People Power is rising. Now, it's our turn to take action.

Today’s Calls to Actions

1. 📞 Call your member of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and say:

   1. Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I'm a constituent from [YOUR CITY, STATE].

   2. I'm calling to urge [YOUR LAWMAKER'S NAME] to vote NO on the One Big UGLY, not Beautiful Bill Act. This bill is an all-out assault on working people, immigrants, children, veterans, and people with disabilities. I will remember how you vote.

2. 💻 Copy and paste the above message and send it to your Member of Congress now: 👉 actionnetwork.org/letters/send-a-message-to-your-member-of-congress

3. Click here to Denounce Islamophobic Attacks on Zohran Mamdani

4. Click here to Denounce Trump’s Military-Style LA Immigration Raids

5. Check out our Calls to Action page for more actions

6. Check out our Events page for ways to plug in

And if you're wondering what freedom looks like, it looks like this:

• If you believe in the right to a living wage and to be cared for in sickness, age, or disability—CALL NOW.

• If you believe in gun safety and a livable planet—CALL NOW.

• If you believe in reproductive freedom and the freedom to be who you are—CALL NOW.

• If you believe in the freedom to learn real history, believe in science, and speak your truth—CALL NOW.

• If you believe in safety from police and ICE abuse—CALL NOW.

• If you believe in freedom from endless war and healthcare for all—CALL NOW.

Because freedom means dignity, safety, and care for all of us—not just the privileged few.

Because with freedom comes responsibility. And that responsibility belongs to us—right here, right now.

Shout out to one of our members Debbie who shared this photo with our People Power United yard sign and her American Flag.

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Everyone deserves to vote and thrive,

Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)

Laurie advocating for Supreme Court accountability and democracy in front of the Supreme Court.

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People Power United is a group of community members that champions progress and power for the people. In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry! If you wish to support our efforts, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.