On Monday, Activists Nationwide to Deliver Giant, Poster-Sized Constitution to U.S. Senators, Urge Them to Vote Against Trump’s National Emergency
March 8, 2019
On Monday, Activists Nationwide to Deliver Giant, Poster-Sized Constitution to U.S. Senators, Urge Them to Vote Against Trump’s National Emergency
Activists From Alaska to Georgia Will Tell Senators That Trump’s Declaration Exceeded His Constitutional Authority
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Activists in dozens of cities throughout the country on Monday will deliver giant, poster-sized copies of the U.S. Constitution and petition signatures to the district office of their U.S. senators. The deliveries – all of which will be made at noon local time – are designed to send a message: The senators must vote to block President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump declared an emergency on Feb. 15 to obtain funding for a border wall that Congress refused to fund. The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan resolution to revoke the declaration, saying that Trump overstepped his authority under the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote next week on a similar measure.
In Washington, D.C., immigrant rights, pro-democracy and progressive groups on March 6 delivered more than three-quarters of a million petition signatures to key senators from Americans who oppose Trump’s declaration designed to manufacture an immigration crisis and misuse public funds to build a wall. The petitions say that Trump’s declaration is an abuse of power and that Trump exceeded his constitutional authority by issuing the declaration.
The effort is organized by Public Citizen, United We Dream, CREDO Action, The Immigration Hub, Movimiento Cosecha, America’s Voice, People For the American Way, Democracy for America, Win Without War, Detention Watch Network and Color of Change.
The groups also have generated nearly 70,000 calls to senators’ offices from concerned Americans. In addition to delivering the Constitutions, activists on Monday will deliver their state’s portion of the 760,000 signatures gathered opposing the emergency declaration.
Deliveries will be made in cities including Anchorage and Juneau, Alaska; Phoenix and Tolleson, Ariz.; Alamosa, and Aurora, Colo.; Palm Beach Gardens and Tampa, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; Des Moines, Iowa; Bowling Green, Ky.; Wilmington and Winston-Salem, N.C.; Allentown, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pa.; Austin and Dallas, Texas; and Cleveland, Ohio.
A complete listing of events is available at www.DefendTheConstitution.today.
“Americans across the political spectrum agree that Trump’s actions in trying to circumvent Congress are an unconstitutional power grab,” said Jonah Minkoff-Zern, co-director of Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People campaign. “We are reminding senators across the nation of the oath that they took to uphold the Constitution and demanding that they vote ‘yes’ on the resolution to terminate Trump’s fake emergency.”
Added Heidi Hess, co-director of CREDO, “Our most pressing national emergency is that a racist autocrat occupies the White House. Trump’s desperate attempt to pander to his base by trampling on the Constitution is a new, dangerous low. All senators with a conscience must immediately use their power to revoke Trump’s declaration and start rolling back the executive branch’s emergency powers. Those who don’t will show themselves as Trump lackeys who care more about protecting a Republican president than doing what is right.”