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.

Oregon Progressive Party urges you to vote for Sarah Iannarone for City of Portland Mayor. 

This is her most recent email to supporters:

Over the weekend, the Oregonian reported that during the last three years, Portland Police have made a majority of their arrest of houseless individuals. Further, they demonstrated that housing is the key to preventing their being arrested again. The team and I are shocked at this waste - this morning, I sent an open letter to Mayor Wheeler making concrete demands on how to address this problem. I sent the letter to all of Council and community leaders, because the people of Portland deserve transparency on where these solutions originate.

The letter pushes to reallocate wasted money to housing, to authorize purchasing hotels as emergency shelters for the houseless, and to stop prosecuting victimless crimes that the houseless can't avoid. Read the letter here.

It concludes: "The solutions detailed here are actionable and the need for them urgent. As back in March when I suggested the City push for a community coronavirus response weeks prior to implementation, Portland needs timely leadership that’s rarely forthcoming from your office. You recently mocked my campaign for proposing a Guaranteed Basic Income pilot program for low income Black mothers, only to announce a new partnership days later to provide gift cards to low income people. You slander me as 'antifa,' and deny there are people identifying as fascists in Portland the same week a neo-Nazi plastered my Foster-area neighborhood with recruitment stickers and awful slurs against Jewish people. Portland is not well served by your refusal to see the real problems in our midst, nor in your rejection of progressive solutions. You have appropriated my policies many times. I implore you to listen to me when I give you a blueprint to addressing issues at the intersection of policing, housing, and houselessness."

As Mayor, I'll stop the waste of our resources on failed tactics that harass the unhoused. While Wheeler is busy fighting for the right to buy elections, we're fighting for the rights of the vulnerable, and to invest in the supports they need to thrive.

Onward,

Sarah Iannarone
Candidate for Portland Mayor

Now that you’ve already voted, congratulations! But of course our votes now are not going to fix everything we want to change, so we press on! 

Oregon allies have filed a ballot for 2022 that we think you would like: the Oregon People’s Rebate (www.opr2022.org).  And the Oregon Progressive Party is supporting this initiative.

What will the Oregon People's Rebate do?

In short, the Oregon People's Rebate will do two things:

1. Rebate about $750 to every Oregonian, every year. “Oregonian” is defined as universally as possible (including minors, dependents, people who are unemployed, unhoused, incarcerated, undocumented, etc.). The only requirement is being in Oregon for more than 200 days of the previous year.

2. The revenue for the rebates comes from increasing the minimum corporate tax *after* $25 million to 3%, currently it is less than 1%.

Could you use $750? 

The Oregon People’s Rebate is people-powered, non-partisan, and explicitly running a state-wide campaign.

Currently, the campaign is in the “sponsorship” phase so they only have to collect 1,000 signatures from across the state. There are country-specific signature goals, so this is very doable!

You can help make the Oregon People’s Rebate happen by: 

1. Request a signature sheet by mail (https://opr2022.org/en/sign/#request-signature-sheet) for yourself and those you quarantine with, fill it in, and return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope as soon as possible.

2. Reach out to your other Oregon friends and invite them to do the same. 

   • Register for an informational and training online meeting on Saturday, 10/24, 10:00-11:00AM. (https://meet.google.com/ocs-igkc-xzj) 

Now that you’ve already voted, let’s get going on 2022 with the Oregon People’s Rebate! 

We look forward to seeing you at the informational and training online meeting and helping get the Oregon People’s Rebate on the ballot for 2022!

The Oregon Progressive Party will conduct its final nominating convention for the 2020 election on Monday, August 24, 7:00 pm via Zoom.  If problems, call 503-502-8973 or 202-465-2764.

The state Council of the Oregon Progressive Party has endorsed Chris Smith in his race to Metro Council Position #5. While the limits on campaign contributions enacted by both the voters of Portland and Multnomah County do not apply to Metro races, he has of his own accord decided not to accept any donations over $500. That is as opposed to his opponent, who is accepted contributions over $1000. He supports the creation of municipal public banks, and municipal public broadband fiber optics networks.  He has worked as an advocate for public transit systems, including the Portland City Car system and has been active in the opposition to the widening of the I-5 freeway in the Rose Quarter area. We recommend that Chris be elevated to Position 5 on the Metro Council.
Learn more about Chris on his website.

The Oregon Progressive Party has endorsed Dan Ryan in his race with Lorette Smith for Portland City Council #2, which became empty with the death of City Commissioner Nick Fish.  Learn more about Dan on his website here. 

OR Progressive Party has nominated these candidates for the November 2020 ballot:

Oregon Progressive Party supports the People, Not Politicians Oregon coalition, promoting voter passage of Initiative Petition #57, which would replace the Oregon system of how the state draws political boundaries every 10 years following the US Census. The current system requires the state legislature to draw those boundaries, thereby putting those elected officials in charge of drawing their own district boundaries. And because only legislators do this work, only Democrats and Republicans are involved, leaving members of other political parties and non-affiliated voters unrepresented in the process. That is not how democracy should work.

Portland resident Ronald Buel today filed a formal complaint with the Multnomah County Director of Elections against the campaign of Lori Stegmann for County Commissioner (District 4).

The complaint details $9,152 in contributions received by the Lori Stegmann campaign, which the complaint identifies as exceeding the limits placed into the Multnomah County Charter by Measure 26-184. For violations of that magnitude, the maximum penalty provided by Measure 26-184 would be approximately $183,000.

In November 2016, Measure 26-184 was adopted citywide with a 89% "yes" vote.  It was placed on the ballot by the Multnomah County Charter Review Committee, at the urging of Honest Elections Multnomah County, Portland Forward, and other organizations.

The complaint charges that Lori Stegmann's campaign has accepted 11 donations from corporations and other business entities.  Measure 26-184 prohibits such contributions.  The complaint also lists 5 contributions from individuals that exceed the limit of $500 per individual and one contribution from a political committee that exceeds the applicable $500 limit.

No court has enjoined Measure 26-184, which has been in effect since September 1, 2017.

Mr. Buel's complaint requests that the Director of Elections apply the penalties against the Lori Stegmann campaign specified in the County Charter of "not less than two nor more than 20 times" any unlawful contribution.

The complaint is available here:
http://bit.ly/he-mult. Click on the "enforcement" folder.

For more information:
 

The Senate is scheduled to vote on the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, following its approval by the House a couple days ago.

We need to call Sen Merkley and Sen Wyden office and urge that they vote NO. The House bill originally included amendments which would have put some brakes on endless war, the American assisted Saudi War on Yemen, required preauthorization of war against Iran, Venezuela and more. All those provisions got stripped out of the Conference bill which is now being voted in the Senate. Additionally, this budget increases the war budget over all prior budgets, calling for spending $738 billion. "Defense" budget should be decreased by 10% per year, not increased.

Please call Sen Merkley and Sen Wyden, called for them to vote NO!

This script has been provided by Win Without War.:

I'm a constituent from Oregon and I'm calling to urge the Senator to vote NO on the fiscal year 2020 NDAA, on the floor tomorrow. The Senate cannot authorize $738 billion in Pentagon funding with almost nothing to constrain the Trump administration’s erratic and reckless foreign policy! This year can no longer be business as usual.

Thank you!
And here are phone numbers for the two Senators
Sen. Ron Wyden (202) 224-5244
Sen. Jeff Merkley (202) 224-3753

Sanders' & Jayapal's Medicare for All, a public option - what's what? Learn the difference & increase the effectivness of your advocacy!

Monday, October 14, 5:00-6:30 zoom (internet) meeting

Are you interested in learning more about Sen. Bernie Sanders' and Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All bills? Are you interested in learning why single payer advocates do not think that a public option is a step towards an equitable, affordable, universal system?

This month's HCAO-Action National Strategy Committee meeting will be a Zoom meeting with slides, instead of our regular conference call. All are welcome. Committee chair Debby Schwartz and Dr. Mike Huntington will provide a presentation and lead the discussion. This is a great way to achieve greater understanding of the Medicare for All bills and the pitfalls in the alternatives. This presentation will be useful in your single payer advocacy.

This Zoom call will take place Monday, October 14th, 5:00-630. We look forward to seeing you then.

You can register here. You can reply to this email to indicate interest without registering.

If you have any questions, contact Debby Schwartz at debbyschwartz@hcao-action. org

JOIN THE OREGON PROGRESSIVE PARTY

FULL MOBILIZATION!
"No U.S. War in Iran or Venezuela: Sanctions Kill People Too!"

March/Rally
*Sunday, July 28, 2019*
1:00 PM
Waterfront Park / Salmon