Target: Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House
Goal: End Congressional recess and return to finish urgent business on behalf of the people.
Thousands of workers have been fired. Many more are going without pay or will soon be working without pay, including military troops. Critical issues such as the expiration of healthcare subsidies and Medicaid cuts that could skyrocket costs for millions of Americans are in limbo. Major services have been halted. And where are the representatives of the House of the People during this challenging time? Sitting home and taking another paid vacation, at the behest of their speaker.
For a third consecutive week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has declined to call America’s representatives back into session. The speaker argues the House of Representatives has “done our job,” but even his own colleagues disagree. One Republican colleague said of the speaker’s reasoning, “What the House has done is pass a 7-week Continuing Resolution. The entire reason a CR is necessary is that Congress has not done its job in passing a timely budget.”
Another Republican colleague, who wants Congress reconvened to pass an emergency resolution to provide military members their pay, has also decried the move. Even controversial Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has broken with her party on the shutdown and called for Congress to compromise on health insurance. As she stated, “I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year.” Speaker Johnson has also garnered criticism for refusing to convene and swear in a new Democratic member of Congress, who coincidentally would potentially be the final vote needed to address the release of the infamous Epstein files (Speaker Johnson, along with many of his colleagues and the president, opposes the release of these files).
Sign the petition below to demand the speaker reconvene Congress so elected representatives can do their jobs on behalf of the American people.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Johnson,
Unlike members of Congress who are taking a taxpayer-funded vacation, countless Americans are currently working without pay or not working at all because of elected representatives’ inability to do their jobs. And as long as the continuing resolutions endlessly loop on repeat, you have not in fact done your job. While the government is on fire, you have elected not to stand up, roll up your sleeves, and find common ground on behalf of the people.
Instead, you have chosen to point fingers and go into hiding – as very few of your colleagues make themselves available to their own constituents for town halls. Stop worrying more about messaging (as polls consistently demonstrate that both parties share blame for the shutdown) and start doing the hard work of compromising and governing. Call the House of the People back into session immediately.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Office of Speaker Mike Johnson
