ACTION ALERT: National Call-in Day for HR-2419 on Friday, November 1

DC’s Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on April 27, 2015, shortly after introducing the “Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act.”

By Ellen Thomas
Co-chair, Disarm/End Wars

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section, is announcing a National Call-in Day to promote the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, on Friday, November 1, while our US Congress members are back in their local district offices.

On this important day, please take just 5 minutes to call your Representative’s District Office and say, please co-sponsor HR-2419! Even better, ask for a face-to-face meeting with your representative so you can explain in person why HR-2419 is so important for the future of your community, and for the world!
 
HR-2419 is the “Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act,” introduced 14 times so far by DC’s Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. It not only supports the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, it also earmarks the trillions of dollars that will be saved for transformation of the arms industries to providing carbon-free, nuclear-free energy, and for other human needs such as health care, housing, education, and environmental restoration. HR-2419 could provide the funding for the Green New Deal!

Photo: Eleanor Holmes Norton introducing HR-2419 on April 30, 2019, with Beatrice Fihn of ICAN.

So far Representatives Jim McGovern (MA) and Ilhan Omar (MN) have co-sponsored HR-2419 in 2019. Mr. McGovern has also introduced a House Resolution “embracing the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” If your Representative balks at co-sponsoring HR-2419, please ask that s/he at the very least co-sponsor H.Res 302, which isn’t binding, as HR-2419 would be, but it does give your Representative an opportunity to show support for the UN ban treaty.

Other Representatives who have co-sponsored Norton’s bill during past sessions and are still in the US Congress are Raul Grijalva of Tucson, Lacy Clay of St. Louis, Steve Cohen of Memphis, Sheila Jackson-Lee of Houston, John Lewis of Atlanta, and Jan Schakowsky of Chicago, all in the House Progressive Caucus.

Congresswoman Norton has asked us to particularly focus on members of the House Progressive Caucus, who are the most likely to co-sponsor.

Please let us know that you have called your representative on the WILPF Congressional call-in day, November 1st, 2019! Please keep calling until you get results! If you don’t get results, ask for a meeting! And keep us informed!

Congressional Committee Lists and Suggested Scripts

Click here for lists of relevant committees and caucus members (pdf format)

SUGGESTED SCRIPT – 1 (For those who have not co-sponsored)

Hi, my name is ____, calling from ____(city/town)____.   I’m calling to urge Representative _____ to co-sponsor HR-2419,  the “Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act,” which supports the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and earmarks the billions of nuclear weapons dollars saved per year for converting the arms industries to produce carbon-free, nuclear-free energy systems, and to provide for other human needs such as health care, education, and environmental restoration ... the funding for the Green New Deal!  

SUGGESTED SCRIPT – 2 (For those who have already co-sponsored in the past (Raul Grijalva (Tucson, AZ) , Lacy Clay (St. Louis, MO), Steve Cohen (Memphis, TN),  Sheila Jackson-Lee (Houston, TX), John Lewis (Atlanta, GA), Jan Schakowsky (Chicago, IL), all in the House Progressive Caucus)

Hi, my name is ____, calling from ____(city/town)____.  I want to thank Representative _________ for co-sponsoring Eleanor Holmes Norton’s “Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act” in the past, and to urge co-sponsorship of this session’s version, HR-2419, which has been updated to support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and earmarks the billions of nuclear weapons dollars saved per year for converting the arms industries to produce carbon-free, nuclear-free energy systems, and to provide for other human needs such as health care, education, and environmental restoration ... the funding for the Green New Deal!  I’m calling to seek a face-to-face appointment with Representative ____ either here, with me, as soon as possible, or in Washington, DC during the week of  November 12 to 15, with my colleagues in Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom, who plan to be in DC that week.  We want to go over the improvements to the bill (Get the names of the legislative director and the scheduler in DC, and send the information, and what they said, to et@prop1.org, please!)

SUGGESTED SCRIPT – 3 (For those whose Representative is a Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs or Armed Services Committees (listed in pdf of committees, with notes in red if they have co-sponsored in the past or this session)

Hi, my name is ____, calling from ____(city/town)____.   I’m calling to urge Representative _____ to co-sponsor HR-2419,  the “Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act,” which supports the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and earmarks the billions of nuclear weapons dollars saved per year for converting the arms industries to produce carbon-free, nuclear-free energy systems, and to provide for other human needs such as health care, education, and environmental restoration ... the funding for the Green New Deal!  This legislation has been introduced 14 times by Eleanor Holmes Norton, each time referred to the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, where it has remained, with no action.  It’s past time to bring this wonderful idea to the entire House of Representatives, and I urge Representative ____ not only to co-sponsor HR-2419, but also to help get it out of the _____ Committee for debate and vote.