Action Items

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https://padwow.org/government-officials

BACKGROUND

On February 28th, Trump partnered with Israel to launch “major combat operations” in Iran, drawing several other countries into armed conflict. Both chambers of Congress introduced resolutions to restrict Trump’s power over this illegal and unwanted “war of choice,” but both resolutions were voted down. The failed resolutions would have reaffirmed Congress’s sole authority to declare war as established in the Constitution. Trump blatantly ignored the Constitution when he unilaterally engaged our military without congressional authorization.

Many Republicans in Congress have argued that Trump has not violated the Constitution by declaring war. However, semantics aside, there have been deaths of US service members, deaths of hundreds by airstrikes in Iran and surrounding countries, the torpedoing of over twenty Iranian ships in international waters, and the use of new forms of AI warfare.

Trump has not given an end date for the war or provided a plan for moving forward, only ominously claiming he will “do whatever it takes.” Lawmakers anticipate that Trump will soon seek emergency funding - despite the $1 to $2 billion already being spent PER DAY in the face of countless domestic budget cuts hurting the American people.

Experts fear the ill-defined rationale for bombing Iran will lead to another “forever war.” Congress cannot allow Trump to start and exploit devastating geopolitical conflicts for his own benefit. 

ACTION 

Call your representatives and tell them to assert their constitutional authority over the unjustified and unnecessary war of choice.

See contact info at the bottom.

SCRIPT

Hi, my name is (NAME) and I’m a constituent from (LOCATION). I am calling to demand the Senator/Representative put an end to Trump's unconstitutional and unwanted war. I urge Senator/Representative to:

*introduce and vote on another war powers resolution to exert Congress’s constitutional authority over military conflict;

*conduct aggressive oversight with public hearings on the Trump administration's actions in Iran;

*refuse to pass any supplemental funding for this unauthorized military action; and

*support articles of impeachment and move to convict and remove Trump for his repeated defiance of the US Constitution.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Background 

President Trump's erratic policies and his assault on our democracy must be stopped. He has: eviscerated our numerous international cooperation agreements; destroyed our response to climate change; decimated our US public-health; damaged our response to pandemics; increased our economic inequality; kicked off a new arms race in space; promotes violence, hatred, and revenge; and has engaged in historic corruption.

(The message below can be used as is, modified, or you can create your own message on this topic. A message in your own words is the most effective.)

Script

Message to Members of Congress

President Trump continues his relentless assault on our constitutional government. He violates our separation of powers and our federalism. He started an unjustified and possibly unconstitutional war of choice with Iran and Venezuela. His anti-immigration policies are unconstitutional and illegal in its apprehension, detention and deportation procedures. He is attacking our freedom of speech, opinion, religion, assembly, equal treatment under the law and our basic human rights. I implore you to remove this lawless, chaotic, impulsive President before he does any more damage.

ACTION

Call your representatives and tell them to do their jobs!

Senator John Fetterman 202-22-4254

Senator Dave McCormick 202-224-6324

Representative Guy Reschenthaler 202-225-2065basic human rights. I implore you to remove this lawless, chaotic, impulsive President before he does any more damage.

Send To:

Senator David H McCormick, phone: 202-224-6324, 

https://www.mccormick.senate.gov>share-your-opinion, 

702 Hart Office Bld., Washington D.C. 20510

Senator John Fetterman, https://www.fetterman.senate.gov/contact, phone: 202-224-4254, 

142 Russell Senate Office Bld., Washington D.C. 20510

Representative Summer Lee, https://summerlee.house.gov/contact/ phone 202-225-2135, 

2437 Rayburn House Office Bld., Washington D.C. 20515

Representative Guy Reschenthaler, phone: 202-225-2065,

https://reschenthaler.house.gov/contact/email-me, 

2209 Rayburn House Office Bld., Washington D.C. 20515-3814

OR https://www.house.gov/representative/find-your-representative.

This is a very serious issue, especially for women!

Please take the time to take action!

BACKGROUND

This week, the Senate brought the SAVE Act to the floor. Debate could take days or even weeks, and so we need YOU to help flood the PA Senators’ offices with calls to make it clear that Pennsylvania voters oppose this anti-voter legislation.

Americans do not need MORE obstacles to vote. The SAVE Act would create one more barrier to the voting process, as many eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents.

Many communities of eligible voters would be unnecessarily burdened by the requirements of the SAVE Act. Among them are: 

• Military voters, who would be required to present documentation every time they re-register to vote when their family moves.
• Families who have been impacted by natural disasters and lost important documentation, who would be required to jump through hoops to replace these documents while also going through the traumatic process of rebuilding their lives.
• Married women and other Americans who have changed their names, who would also be required to secure updated documentation to register to vote.
• People of color. Compared to white US citizens, citizens of color are three times more likely to lack documents such as birth certificates, passports, naturalization certificates, or certificates of citizenship or face difficulties accessing them. For example, while approximately half of all American adults possess a passport, two-thirds of Black Americans do not. 

ACTION

As the Senate debates this bill, they are paying close attention to constituent opinions and your voice is needed at this crucial moment. Calling is the most effective way to make your voice heard and there is no limit to the number of times you can call. 

If you don’t get a live person, leave a message. If you’re unable to call, you can send a message via this link (you just need to fill in the blanks and hit “send.”)

If calling, here is a sample script:

Hello, my name is [NAME] and I’m from [CITY, ZIP CODE]. I am calling to ask [SENATOR NAME] to oppose and vote NO on the SAVE America Act, which would create unnecessary barriers to voter registration and disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. [Insert a story about how the SAVE America Act could affect you or your community.] As our elected representative, you should be protecting the right of millions of Pennsylvanians to vote, not restricting it. Our elections are already safe and secure. Please reject this anti-voter bill. 

If leaving a voicemail: Please leave your full street address including city and zip code to make sure your call is tallied. 

Senator John Fetterman: 202-224-4254

Senator Dave McCormick: 202-224-6324

Action Item Ice Detention Camps

BACKGROUND

Continuing its inhumane efforts to persecute immigrants, the Trump administration plans to buy and convert industrial warehouses into ICE detention camps. Over twenty sites across the nation - many of which are located near schools, hospitals, and places of worship - have been purchased or proposed for these camps, often without notifying or consulting local officials.

The proposed warehouses will detain as many as 9,500 people, causing even proponents of immigration enforcement to be concerned about how these facilities will operate and impact the infrastructure of surrounding communities. Even more concerning is the inhumane treatment the people interned in these industrial warehouses could face. Other ICE facilities have become synonymous with abuse, neglect, and unaccounted for disappearances. Families, lawyers and political officials have been denied access and oversight into what are being deemed “death camps,” and many fear that with the increase in detention capacity, immigrants are only the first of many targets of the administration.

ICE’s efforts to expand its facilities have been met with bipartisan opposition, and protests and pressure against the companies and landowners facilitating the sale of these warehouses have caused many to cancel their deals with the DHS. Even so, several sales are still pending.

ICE cannot be allowed to keep building lawless death camps. Demand your representatives stop ICE internment in Pennsylvania.

ACTION. Call Pennsylvania leadership.

Josh Shapiro Governor 717-787-2500

Kim Ward State Senator 724-600-7002

Guy Reschenthaler US Congress 202-225-2065

John Fetterman US Senator 202-224-4254

Dave McCormick US Senator 202-224-6324

PA House of Representatives information can be found at the link below.

SCRIPT

I am calling to express my concern about ICE’s plan to turn industrial warehouses into detention camps to further its inhumane imprisonment of our neighbors. These facilities are known for their abuse, neglect, and lack of oversight. There is no place for detention centers in Pennsylvania. Please speak out against ICE’s expansion and support regulations to prevent ICE from buying and building these camps in our state. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

BACKGROUND

This week, 272 members of Congress failed to meet the moment and save lives: 53 senators and 219 representatives, including Rep. Reschenthaler and Senators Fetterman and McCormick, chose complicity and more violence by rejecting a bipartisan war powers resolution to stop Trump’s illegal war on Iran — an unjustified war of choice that has killed over a thousand people, including six U.S. service members.

Their votes were out of touch with the overwhelmingly anti-war majority of people who reject another endless war and Congress’ lack of constitutional authority over war and peace. They deserve to hear from you now, before they cast another vote for more war.

ACTION

Call these three representatives and tell them that you reject their vote against the war powers resolution and demand they listen to their constituents by working to stop war on Iran before more lives are lost.

Suggested script: 

I am outraged and disappointed over your vote against a war powers resolution to stop a reckless, illegal, unjustified war that a majority of Americans reject. I expect my elected representatives to keep us out of new and costly useless wars, not rush into them, and I demand that you take immediate steps to stop war on Iran - including by refusing supplemental funding of this war.

Representative Reschenthaler

202-225-2065

Senator Fetterman

202-224-4254

Senator McCormick

202-224-6324

Subject: Advancing Equitable and Competitive Education Policy in Pennsylvania

Dear Senator/Representative [Last Name],

I am writing to urge meaningful action to address several systemic challenges within Pennsylvania’s education system that are impacting families, students, and the long-term economic competitiveness of our Commonwealth. 

Pennsylvania’s current education framework is not producing equitable or competitive outcomes, and the data is increasingly difficult to ignore.

First, Pennsylvania remains one of the most inequitable states in the nation when it comes to public school funding. Our heavy reliance on local property taxes has created a structural imbalance between wealthy and low-wealth districts. Students’ educational opportunities should not depend on their ZIP code. While recent adequacy formula adjustments are a step forward, the pace of reform does not match the urgency of the problem. 

Second, Pennsylvania students graduate from college with among the highest levels of student loan debt in the country, currently ranking third nationally. This places a disproportionate burden on young adults at the very moment they are attempting to enter the workforce, purchase homes, and contribute to local economies. We risk losing talent to neighboring states with stronger affordability structures. 

Third, Pennsylvania ranks approximately 30th in overall public education quality. In a state with world-class universities and a proud industrial and innovation history, this should be a wake-up call. We must align K-12 outcomes with workforce needs and future economic demands. 

Additionally, our investment in early childhood education lags significantly behind neighboring states. Pre-K funding remains far below border-state averages, with some states investing nearly four times as much per capita. Research consistently demonstrates that early childhood education yields some of the highest returns on public investment by reducing remediation costs, improving graduation rates, and strengthening long-term earnings. 

Finally, Pennsylvania’s community college system faces structural challenges in both affordability and student completion rates. In-state tuition levels and graduation outcomes rank poorly compared to peer states. Community colleges should be the backbone of workforce development, adult retraining, and accessible higher education, particularly in rural and working-class communities like your home district. 

These issues are not isolated. They are interconnected components of a larger competitiveness challenge. If Pennsylvania hopes to attract families, retain young professionals, and remain economically strong, we must modernize and rebalance our education investment strategy. 

I respectfully urge you to consider:

• Accelerating adequacy funding to reduce property tax disparities

• Expanding state support for public higher education to reduce student debt burdens

• Increasing Pre-K investment to regional parity levels

• Reforming and strengthening the community college funding model

• Aligning education funding more closely with workforce development priorities

I appreciate your service and your consideration of these issues. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how these reforms could positively impact communities across Westmoreland County and throughout the Commonwealth.

Please write or call the County Commissioners

Here's the topic:

Equitable Water Use Standards During Drought Conditions

Dear Westmoreland County Commissioners,

I am writing to raise a growing concern regarding water use equity during periods of drought and water stress in Westmoreland County.

Over the past several years, our region has experienced recurring seasonal drought conditions. During these times, residents and small businesses are routinely asked, and in some cases required, to reduce water consumption to preserve drinking water supplies. Our communities comply in good faith, understanding that conservation protects public health, firefighting capacity, and long-term water security. 

However, industrial water users are not consistently held to the same conservation expectations.

Of particular concern is hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations, which withdraw millions of gallons of freshwater from our regional drinking water sources. Unlike many other industrial users whose water is treated and returned to the watershed, fracking represents a consumptive use of water. Once injected underground, the water becomes highly contaminated and is permanently removed from the hydrologic cycle available to our communities. It does not recharge local aquifers or return to our reservoirs in a usable form. 

This creates a fundamental imbalance:

• Residential households are asked to restrict lawn watering and car washing.

• Municipalities are urged to conserve and delay maintenance activities.

• Yet large-scale industrial withdrawals may continue uninterrupted, even during declared drought conditions.

Water is a shared public resource. During times of water stress, conservation standards should apply equitably and proportionally across all users. 

I respectfully request that the County Commissioners:

1. Review current policies governing large-volume water withdrawals during drought conditions.

2. Evaluate whether additional safeguards or temporary withdrawal limitations should be triggered during declared drought watches or warnings. 

3. Advocate at the state level for reforms ensuring that consumptive industrial uses are subject to drought-stage conservation measures comparable to those imposed on residents. 

4. Consider transparency measures so communities can better understand industrial withdrawal volumes during periods of water stress. 

This issue is not about halting economic development. It is about ensuring responsible stewardship of a finite resource and protecting long-term water security for Westmoreland County residents. 

Thank you for your leadership and consideration of this matter. 

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue further.

Respectfully,

Send to County Commissioners 

Skertes@westmorelandcountypa.gov - Sean Kertes

Dchew@westmorelandcountypa.gov - Doug Chew

Tkopas@westmorelandcountypa.gov - Ted Kopas

Please write or call your representatives/senators now. 

Here's a script: 

Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is way behind our neighboring states. The bill is sitting in the state senate. 

Dear Senator 

I am writing as a resident of Westmoreland County to express my support for a responsible increase to Pennsylvania’s minimum wage and to encourage your leadership on this issue.

Westmoreland County reflects many of the economic pressures facing working families across the Commonwealth. While our cost of living is lower than in some urban areas, it has risen steadily in recent years; particularly for housing, utilities, food, childcare, and transportation. Many full-time workers earning the current minimum wage struggle to meet basic needs, even while holding multiple jobs. This is especially evident in retail, food service, healthcare support, and hospitality; sectors that are critical to our local economy.

At the same time, employers throughout Westmoreland County continue to face workforce shortages and high turnover. A modest, phased increase in the minimum wage would help stabilize the local labor force, reduce employee churn, and support small businesses by improving retention and productivity. Many local employers already pay above the state minimum simply to remain competitive, placing them at a disadvantage compared to neighboring states that have updated their wage standards.

Increasing the minimum wage would also strengthen our local economy. When workers earn more, they spend more locally: supporting Main Street businesses, generating local tax revenue, and reducing reliance on public assistance programs. For communities like ours that are focused on revitalization and economic resilience, this is an important consideration.

I respectfully urge you to support legislation that raises Pennsylvania’s minimum wage in a way that is thoughtful, predictable, and regionally informed. Westmoreland County’s workers and employers alike would benefit from a policy that reflects today’s economic realities rather than those of nearly two decades ago.

Thank you for your time, your service, and your continued attention to the needs of our region. I appreciate your consideration and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue further.

Sincerely,

Send to: 

Kim L. Ward

1075 South Main Street

Suite 116 Westmoreland Crossroads Plaza Greensburg, PA 15601

 (724) 600-7002  (724) 600-7008

kward@pasen.gov

https://senatorward.com/contact-me/

Joe Pittman

2400 Leechburg Rd. Suite 102 New Kensington, PA 15068

(724) 216-6165 https://senatorpittman.com/contact-me/. 

joe.pittman@pasenator41.com

Please write or call your representatives/senators now. 

Here's a script: 

Dear Representative/Senator

I am writing as a resident of Westmoreland County to share concerns about blighted and abandoned properties in our communities and to ask for your help in strengthening the tools available to address this issue.

Many of us live near properties that have been vacant or poorly maintained for years. These buildings often become eyesores, safety hazards, and magnets for illegal dumping or vandalism. They affect neighboring property values and make it harder for communities to attract new residents and businesses. For families who take pride in their homes and neighborhoods, it can be frustrating to see no clear path forward for properties that continue to decline. 

I understand that local governments do what they can through code enforcement and citations. However, those tools are often limited, especially when properties are owned by absentee landlords, tied up in estates, or severely tax delinquent. In many cases, the cost to repair a structure far exceeds its market value, leaving municipalities and neighbors stuck with the consequences. 

I respectfully ask you to support policies and funding that would help Westmoreland County communities address blight more effectively, including:

• Greater access to state funding for demolition, stabilization, and rehabilitation of blighted properties 
• Stronger enforcement options for repeat offenders and chronic absentee owners 
• Faster and clearer pathways to transfer abandoned or tax-delinquent properties to responsible ownership 
• Technical assistance for small municipalities that lack staff or legal resources to manage complex blight cases 

Blight is not just a local problem. Blight is a statewide, quality-of-life and economic issue. When neighborhoods are allowed to decline, the costs are shared by everyone through reduced tax revenue, increased public safety calls, and lost opportunities for reinvestment. When blight is addressed, communities become safer, more stable, and more attractive places to live.

Please call your senators now. Tell them: NO funding for ICE until it's disarmed & reformed. No time for despair. We have work to do. 

Background information

Here is this week’s ACTION ITEM. Again, we can use the app “5 Calls” as it is listed there. Please feel free to adapt to your own outrage.

The Department of Homeland Security is completely out of control under the cruel and callous lawlessness of Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem has empowered ICE and other federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security to operate in secrecy and with impunity and contempt for human life. 

It must end NOW. Kristi Noem must either RESIGN, be FIRED immediately — or face IMPEACHMENT! 

All people of conscience must speak out and DEMAND that Donald Trump FIRE Kristi Noem and hold DHS accountable for the insecurity and violence they have wrought in Minneapolis and in communities across America. Repeated lying to the public about the murder of Alex Pretti by ICE agents, Minority Leader Jeffries states that House Democrats will initiate impeachment proceedings for Noem if Trump does not fire her. 

Here's a script: 

Hi, my name is _________ and I'm a constituent from ___________.  

I’m calling to urge ___________________ to support the IMPEACHMENT of Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Dept. of Homeland Security. ICE’s abuses under her leadership and her continuous lies to the American people, are appalling, deadly, and a threat to everyone living in the United States. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.