#5calls

if you have phone anxiety, it's okay - most of the numbers are going to reach a voicemail box and not a person, and if you want to be 100% sure, call after hours.

but do call, please. we NEED to tell the senate to defund ICE

put in your location, select the issue you're concerned about, and the site will give you a phone number and a script. introduce yourself (give your address just in case if leaving a voicemail!), and read the script, then hang up.

If you get nervous on the phone, wait until it’s after hours (usually 5pm) and leave a message! (Depending on your time zone if you call their DC office before your 5pm theirs may have already passed too.)

If this is your first time hearing about these bills, I ask that you read the page on it at least. This package has stuff in it will hurt your privacy online and frankly offline too, and it will do nothing for child safety either. It will isolate children in dangerous situations further.

https://5calls.org/issue/kids-online-safety-act-kosa/

Look no further than 5calls.

This site has been so invaluable for me. Here are all the things it does for you:

Find all your government reps based on your location

Gives you contact information for said reps

Gives you scripts for a number of issues which include the problem as well as solutions for said problems

Reminds you to include your name and zip code so your voice can be properly tallied

The issues list grows as needed and includes topics such as:

Transgender rights

Mass deportations

Abortion rights

Gun safety

Fighting against Elon Musk's takeover

Protecting the Department of Education

I get it. I fucking hate talking on the phone. I get flustered and my face gets all hot and red and I feel like I start rambling. But this shit is important. The least I can do is make a few damn phone calls and leave a few winded voicemails.

Below, I have provided the 5 Calls script with mild alterations to make it more suitable as an email template

Find your congresspeople

Script/Template:

[If calling] Hello, my name is [blank] and I am a constituent calling from [address]. [If you want to hear back from their office, you may also provide your email address. Not all offices will email you back]

I'm reaching out to urge [Senator blank] to oppose the House-passed SAVE America Act, which would create unnecessary barriers to voter registration and disenfranchise countless voters, especially women, seniors, and low-income citizens. The bill is designed to block voters despite no evidence of widespread fraud.

[If calling] Thank you for your time and consideration. Have a good day.

End script.

They make it as easy as possible for you, providing contact information and scripts for what you can say about the issues that concern you.

Hey, yes, I know you are all being inundated by messages about contacting your representatives to flood them with demands to not let the United States and our rights be stripped away.

Trust me, I am ANXIOUS. Just looking at the news gives me heart palpitations and makes my depression spiral these days.

But here are some easy ways you can contact your reps relatively painlessly and feel like you are helping and doing your duty.

I first recommend 5Calls. It is an easy, free to use app that gives you who your reps are, the current issues, and a CALL SCRIPT. That's super helpful and important.

Do you hate calling people like me, a super anxious millennial?

I would still get 5Calls but THEN, do this:

Take the script and type it into the Email Me/Message section of your Congressmen's Contact options.

All House Representatives and Senators have options where you can message them online. While calls/voicemails are quickest and most effective, there are staff who are REQUIRED to check these messages and record constituent responses. Always ALWAYS check any box that says you want a response back, it forces them to look at your message and accurately record your concerns.

5Calls tells you who your congressmen are, BUT if you need to find your congressmen's official website and contact details, go here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Simply enter your address, click enter, their info will be pulled up including the phone numbers for their local offices where you live and if you press 'Contact' you'll be led to the pages where you can message them.

"The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to dismantle most of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a $368 million network of more than 900 instruments that has collected crucial data on ocean temperatures, currents, marine ecosystems, and other conditions that influence weather, fisheries, and the global climate since 2016.

Because many environmental changes unfold over decades, Congress authorized and funded the OOI as a long-term scientific project, with the expectation that it would operate for 30 years. Scientists say that dismantling much of this deep-sea infrastructure after only 10 years not only undermines critical research but also diminishes our nation’s standing as a global leader in science.

The decision also comes amid a broader effort to reduce federal funding for scientific research. The White House has already proposed cutting more than half of the National Science Foundation’s budget, raising concerns that long-term climate and environmental monitoring programs are being systematically targeted.

The OOI was funded because understanding our oceans is vital to the nation’s economy, public safety, and scientific leadership. Congress should exercise their oversight authority to ensure that congressionally funded ocean monitoring programs remain operational."