As one of my group chats blew up yesterday, I found myself focusing on what we can do, how we can mobilize ourselves — even at home with a sick kid.
Bottom line: Everyone in Illinois, and everywhere for that matter, should have the officials elected to represent them on speed dial these days. As a friend said in the chat, “Siri, Call Dick Durbin” — it’s really just that easy.
Scripts are coming out daily, from activists like Brittany Packnett Cunningham, nonprofits like Resilience, and even Hillary Clinton, so it makes it easy to follow and keep the pressure on.
When the world feels uncontrollable (because it is) there are a few pockets within our control — calling our local and statewide reps is one of those activities. And we should absolutely get used to it. Here is how to find the numbers:
- Call the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
- A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the House or Senate office you request based on your state or zip code.
You can also look up direct numbers here:
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
And here’s a list of the women representing Illinois in the 119th Congress.
Many of us took comfort yesterday in seeing Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker make clear that he has no intention of backing down to what the federal government is attempting to do.
“The United States Constitution clearly states that Congress has the power of the purse and sets laws to obligate federal funding for all 50 states,” Pritzker said. “What Donald Trump tried to do in the last 24 hours is illegal.”
We’re all going to get through this together.