May 5, 2017
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Week 9: The Resistance is Growing
Dear Fellow DNC Member,
This week I rallied with Democrats in front of the U.S. Capitol just before House Republicans cast their shameful votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Ultimately, our efforts to stop them fell short, but our fight is far from finished.
The 24 million who could lose access to health care is not just a number—it represents fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and even newborn babies with heart diseases or cancers that are too costly to treat without affordable insurance. Worse still, the GOP plan would also decimate women’s health care in particular and defund Planned Parenthood. As the bill heads to the Senate, the DNC is firing on all cylinders, organizing Democrats and our allied groups to fight back. Regardless of whether or not Trump and the GOP succeed in repealing the ACA, they will face the consequences for their assault on our health care on Election Day.
On Democrats Live Wednesday night, DNC Deputy Chair Keith Ellison hosted Congressman Dan Kildee who represents Michigan’s 5th congressional district. They discussed the Flint water crisis, the Republican effort to roll back consumer protections and repeal the ACA, and how Democrats are fighting to help people who are still hurting in the aftermath of the financial crisis. You can watch their conversation here.
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Folks from across the country have been submitting tens of thousands of questions and hundreds of thousands are viewing the DNC’s live broadcasts. Follow Democrats Live on Facebook, or at live.democrats.org.
Today we kicked off our inaugural meeting of our Unity Reform Commission. The Commission was established at our convention last summer to review our presidential nominating process, make recommendations to increase participation and inclusion in our primary and caucus process, and encourage more voters to participate. Veteran strategist Jen O’Malley Dillon and labor leader Larry Cohen have graciously agreed to serve as our chair and vice chair. You can find out more information about the commission and share your feedback here.
One of the most effective ways we can bring more people under the big tent of our party is to make sure we’re always telling the story of what it means to be a Democrat. We need to take our message into communities we've neglected for too long—whether they're urban communities we've taken for granted or rural states we've written off. We can't just talk about how Trump and Republicans are moving us backwards. We also have to share our vision for how Democrats will move us forward.
As our Party grows and changes to better serve the people we represent, our resistance against Trump and the GOP is growing too. From the Women’s March on January 21st to last weekend’s Climate March and the surging opposition against ACA repeal, millions of Americans are standing up and fighting back against an administration that is anathema to the values we hold dear. That energy shows no signs of waning, and we’re working every day at the DNC keep it growing.
We all succeed only if we all succeed.
Best,
Tom
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Tom Perez
Chair
Democratic National Committee
April 28, 2017
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Trump's First 100 Days
Dear Fellow DNC Member,
Tomorrow marks the 100th day of the Trump administration, and it’s been nothing but chaos and carnage throughout. As a candidate, Donald Trump promised to improve the lives of millions of Americans. But in his first 100 days, he has broken promise after promise. Instead of fighting for families and draining the swamp, Trump has filled his administration with billionaires and Wall Street bankers and focused his agenda on ripping health care away from 24 million Americans. This week, Democrats led a daily drumbeat of action focused on the massive failures of this administration. And throughout the weekend, you’ll see resistance events across the country where the American people will stand up to Trump’s dangerous agenda. On Monday morning, we hosted a press call with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss our joint memo on President Trump’s first 100 days filled with broken promises and harmful decisions for working families. You can listen to the audio of the call here. On Wednesday morning, I was honored to share the stage with Rev. Al Sharpton, former Attorney General Eric Holder, and other civil rights leaders at the National Action Network’s annual convention – their first national gathering since Donald Trump took office. The theme of the conference was “Everything is at Stake,” and I spoke about some of the most important issues facing communities of color under this administration – from Trump’s cruel budget cuts to Jeff Sessions’ attack on voting rights and consent decrees. You can watch my remarks to NAN here.
On Democrats Live Wednesday night, DNC Deputy Chair Keith Ellison hosted Senator Chris Van Hollen and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to discuss how Democrats will organize, resist, and protect the environment in the wake of the first 100 days of the Trump administration. You can watch their discussion here.
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Folks from across the country are submitting tens of thousands of questions and hundreds of thousands are viewing the DNC’s live broadcasts. Follow Democrats Live on Facebook, or at live.democrats.org.
This evening, I’m headed down to Columbia, South Carolina to deliver keynote remarks at the South Carolina Democratic Party’s inaugural Blue Palmetto Dinner. The Blue Palmetto Dinner is SCDP’s new premier annual fundraiser, and I’m thrilled to have been invited by our new DNC Associate Chair and outgoing SCDP Chair Jaime Harrison. At the dinner, I’ll discuss the need to build a Democratic Party that works from the ground up, competes in every ZIP Code, and communicates our shared values of inclusion and economic opportunity to all Americans.
Our resistance continues to grow each and every day. From the Women’s March on January 21st to last weekend’s March for Science, millions of Americans are standing up and fighting back against an administration that is anathema to the values we hold dear. And that energy shows no signs of waning. Tomorrow, we’re expecting more demonstrations in Washington and across the country with the Climate March.
That’s the real story of this presidency so far. Because the resolve and resistance of the American people has already accomplished more in 100 days than Donald Trump will accomplish in his entire first term.
I’m heartened to see so many Democrats get involved and fight back. Remember: We all succeed only if we all succeed.
Tom
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Tom Perez
Chair
Democratic National Committee
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April 10, 2017
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Week 6: Transition and Travels
Dear DNC Member,
It’s been another busy week here at the DNC. On Monday we held our second officers’ retreat to continue fleshing out our formal plans for the new structure and shape of the DNC. This has been a collaborative process, and everyone you helped elect at the end of February has had a seat at the table and a voice in this process.
I’m not afraid to say that I’ve never had an original idea in my life, but I’m a good listener. One of the things I’ve heard over and over again is that the DNC has long underutilized our officers as a resource for getting our Party’s message out to the people. So we’re working on an ambitious plan get our officers engaged with Democrats around the country through the summer and beyond.
On Wednesday I met with members of our transition advisory committee who held a day-long session to compile and organize all the recommendations we’ve gotten for the future of the party. Our restructuring is still a work in progress, but it’s a work in considerable progress. We’ve announced some of the changes we’ve already made to our communications team, and you can anticipate more formal announcements about the structural changes we’re planning for the DNC soon.
I’m also working to stand up our Unity Reform Commission and wanted to make sure you were updated on those efforts. My goal has always been to have these appointments finalized and announced as quickly as possible and within the 60-day period provided in the resolution establishing the Commission. We are on schedule and will be sure to update you when that announcement is made. I expect that the Commission will begin their important work right away to make recommendations for building a more open and inclusive Democratic Party.
This week on Democrats Live, Deputy DNC Chair Keith Ellison was joined by Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America and DNC Vice Chair Rep. Grace Meng. They spent the evening talking about what’s at stake with Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, the GOP’s efforts to roll back health care, and how the Republican agenda only hurts working woman and families.
Follow Democrats Live on Facebook, or at live.democrats.org.
On Thursday, I joined Governor Gina Raimondo to listen to Democrats in Rhode Island and support her efforts to make education and job training more affordable and accessible. Her Rhode Island Promise Scholarship program is an investment that’s going to pay a lifetime return, and it’s exactly the kind of progressive leadership we need across the country if we want to compete in the 21st century.
Looking ahead, I’m proud to announce that I’ll be joined by Bernie Sanders for our cross-country tour to elect Democrats. Beginning with a rally in Maine on April 17th, we’ll be making stops in Kentucky, Florida, Arizona, Nevada and more. You can sign up for more information here.
We all succeed only if we all succeed.
Best,
Tom
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Tom Perez
Chair
Democratic National Committee |
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