March, 01 2020, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Thanu Yakupitiyage, thanu@350action.org, 413-687-5160; Monica Mohapatra, monica@350action.org
350 Action Endorses Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren for 2020 Presidential Election
WASHINGTON
350 Action is announcing today our formal endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren for President. Both have passed the 350 Action Climate Test and represent the significant political change that our country needs.
The following is a statement from 350 Action's Executive Director, May Boeve:
"We cannot afford to wait till 2030 or even 2024. We must demand bold action from political candidates now. Senators Sanders and Warren have in their careers and this contest raised the level of debate in favor of climate justice. This election takes place during a crucial inflection point for climate action. We need a President who will fight against the fossil fuel industry that is standing in the way of progress. From communities of color facing the deadly impacts of fracking in too many neighborhoods; First Nations communities standing strong in defending their water; and youth striking for a better future, we all deserve a President that understands the scale of this climate crisis.
"We endorse both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as they are historically significant and inspiring candidates in their own right and together have raised the bar for climate leadership.
"Bernie is a fighter for economic justice and has made it a cornerstone of his campaign, and has consistently stood side by side with the climate movement. Elizabeth Warren's model of strong feminist leadership deepens the political shift for the next generation - as someone who relentlessly speaks truth to power and wields her intellect against vested interests in our democracy. From holding the fossil fuel industry accountable, to challenging those making dirty money from the climate crisis, to making sure we keep all fossil fuels in the ground, we believe both Senators speak to the types of leadership we need in the climate decade."
The following is a statement from 350 Action's North America Director, Tamara Toles O' Laughlin:
"A livable future requires a total transformation of our economy and culture. The demand for the end of fossil fuels must ring out in the streets and in the contest for the highest office in order for us to have a meaningful impact in the climate decade. Our endorsement of both Senators recognizes that accountability is less about affiliation than about real solutions to the climate crisis.
"We demand Presidential leadership that plans to drastically reduce carbon emissions by more than half to meet critical climate goals. We support the vision to rapidly transition our energy sources by 2030, and in the process create millions of new jobs for workers in a renewable energy economy. Our vision calls for a political power shift that uplifts people power and puts us on the most ambitious path to climate justice for all.
"350 Action endorses both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who each passed our climate test and who we expect to stay accountable to these commitments. We will continue to look closely at their financial ties and adherence to the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge as we forge ahead to create a political atmosphere that supports the climate movement.
"The work to stop the climate crisis cannot be stripped from the conversation about racial justice. This systemic analysis must inform all of our work. Neither candidate is perfect, but they both stand head and shoulders above the rest of the present field. In our decision, we are lifting up people power, feminist leadership, and a broad and nuanced movement for justice that has influenced both candidates' platforms and adherence to the needs of those most impacted by systemic oppression and injustice.
"We expect that as the primaries continue we will stand firm to ensure a progressive climate champion is in the White House next year."
350 Action is the independent political action arm of the non-profit, non-partisan climate justice group 350.org.
LATEST NEWS
Republicans Set to Give Self-Described 'DOGE Person' Keys to Social Security Agency
"A vote for Trump's Social Security Commissioner is a vote to destroy Social Security," warned one advocacy group.
May 04, 2025
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday is set to hold a confirmation vote for President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Social Security Administration—an ultra-rich former Wall Street executive who has aligned himself with the Elon Musk-led slash-and-burn effort at agencies across the federal government.
"I am fundamentally a DOGE person," Frank Bisignano told CNBC in March, amplifying concerns that he would take his experience in the financial technology industry—where he was notorious for inflicting mass layoffs while raking in a huge compensation package—to SSA, which is already facing large-scale staffing cuts that threaten the delivery of benefits for millions of Americans.
In an email on Saturday, the progressive advocacy group Social Security Works warned that Bisignano "is not the cure to the DOGE-manufactured chaos at the Social Security Administration."
"In fact, he is part of it, and, if confirmed, would make it even worse," the group added. "We're not going down without a fight. Republicans may have a majority in the Senate, but we're going to rally to send a message: A vote for Trump's Social Security Commissioner is a vote to destroy Social Security!"
"If Mr. Bisignano can get away with lying before he's even in place as commissioner, who knows what else he'll be able to get away with once he's in office."
Bisignano, the CEO of payment processing giant Fiserv, has been accused during his confirmation process of lying under oath about his ties to DOGE, which has worked to seize control of Social Security data as part of a purported effort to root out "fraud" that advocates say is virtually nonexistent.
As The Washington Post reported in March, Bisignano testified to the Senate Finance Committee that "he has had no contact" with DOGE.
"But Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said the claim is 'not true,' citing an account the senator said he received from a senior Social Security official who recently left the agency," the Post noted. "The former official... described 'numerous contacts Mr. Bisignano made with the agency since his nomination,' including 'frequent' conversations with senior executives."
Wyden pointed again to the former SSA official's statement in a floor speech Thursday in opposition to Bisignano, saying that "according to the whistleblower, Mr. Bisignano personally appointed his Wall Street buddy, Michael Russo, to be the leader of DOGE's team at Social Security."
The Oregon Democrat said Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee refused his request for a bipartisan meeting with the whistleblower to evaluate their accusations unless "we agreed to hand over any information received from the whistleblower directly to the nominee and the Trump administration."
"All Americans should be concerned that a nominee for a position of public trust like commissioner of Social Security is accused of lying about his actions at the agency and that efforts to bring this important information to light are being thwarted," Wyden said Thursday. "If Mr. Bisignano can get away with lying before he's even in place as commissioner, who knows what else he'll be able to get away with once he's in office."
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A coalition of advocacy organizations on Saturday expressed support for Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and warned that the Trump border czar's threat against the Democratic leader marks a "dangerous escalation" of the administration's assault on the rule of law across the United States.
The groups—including All Voting Is Local and the ACLU of Wisconsin—said in a joint statement that Evers' guidance to state officials on how to handle being confronted by federal agents was "a prudent measure aimed at ensuring compliance with state and federal laws while protecting the rights of state employees."
The suggestion by Tom Homan, a leader of President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign, that Evers could be arrested for issuing such guidance undermines "the foundational principles of our democracy, including the separation of powers, the rule of law, and the right of state governments to operate without undue federal interference," the groups said Saturday.
"To threaten our governor over his legal directive is gross overreach by our federal government, and it is not occurring in a vacuum," they continued, warning that the administration's rhetoric and actions represent a "chilling attempt to normalize fascism."
"Similar occurrences are happening across the nation, including within our academic systems," the groups added. "If we do not reject these actions now, states and other institutions will only lose more and more of their autonomy and power. This is exactly why we underscore Gov. Evers' claim that this event is 'chilling.'"
The threats against Gov. Evers in Wisconsin undermine the foundational principles of our democracy: the separation of powers, the rule of law, and the right of state governments to operate without undue federal interference. We must reject this overreach. allvotingislocal.org/statements/w...
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— All Voting is Local (@allvotingislocal.bsky.social) May 3, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Trump administration officials and the president himself have repeatedly threatened state and local officials as the White House rushes ahead with its lawless mass deportation campaign, which has ensnared tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants and at least over a dozen U.S. citizens—including children.
In an executive order signed late last month, Trump accused "some state and local officials" of engaging in a "lawless insurrection" against the federal government by refusing to cooperate with the administration's deportation efforts.
But as Temple University law professor Jennifer Lee recently noted, localities "can legally decide not to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement."
"Cities, like states, have constitutional protections against being forced to administer or enforce federal programs," Lee wrote. "The Trump administration cannot force any state or local official to assist in enforcing federal immigration law."
Administration officials have also leveled threats against members of Congress, with Homan suggesting earlier this year that he would refer Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to the U.S. Justice Department for holding a webinar informing constituents of their rights.
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A letter that a group of 20 far-right House Republicans released earlier this week as part of a campaign in support of slashing Medicaid appears to have been authored by the head of a research institute with ties to the Koch network.
Politicoreported Friday that "digital metadata embedded in a PDF copy" of the letter that was circulated inside the House of Representatives "lists the author as Brian Blase, president of Paragon Health Institute."
InfluenceWatch notes that in 2021, Paragon received a nearly $2 million donation from Stand Together, "a right-libertarian funding organization that acts as the umbrella organization for the political network that is largely funded by right-leaning businessman and political donor Charles Koch."
Paragon recently urged federal policymakers to require states to conduct more frequent eligibility checks for Medicaid recipients in a purported effort to root out improper payments. Health policy advocates say such a change would make it more difficult for eligible enrollees to keep their Medicaid coverage.
The letter signed by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and other House Republicans aligns with Paragon's objectives, claiming that "political abuse" of Medicaid "is helping to bankrupt the federal government" and calling for "structural Medicaid reform" in the party's forthcoming reconciliation package.
Tony Carrk, executive director of the watchdog group Accountable.US, said in a statement that "you'd be hard pressed to find a more shameless example of congressional Republicans taking their cues from special interests at the cost of the American people than Chip Roy copying and pasting a letter directly from... special interests."
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The letter was released as congressional Republicans grappled internally with how and how much to cut Medicaid as they seek to offset the massive projected costs of another round of tax breaks for the rich.
Earlier this week, as Common Dreamsreported, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said he would not accept more than $500 billion in cuts to Medicaid over the next decade. Cuts of that magnitude would still be the largest in the program's history and would strip health coverage from tens of millions of people.
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