August 4th Calls to Action
Military families mobilizing for democracy and accountability
As August begins, many of us are preparing for back-to-school season and new routines. It’s a good time to reflect on the freedoms that shape our daily lives: the right to learn, read, speak out, vote, and live freely.
As military families know well, these freedoms don’t endure on their own. They require solidarity and a willingness to act. Especially for military families who embody service, sacrifice, and civic responsibility firsthand, this moment calls us to continue speaking up and pushing for a democracy that is accountable to its citizens.
Let’s move into August with purpose. Here are this week’s calls to action for military families:
Speak out against domestic mobilization of the military for law enforcement
A leaked memo authored by Secretary Hegseth’s brother reveals proposals to increase Pentagon involvement in immigration operations beyond the border, asserting that L.A.-style operations may be needed “for years to come.”
This proposed escalation deepens the troubling trend of the Defense Department assuming law enforcement functions. As explained in the New Republic article on the leaked plan, “The memo is alarming, because it speaks to the intent to use the military within the United States at a level not seen since Japanese internment.”
What can you do?
If you are concerned about the toll of repeated activations, particularly those driven by political motivation, and the blending of military roles with domestic law enforcement, now is the time to raise your voice. Military family voices, grounded in lived experience and love of country, are uniquely powerful. Reach out to your elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels to demand safeguards that protect both military families and democratic norms.
Join and support military-connected advocacy groups working to ensure that the military is deployed responsibly and only when truly necessary.
Support the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act
This bipartisan legislation would eliminate TRICARE premiums for dependents under 26, aligning military family coverage with civilian standards under the Affordable Care Act.
Members of Congress from both parties are are leading the effort to pass this important change, which is estimated to save families up to $8,700/year per eligible dependent if implement.
What can you do?
Contact your members of Congress to share how this change creates a level playing field for military families and ask them to co-sponsor and support this bill.
RSVP for Red, White, and Banned Book Club to push back on censorship in military communities
Join Military Families for Free Expression, a coalition of military-connected families standing up against censorship and book bans, for their inaugural virtual convening on August 13th at 7 PM ET. Whether you're a military family member or an ally, this conversation will help you understand your rights, the stakes of censorship, and how to make your voice heard in defense of free expression. Together, we can ensure that our communities remain places where every family has the freedom to read, learn, and grow.
What can you do?
Please stop, stop telling us to write to our Congresspeople. Too many of us - I am a blue dot in huge MN Republican District 7 - are burdened with rabidly self-serving, bought and paid for Republicans. This is old school, ineffectual democratic advice. Are you not aware that the entire middle of America is blind, deaf and dumb to the fascist truth of the Republican Party today?
That is why we need Democrat legislators to use every spare day to travel to as many communities as possible to listen to people, address the issues and tell the truth about the deceit that now permeates the entire Republican Party.