July 14th Calls to Action
Military families fighting for democracy at home and abroad
It’s another week packed with opportunities to speak up and push back on the threats to our democracy at home and abroad. From attempts to strip away lifesaving global aid that keeps our loved ones in uniform safer abroad, to lawsuits aiming to silence our votes from overseas, and book bans that threaten what military kids can read in their schools, it’s clear: the freedoms our loved ones serve to protect are under attack.
These aren’t abstract policy debates. They are decisions that shape the safety of deployments, the dignity of our civic participation, and the integrity of our educational system. Military families may be scattered across countries, installations, and time zones, but we are united by purpose. And now, we must speak up: loudly, clearly, and together.
It’s easy to be frustrated in this environment and feel like our voices aren’t being heard. Make sure you are taking care of yourself because we need every voice in this fight. When democracy and our communities are threatened under the guise of protection and patriotism, our voices matter.
Here are this week’s calls to action for military families:
Speak Up Against the Administration’s Attempt to Cancel Federal Funding for Key Programs
The Trump administration’s proposed rescission package, H.R. 4, has cleared the House and is now headed to the Senate this week, where it needs just 50 votes to pass. Rescissions are a rare budgetary maneuver initiated by the White House that allow previously approved federal funds to be permanently canceled.
This $9.4 billion rollback targets a wide range of programs, including foreign aid and global health initiatives, that could have serious ripple effects for our military-connected community and America’s international alliances. Key cuts in the package include:
$900 million from global health efforts, including cuts to the PEPFAR, a program credited with saving millions of lives and strengthening U.S. diplomatic ties, especially in Africa, where many U.S. troops operate in peacekeeping and counterterrorism roles.
$200 million from U.S. contributions to international organizations like USAID, which help stabilize fragile regions through development and humanitarian relief. Pulling back on these investments could increase global instability and migration pressures, with direct consequences for U.S. foreign policy and military operations.
Billions more in foreign aid reductions, targeting programs that provide disaster relief, support refugees, strengthen democratic institutions, and fund international peacekeeping. These cuts risk undermining global partnerships that are vital to U.S. national security interests abroad.
What can you do?
Call your Senators asap and tell them that these rescissions could lead to more instability, more deployments, and greater risks for our loved ones in uniform.
If the request doesn’t pass by July 18th, it fails and Trump cannot request these same rescissions again.
Use the easy 5 Calls platform to connect with your Senators and find sample scripts.
Fight Against Voter Suppression Efforts Targeting the Military Community
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and Arizona GOP are calling Americans "cheaters” for trying to exercise their right to vote from overseas. The groups filed a lawsuit seeking to block an Arizona law that allows some overseas U.S. citizens who have not lived in the state but have a parent who is a registered Arizona voter to cast ballots.
This new lawsuit is a direct attack on the very rights our loved ones in uniform have sworn to defend. Military families cannot stay silent while the RNC tries to silence Arizonans abroad - many of them military-connected voters - by challenging their right to vote using a parent’s U.S. address. The right to vote should never depend on your ZIP code or whether your family serves overseas.
What can you do?
Arizona military families: Call your state legislators.
“Hi, I’m [NAME], a military family member stationed abroad. The RNC’s lawsuit aims to strip our loved ones of their right to vote. We’ve sacrificed for this democracy—don’t let them take our voice. Join Secretary Fontes and reject this hostile action.”
All military families: Use your platforms.
Share this story and urge your networks to call, write, or post that silencing overseas voters weakens us all. Connect your own service to the fundamental rights under attack by these voter suppression efforts.
Write a letter to the editor (LTE) emphasizing that protecting democracy means protecting the vote - especially for our military families serving overseas.
Need help? Message us and we can help you draft and submit a LTE!
Join Operation: Uncensor My Summer to Push Back on Book Bans Across the Military Community
Second Lady Usha Vance wants you to read this summer. She’s launched a nationwide Summer Reading Challenge, encouraging families, including military families, to cozy up with books and build a love of learning.
We love books too. But there’s a problem with this challenge.
While the White House promotes reading with this challenge, military kids in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools are being denied access to books that reflect diverse perspectives, important lived experiences, and critical social issues. Titles by authors that challenge the status quo are being banned or challenged on military bases across the globe. And it’s not just on base. These bans are happening in our communities around military bases too. All of this has a negative impact on military kids, who have a right protected by their parents in uniform to explore a wide range of resources as they grow into informed citizens..
What can you do?
This summer, don’t just join a reading challenge - challenge the system with Military Families for Free Expression as they flip the White House reading challenge on its head:
📚 Step 1: Pick a book that has been banned/challenged at DODEA schools or in military communities
📝 Step 2: Submit your reading log to Second Lady Vance's reading challenge by September 5th
📖 Step 3: Share your reading logs & what banned books mean to you!
