July 7th Calls to Action
Staying in the fight for democracy and accountability
It’s easy to feel disillusioned after the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill last week, to wonder if our voices really matter (P.S. they did, forcing a tiebreak vote in the Senate and a nail biter in the House even with pressure directly from the White House).
But this is exactly when we have to dig in. Now is the time to turn disappointment into determination, to stay engaged, and to keep fighting for a democracy that lives up to its promise. The work isn’t over to protect our military community and our country from the harms of that bill and so many other policies being put into action each day.
Military families know better than most what it means to push through setbacks and stand firm in the face of adversity. Our voices, rooted in service, sacrifice, and a deep belief in this country, matter more than ever. Democracy isn’t won in a single vote or bill. It’s a daily commitment, so let’s stay engaged, stay loud, and keep pushing forward together.
Here are this week’s calls to action for military families:
Join Operation: Uncensor My Summer to push back on book bans across DOD
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
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!
Continue speaking up on behalf of military families being detained and deported.
Last month, ICE agents in New Orleans detained the wife of a Marine veteran while she was attending her immigration appointment. Immigration officials also violently detained a landscaper and father of three Marines in Southern California.
ICE has deported Shirly Guardado, a military spouse and mom of a 11-month-old baby boy. She did everything she was supposed to do to stay in the US legally: her husband‘s petition for her was approved by USCIS in 2023, she has a SSN and employment authorization.
Last month, Nicolle Saroukos, an Australian citizen and wife of a U.S. Army lieutenant, was detained and deported when attempting to visit her husband at his duty station in Hawaii. Despite previous visits without issue, she was strip-searched and detained, before being denied entry without clear justification.
The wife of an active-duty Coast Guardsman was arrested at the end of April by federal immigration authorities inside the family residential section of the Key West Naval Air Station.
What can you do?
Share their stories on social media to raise awareness.
Call your representatives to tell them to stand up for vulnerable military families and ensure they have the support they need to navigate complex immigration issues.
Contact your Congressional members to make sure they support the military families legislative package.
Last month, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative Jen Kiggans (R-VA) introduced a bipartisan legislative package that aims to improve services and benefits for military families.
Included in the package is the Care for Military Kids Act, the Servicemember Healthcare Freedom Act, the Coast Guard Parity Act, and the Bonus Act, all of which make meaningful reforms to improve health, personal, and financial outcomes for servicemembers and their families. Read more about it here.
The Care for Military Kids Act allows military families to remain on their home state’s Medicaid throughout their military career, and will be especially important if Republicans are successful in pushing through their cuts to Medicaid.
What can you do?
Call or email your Congressional members to make sure they are signed on to support these key measures to improve the lives of military families.