Dear CJJ members:
The Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ), through an action of the Government Relations Committee and Executive Board, is a partner with the Non-Defense Discretionary (NDD) Coalition -- a collective of more than 3,000 organizations working to avert "Sequestration" or potential across-the-board cuts to federal appropriations of 8.2% down from current levels.
NDD funding from the federal government to states and localities meets critical human and community needs in areas such as public safety, delinquency prevention, youth development and juvenile justice standards and improvements.
The following is adapted from the NDD Coalition "Call/Tweet Day" Announcement -- please share!
Many thanks,
Nancy Gannon Hornberger
Executive Director
From the NDD United Coalition:
There is an NDD Call-in and Tweet Day this Thursday, September 20! The goal is to activate grassroots and grasstops to get involved in the push for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that would not include additional cuts to non-defense discretionary (NDD) programs and services. Congress has said repeatedly that they have not heard enough from the NDD community, so your voice is needed now to help raise the profile of NDD funding and the critical services it supports!
Please see below a sample alert, sample talking points, and tweets, as well as tips on how to reach Members of Congress. Thanks so much for your time and consideration of this important issue!
On September 20th please join the NDD community in a National NDD Community Call-in and Tweet Day and ask your member of Congress to support a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to NDD programs, including juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, child protection, law enforcement and community safety.
NDD programs represent a relatively small and shrinking share of the federal budget and our overall economy—already reduced to levels not seen since President Eisenhower held office. These programs are not the drivers of the debt. In fact, even completely eliminating all NDD programs still would not balance the budget. Yet to date, NDD programs have borne the brunt of deficit reduction efforts. If sequestration is allowed to take effect, core services will be significantly reduced or even eliminated.
Call, Tweet, or Facebook your Members of Congress today to let them know that NDD programs, including juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, already have done their part to help reduce the deficit through reductions of more than 50% since 2002 – it’s now time for a balanced approach! Sample talking points, Tweets, and information about how to contact your Members of Congress are included below to help you advocate to protect NDD programs.
Suggested Talking Points
(For use on Facebook and calls to congressional offices)
This January, essential jobs, services and supports in juvenile justice, delinquency prevention, child welfare and public safety will face more deep cuts through sequestration.
- There is bipartisan agreement that these cuts would be devastating to the nation and every community.
- For [INSERT YOUR PRIORITY] specifically, these cuts will mean: [INSERT YOUR STORY HERE--HOW WILL THE 8.2% CUTS AFFECT YOU/THOSE YOU SERVE?]
- Only through a balanced approach can we avoid sequestration, balance the budget, and restore the nation’s economic stability.
- I ask that you work with your colleagues to find a bipartisan, balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to the JJDPA, JABG and other funds related to juvenile justice, and larger human needs.
How to Call Your Members of Congress:
For those not familiar with calling the offices of your Members of Congress, you can call the Capitol Switchboard and asked to be connected to your Members’ offices. The phone number is (202)224-3121. You can also go to www.congress.org to find the office’s direct line and to look up your Members of Congress.
Suggested Tweets
How to Tweet Your Members of Congress:
For a complete list of Members of Congress and their Twitter handles, as well as other social media accounts, please see these House & Senate lists. For those relatively new to Twitter, this is a great Twitter 101 Guide from the folks at Center for American Progress.
Template
Invest in strong education, public safety, medical research, & infrastructure [insert Member Twitter handle]. Support balance to stop #sequestration! #NDDUnited.
Sample
Invest in strong education, public safety, medical research, & [INSERT YOUR PRIORITY]@MaxBaucus. Support balance to stop #sequestration! #NDDUnited
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Template (links to NDD national sign-on letter)
Remember [insert Member Twitter handle] over 3000 groups want you to support a balanced approach to stop #sequestration! http://bit.ly/N2jgsB #NDDUnited
Sample
Remember @MaxBaucus, over 3000 groups want you to support a balanced approach to stop #sequestration! http://bit.ly/N2jgsB #NDDUnited
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Template
#Sequestration means an 8.2% cut to #[INSERT YOUR PRIORITY] funding in 2013. [insert Member Twitter handle] support a balanced approach! http://bit.ly/N2jgsB #NDDUnited
Sample
#Sequestration means an 8% cut to #education funding in 2013. @MaxBaucus support a balanced approach! http://bit.ly/N2jgsB #NDDUnited
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Template (links to AIA jobs loss report)
#Sequester harms #economy & costs 2.1 million #jobs! [insert Member Twitter handle] undo it w/ a balanced approach! http://bit.ly/OLbyj1 #NDDUnited
Sample
#Sequester harms #economy & costs 2.1 million #jobs! @MaxBaucus undo it w/ a balanced approach! http://bit.ly/OLbyj1 #NDDUnited
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Template
National #security means strong education, public safety and public health [insert Member Twitter handle] undo #sequester w/ a balanced approach! #NDDUnited
Sample
National #security means strong education, public safety and public health. @MaxBaucus undo #sequester w/ a balanced approach! #NDDUnited
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