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LCV Advocacy: Congressional and Administrative Letters Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic

May 14, 2020

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States in March, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has called on Congress and the Trump administration to protect frontline workers, support communities and families struggling with the economic and health ramifications of this pandemic, protect our democracy, and make transformative investments to build a more just, equitable, and sustainable society.

Since mid-March, LCV has supported the following letters to Congress and/or the Trump administration related to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. These letters complement the letter that LCV sent on May 7 outlining our organization’s overarching priorities.

List of letters is updated weekly.

 

May 2020

 

LCV joined AFJ’s letter expressing grave concerns about federal judicial nominees Justin Walker and Cory Wilson.

LCV signed onto The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ letter urging Congress to support robust funding for the United States Postal Service.

LCV signed onto a letter along with more than 850 other organizations in support of the Great American Outdoors Act, which would fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and address the maintenance backlog on our public lands. These infrastructure investments would help support jobs in the hard-hit outdoor recreation and construction sectors while increasing access to close-to-home green spaces for families that have been relying on nature to cope during the pandemic. 

LCV and LCV’s Chispa signed onto a letter along with 284 other organizations to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urging them to restore access to benefits under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

April 2020

 

LCV joined Stand Up America, Common Cause, and Indivisible’s letter urging Congress to provide $4 billion in election assistance funding for states and U.S. territories.

LCV joined The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ and over 150 other organizations in a letter to Congress urging them to provide $4 billion for states and counties to administer the 2020 elections in a safe, fair, and accessible manner, through the implementation of vote-by-mail and the expansion of early voting and in-person voting options.

LCV joined an Earthworks-led letter to Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought urging him to place a moratorium on all new oil, gas and mining related permitting and rulemakings and extend existing public comment periods at least 60 days.

LCV joined UnidosUS, United We Dream and Physicians for Social Responsibility’s letter urging Congress to include immigration related priorities in the next coronavirus aid package, including no-cost testing and treatment for all communities including immigrant communities, no supplemental funds for ICE or CBP, restricting transfer of funds for border wall construction, and more.

LCV joined the Natural Resources Defense Council and The Wilderness Society’s letter to the Department of Interior urging Secretary David Bernhardt to reject calls from the oil and gas industry for bailouts.

LCV and LCV’s Chispa Arizona issued a joint letter with The Wilderness Society urging Congress to continue to prioritize the health and wellbeing of the public and reject any bailout for the uranium mining industry in any future COVID-19 emergency response packages.

LCV joined Oil Change International, Sierra Club, and the NAACP’s letter urging Congress to increase the allocation of funds to public transit in the next round of stimulus to address the coronavirus crisis and its economic impact.

LCV joined United We Dream’s letter to Secretary Betsy DeVos urging the Department of Education to revise the exceptions and allow higher education institutions to use emergency funds to provide aid to all students according to need and regardless of immigration status. 

LCV joined Clean Water For All’s letter urging Congress to take immediate action that will ensure every individual and family has access to clean water and to ensure long-term recovery efforts that invest in our water systems.

LCV joined 830 organizations in signing a letter urging Congress to implement a nationwide moratorium on the shut-offs of electricity, water, broadband, and all other essential utilities as part of the next COVID-19 rescue package.

LCV joined Food Chain Workers Alliance and HEAL Food Alliance’s letter to the U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor Loren Sweatt, and Congress opposing the government’s decision to force meatpacking companies to stay open during the pandemic, further putting workers at risk and making their health secondary.

As a member of the BlueGreen Alliance, LCV joined the BGA’s letter urging Congress urging to prioritize workers and families and make strategic investments necessary for a sustained economic recovery.

 

March 2020

 

LCV led a letter urging Congress to address climate change and environmental injustice with the stimulus packages in response to COVID-19. 

LCV joined the Equitable & Just National Climate Forum led letter urging Congress to include environmental justice safeguards in the next economic stimulus to protect Tribal communities, low-income communities, and communities of color.

As a member of the BlueGreen Alliance, LCV joined BGA’s  letter urging Congress to pass a robust stimulus package focused on working families and their livelihoods.

LCV joined the National Parks Conservation Association’s letter to the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency asking them to pause all open public comment periods for active and non-active rulemaking during COVID-19. 

LCV joined Earthjustice’s letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to withdraw their rule undermining critical health protections and to also extend the original 30 day comment period. 

LCV joined Friends of the Earth, Stand.earth, and Greenpeace’s letter to House and Senate leadership voicing opposition to assistance and bailouts for the cruise industry. 

LCV and Chispa joined Texas Civil Rights Project’s letter to the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security urging Attorney General Barr, Secretary Esper, and Acting Secretary Wolf to order their departments to halt border wall construction during COVID-19.

LCV joined a Transportation for America letter urging Congress to provide financial assistance to public transit agencies during the economic slowdown brought on by COVID-19.

LCV joined the Union of Concerned Scientists, American Council on Renewable Energy, Solar Energy Industries Association, and American Wind Energy Association’s letter urging Congress urging to pass stimulus bills that support clean energy tax incentives, including making these can be used through making them refundable or direct payments.

LCV signed onto a letter led by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ urging Congress and all state elections officials to fund voter registration, early in-person voting, voting by mail, polling place adjustments, and voter education and combating misinformation. 

LCV joined The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ letter to Congress urging them to enact immediate funding for the expansion of voter registration, in-person early voting, no-excuse absentee voting by mail, voter education, and safe in-person voting on Election Day.

LCV joined the Center for Biological Diversity letter to the Department of the Interior urging Secretary David Bernhardt to suspend major policy changes, changes to regulations, oil and gas lease sales and public comment periods related to oil and gas lease sales for the immediate future. 

LCV joined over 900 organizations in signing the People’s Bailout letter urging Congress urging to uphold 5 principles in responding to this pandemic: health protections, directing economic relief to people, prioritizing workers and communities not corporate executives, investing in a recovery that creates a regenerative economy and tackles the climate crisis, and protecting the democratic process.