Happy Friday! Monday is Tax Day, so our first top action this week is to send a letter to your local paper about the Trump TaxScam! Publishing a letter in your local paper is easier than you might think, and a great way to generate local conversation around an issue you care about. Also on the tax front: we're continuing the call for Congress to support working family tax credits. And we still need as many voices as possible to speak out about the Diaper Need Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, and the Violence Against Women Act. Please scroll down, see what you've missed, and make sure to add your very-important, very-powerful, very-appreciated name to all of our top #5Actions from this past week. Thank you! => 

1. Send a Letter to the Editor this Tax Day

BACKGROUND: The only people who are happy right now during tax season are the corporations and the top 1%, who received an average tax cut of $51,000 last year alone, who are getting a windfall from the Trump Tax Plan. Tax Day is this coming Monday (April 15th) and we have one major message that we want to shout from the roof tops: The Trump Tax Scam is AWFUL and should be repealed!!! We want to flood our local newspapers with Letters to the Editors NOW so next week when everyone is talking about Tax Day our message is heard loud and clear. The truth is the tax scam isn’t for me, for you, and for the vast majority of families in this country. It won’t create jobs. It hurts our economy. It hurts our families. And has upside down morals by prioritizing millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations rather than working families and growing kids. ***Send a Letter to the Editor to your local paper now and call on Congress to repeal the Trump Tax Scam and instead pass tax policies that lift up working families!

2. Help Us Defend Women! Tell your U.S. Senators to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act

BACKGROUND: The U.S. House of Representatives just voted to reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Now it's the U.S. Senate's turn. With nearly half of all women killed in the United States murdered by a current or former intimate partner, reauthorizing VAWA is critically important to saving lives. VAWA 2019 makes modest but important improvements to the original landmark legislation that passed in 1994, that has since provided a lifeline to tens of thousands of women experiencing abuse. VAWA 2019 closes the "boyfriend loophole" that would deny violent dating partners and stalkers access to firearms. It also provides important tools to law enforcement officers to help them better enforce existing law. Add your voice now! 

3. Tell Congress: Put an end to diaper need!

BACKGROUND: Right now, 1 in 3 American families struggle to afford diapers for their babies. When families can’t afford diapers, it can put a baby’s health at risk and the negatively impact the overall financial well-being of a family. Thankfully, there is help on the way. The Diaper Need Act would create a $100 million program charged with distributing free diapers and diapering products (including cloth diapering supplies, diaper cream, and wipes) to neighborhoods across the nation to help reduce the diaper need among families. The bill also defines diapers as “medically necessary” so that families can purchase them through health savings accounts and HRAs. → Urge your member of Congress to co-sponsor the End Diaper Need Act of 2019.

4. TELL CONGRESS: Support Working Family Tax Credits

BACKGROUND: The U.S. Congress needs to reject the Trump-GOP Tax Plan and pass policies that we know work. Tax policies that boost working families, instead of mega-corporations. Lucky for us, leaders in Congress are starting to put together proposals that will help our families and even the playing field in our upside down, only-benefiting-the 1% tax code. SIGN our letter to the U.S. Congress telling them to strengthen tax credits for working families, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit, and repeal the Trump-GOP Tax Scam! Make sure to SIGN ON NOW! 

And be sure to check out the inspiring video of MomsRising member Julie from Arizona speaking at a press conference for the Working Families Tax Relief Act earlier this week, joining U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown, Michael Bennet, Dick Durbin, and Ron Wyden.

5. Tell the U.S. Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act

BACKGROUND: The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Paycheck Fairness Act and now we’re charging full speed ahead toward the U.S. Senate with our campaign for equal pay! Why do we need the Paycheck Fairness Act? Because right now, women of color and moms still earn far too little compared to white men and dads. Moms are typically paid just 69 cents for every dollar paid to dads, while Latinas are paid 53 cents, Native American women 58 cents, Black women 61 cents, and Asian women 85 cents for every dollar paid to white men. Moms of color experience double wage hits. Overall, women make 80 cents on the dollar. The Paycheck Fairness Act will help close the gender wage gap, in part by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act. Tell your U.S. Senators to co-sponsor and advance the Paycheck Fairness Act.

INSPIRATIONS OF THE WEEK:

This week moms, dads, kids, early educators, and more were at the North Carolina General Assembly for Think Babies Day to call attention to what children and families in North Carolina need to thrive. Rockstar MomsRising member Julie from Arizona spoke at a press conference for the Working Families Tax Relief Act, joining U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown, Michael Bennet, Dick Durbin, and Ron Wyden. And we're thrilled to join the important conversation happening during this 2nd Annual Black Maternal Health Week. This year’s theme is “Decolonizing Research to Develop Meaningful Policy for Black Maternal Health." Photos below! 

Thank you for all you do,