Burr Kept Dangers of COVID-19 Secret. Call Him On It:
We’re in day two of the #ResignBurr scandal. Yesterday, we learned that Richard “No Socks, No Soul” Burr was privately warning a small group of donors at a Capitol Hill luncheon of the imminent dangers of the virus, comparing it to the 1918-19 flu epidemic that killed thousands of people. But despite these known dangers, Burr did not warn his constituents or the general public, implicitly allowing transmission of the virus to continue unabated. It’s a horribly irresponsible and hypocritical action, and he needs to be called out on it. We have a tweet and a call script you can use to call out Burr for not taking the health and safety of his constituents seriously.
But it gets worse. Thursday, evening, ProPublica reported that Burr may have engaged in insider trading, selling off $600,000-$1.8 million in stock just before the market collapsed a few days ago. So, Burr was denying the seriousness of COVID19 in public, but in private, he was warning his high-donor friends and selling off stock as fast as his fingers could dial his stock broker. Not only should he resign, he should also be prosecuted. Let’s push extra hard tomorrow. Burr’s phones should not stop ringing from the moment his office opens until the moment his staffers go home tomorrow afternoon. It’s time for him to resign.
Both Burr and Tillis also voted against an amendment to the Coronavirus emergency bill that would have expanded paid emergency sick leave to millions of Americans. Call Tillis, too.
The Juicy Details:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/19/senate-intel-chair-warned-of-coronavirus-disruption-in-private-137407
Burr Script:
Hello, I am a constituent from zip code __________ and I am calling to ask why Senator Burr thought it was appropriate to warn a private audience of big donors on Capitol Hill about the dangers of the Coronavirus but didn’t bother to issue the same warnings to his constituents? There was a lot of misinformation circulating about the virus just a few days ago, and Senator Burr could have made a huge difference by speaking out publicly about the risks associated with COVID-19. To make matters worse, Senator Burr has also engaged in insider trading, selling off stocks based on knowledge obtained through his position as a Senator. Senator Burr needs to resign immediately.
Richard Burr DC: (202) 224-3154
Tillis script:
Hello, I am a constituent from zip code __________ and I am calling to ask why Senator Tillis thought it was a good idea to vote against an amendment to the Coronavirus emergency bill that would have guaranteed two weeks of paid sick leave as well as 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to all U.S. employees and independent contractors. This vote will put people at risk and will lead many into financial difficulties. Tillis needs to take decisive action that will ensure the safety and financial well-being of all of his constituents. Thank you.
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
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Medicaid Expansion:
Keep working on this one. We are now seeing the destructive impact of the NC GOP’s refusal to expand Medicaid. Because the NC GOP stubbornly refuses to allow the Affordable Care Act to work like it should, thousands of North Carolina residents have been unable to get health coverage. This will potentially have a huge impact when it comes to providing treatment for people with the Coronavirus. But it also impacts us in other ways. Vidant Health, in Greenville, was forced to lay off nearly 200 employees because of budget shortfalls due to people receiving treatment but being unable to pay their bills.
As G.K. Butterfield explains it, “Rural hospitals operate on razor thin margins and often do not have the capacity to absorb these costs. Studies have found that when states expand Medicaid uninsured rates for low-income adults decline drastically, which reduces uncompensated care and gives lifelines to rural hospitals. The General Assembly’s decision not to expand Medicaid has not only harmed patient access to care and the overall health care system of eastern North Carolina, but the economy as well.” With so many people facing financial difficulties, now is the time to remind our lawmakers that expanding Medicaid would not only save lives but also would protect jobs in rural communities. This call is most urgent if you have a GOP rep, as most Democrats already support it.
Details:
https://www.wakeweekly.com/stories/butterfield-blames-lawmakers-for-vidant-health-layoffs-sw,203418
Script:
Hello, I am a constituent calling from ____________ to urge Rep./Sen. ______________ to support Medicaid expansion. We are facing a massive, costly public health crisis, and we need to provide people with the health coverage they need for this kind of emergency. In fact, 400,000 people would be able to get health insurance. The layoffs by Vidant Health also show that rural communities continue to suffer because of the refusal to expand Medicaid.
State Contact Numbers:
NC House: http://bit.ly/2CVneDK
NC Senate: http://bit.ly/2DamgAn
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