Looking for a quarantine activity? Call Congress.
The first political action I ever took as a young adult was to call my representative. I’d just turned 18 and started college, and another college student had encouraged me to reach out to my representative to encourage them to support a specific policy. I don’t remember what it was, but I remember dialing the phone number for Senator Maria Cantwell’s office and leaving a message with one of her staff. For the first time, it felt like I could make a difference in what was happening in my world. Nearly 14 years later, that feeling still hasn’t changed. Now I want more people to feel it.
Currently, our nation is in a state of crisis. People are grieving, in so many different ways, and trying to figure out how to survive every day. As of April 3, nearly 10 million Americans have applied for unemployment, which means people in every city in the country are struggling to figure out how they’ll pay their rent, their phone bill, or fill their refrigerator. Even more people are suddenly working from home, while also parenting, caring for relatives, or fighting the illness themselves.
As of mid-March, Congress is technically on recess. According to Politico, they aren’t planning on returning to Washington DC until April 20, maybe even longer, to avoid spreading COVID-19 any further. Many of us are also working away from our regular offices, but we’re still working. Is Congress? After all, both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have expressed concern for remote voting, according to FiveThirtyEight. Businesses all over the country have changed how they’re working, creating remote options for things like registering for unemployment support, taking classes (including in healthcare training), and attending mental health therapy. 10 years ago, much of this wouldn’t have been possible. Congress seems to be pretending it still isn’t.
How you feel about what the White House is doing or what decisions Congress needs to be making is irrelevant here. The fact of the matter is, our country is in need of leadership we aren’t getting. As citizens, as voters, we have the opportunity to change that.
While you’re working from home, after your kids go to bed or when you need to do something else with your brain, pick up the phone and call your Congress person. Start here to reach out to your Senators, and here to reach out to your Representative. While you’re at it, call your state legislators to find out what they’re doing to support people struggling during this time. Live in one of the eight states that doesn’t yet have a stay-at-home order? Call your Governor and demand one.
No one knows how long this will last. Without a national effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect American citizens, it is unreasonable to think that stay-at-home and social distancing orders will end any time soon. It is Congress’ responsibility to develop that national effort, and it is our job to call on them to do so.
Even if it’s the first time you call Congress, it won’t be the last. After my first call, I kept calling so that I could regularly take the time to tell someone I’d elected to represent me about the topics that were important to my future in this country. A strategy to reduce the spread of COVID-19, support out of work Americans during this time, develop an education system that will allow students to learn while at home, and elevate art and other mental health activities to keep people whole and healthy is important to our future now more than ever before. Hold them accountable.
