Alexis's Blog
The corporate takeover of our food and farming system has led to poor health, polluted waterways, degraded soils, hollowed out rural economies and communities and a host of other ills.
It’s time to re-diversify, re-democratize and re-localize the U.S. food system—the place to start is by addressing the origins of corporate control, which include slavery, racism and land theft.
Or, make a personal act of reparations to a farmer of color.
Big Meat wants Congress to bail it out, even though the COVID-19 crisis has exposed how the industrial meat model—with its disease-ridden slaughterhouses and its unjust and monopolistic practices—is a total failure.
If you’d rather see Congress fund local meat processors who help build food security for your community, please ask Congress to support the Small Packer Overtime and Holiday Fee Relief for COVID-19 Act.
TAKE ACTION: Ask Congress to fund local meat processing, not Big Meat bailouts!
There’s a serious flaw in the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES Act) just passed by the House: It includes a bailout for the four largest factory farm meat companies—Tyson, Cargill, JBS and Smithfield.
Congress should help independent family farmers, who are on track to lose billions as a result of the COVID-19 crisis—instead of coming up with more ways to funnel money to huge agribusiness corporations.
After all, Big Meat’s monopolistic practices and unsafe, unfair labor practices are what’s largely to blame for causing a shortage of processing facilities during the pandemic.
Two weeks ago, we asked you to “Tell Congress: No more COVID-19-contaminated factory farm slaughterhouses!”
Members of Congress listened!
On May Day, Reps. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) introduced legislation o help small farmers during the COVID-19 crisis by, among other things, making it easier for them to get grants to process grass-fed and pasture-raised meat.
It’s unconscionable that many of the essential workers risking exposure to the coronavirus—the people providing us with essential food, healthcare and other services—don’t have health insurance.
For farmworkers, the uninsurance rate is two-thirds.
For dairy farmers, it is two-fifths.
For nursing assistants and home care aides, it’s one-fifth.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress: Pass Medicare for All and the Essential Workers Bill of Rights now!
Corporate lobbyists have no shame. Neither does Congress. Or the Trump administration.
They’re using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to shovel taxpayer dollars into corporate coffers and break laws meant to protect human health and the environment.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress: COVID-19 relief should be a #JustRecovery!
When the Green New Deal was introduced last year, many members of Congress refused to support it because they said we couldn’t possibly afford it.
Now, suddenly Congress has found $2 trillion for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a stimulus bill chock full of bailouts for corporate criminals.
If we don’t put guardrails on its use, this money is gone. We won’t get another chance to fund a just transition to the net-zero-carbon economy we need—by 2030—to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
Today, as Congress works on a 4th COVID-19 stimulus bill, we ask you to once again contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives.
COVID-19 has exposed how fragile our food system is, and how urgently we need policies that can advance a regenerative and resilient food system.
Trump wants a $500 billion slush fund to bail out his favorite corporations—including his own—that would be doled out in secret.
We can’t let Trump get away with stealing from the poor and giving to the rich—especially in this time of need! Our health, our welfare, our communities, our economy and our democracy are worth fighting for! Bernie Sanders has the best plan to address the coronavirus crisis and prepare us for whatever happens next.
Read Bernie’s plan and watch his coronavirus roundtable with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar.
SIGN THE PETITION: Bernie has the best COVID-19 plan. Tell Congress to pass it!
CALL CONGRESS AT (202) 224-3121: Tell your U.S. Senators and Representative to work for a Bernie-style plan that follows the 5 Principles for Just COVID-19 Relief and Stimulus.
With one in nine Americans already struggling to put food on the table, food insecurity and lack of access to healthy food are problems in the best of times.
Now, the COVID-19 pandemic is stretching an already inadequate social safety net to the breaking point.
Droughts, fires, floods . . . climate instability is forcing U.S. farmers and ranchers to face increasingly frequent and intensifying natural disasters that threaten their land and their livelihoods—and increase food insecurity for everyone.
A growing number of farmers and ranchers understand that the more organic and regenerative farming and grazing practices they deploy, the more climate-resilient their operations become.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) knows it, too. But instead of increasing funding for programs to help farmers adapt to climate change, the Trump administration is proposing cuts to those programs.
TAKE ACTION: Ask your members of Congress to help organic farmers by supporting the Agriculture Resilience Act!
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