All Hands On Deck!
The Discharge Petition needs Republican signatures.
Note: This site can also be accessed by entering FeathersOfHope.net in your browser window.
For new readers, here are links to a few previous posts that will bring you up to date on what the Feathers of Hope network has been doing :
Wait, Exactly How Will We Do This? — (January 28)
Replacing McCarthy - A Progress Report — (February 16)
Moderate Republicans? Really? — (March 2)
Spread The Word, Write or Call Today — (April 6)
Escape From MAGA World — (May 3)
Feathers of Hope is a network of ordinary citizens committed to advocating for the removal and replacement of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, thereby diminishing the power and influence of MAGA extremists in the chamber.
We are urging moderate Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives to form a temporary bipartisan majority voting bloc for the purpose of passing a motion to “vacate the chair” and elect a new Republican Speaker who owes nothing to the minority MAGA group.
As the final, final deadline for raising the debt ceiling looms, we need everyone in our network to contact moderate Republicans today -- right now.
For the past 5 months we've been entirely focused on advocating for the removal and replacement of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Our purpose is to isolate and marginalize his extremist MAGA masters by depriving them of their puppet "leader". That still remains our objective.
But as of this moment, there's a more immediate way to disempower the minority MAGA House Members. And doing so is even more essential. So far, they've been successful in creating the current threat to America's economic health by demanding extreme spending cuts as a condition for raising the debt limit. As a consequence our country is now in danger of defaulting on our debts.
Let there be no doubt, this "crisis" is entirely the responsibility of Speaker Kevin McCarthy. In exchange for their votes making him Speaker back in January, he promised MAGA to do precisely what he's done. And he will almost certainly continue to stand with them regardless of the consequences.
Since moderate Republicans won't support all the cuts MAGA is demanding, only a bipartisan majority can pass a debt limit increase. And the only way a bill to do that can come to the floor without the Speaker's approval is through what's called a "Discharge Petition". Without going into all the details, the Discharge Petition needs signatures of 218 Representatives in order to pass.
Democrats are united in support of the petition, so only 5 or 6 Republicans need to be persuaded to join the effort. You may recognize that this is the same scenario we've been advocating for -- a bipartisan motion to "vacate the chair" to remove and replace Speaker McCarthy. The only difference is that while that outcome is desirable, passage of a bill to raise the debt limit is crucial. The consequences of failure would be catastrophic
No matter whether you've made 50 phone calls or none, we all have to pitch in right now.
This is why our network exists. We need to contact the eleven moderate Republicans previously identified as potential allies, and urge them in the strongest possible terms to put our country's economic health above partisan loyalties, sign the Discharge Petition and pass the debt limit bill immediately.
This is nothing less than a national emergency. It was instigated by Kevin McCarthy, and he must be held accountable. But first, we need to save the Ship of State. Contact as many of the following Republican Representatives as possible, as soon as possible:
John Curtis (UT-3); Ashley Hinson (IA-2); Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1); David Joyce (OH 14); Victoria Spartz (IN-5); Don Bacon (NE-2); Mike Gallagher (WI-8); Andrew Garbarino (NY-2); Nancy Mace (SC-1); Dan Newhouse (WA-4); and David Valadao (CA-22)
(Contact info is below. If the Congressional Aide asks, “Do you reside in his/her district?” I always answer honestly, “No, but this is a national issue, important to all of us wherever we live.” Then I provide my phone number to confirm my identity. They always take the message and promise to pass it along to the Representative.)
Here again is contact info for eleven moderate Republicans, along with thumbnail bios to use if you'd like to personalize your message:
John Curtis: (202) 225-7751 D.C. —— (801) 922-5400 District
2323 Rayburn House Office Building - Washington, DC 20515
District Office: 3549 North University Avenue, Suite 275 — Provo, UT 84604
Represents Utah’s 3rd District, in Congress since 2017; originally registered as a Democrat to “counter one-party dominance” in Utah (switched to Repub. in 2006); publicly emphasizes his independence from Trump and need for bipartisanship; opposed efforts to overturn 2020 election
Ashley Hinson: (202) 225-2911 D.C. —— (319) 364-2288 District
1717 Longworth House Office Building - Washington,DC 20515
District Office: 118 Third Avenue SE, Suite 206 — Cedar Rapids,IA 52401
Represents Iowa’s 2nd District, in Congress since 2020; formerly was anchor/reporer/producer on KCRG-TV9; represents swing district formerly represented by a Democrat; won 2 terms in her state House district which Hillary Clinton won in 2016; was one of 39 Republicans to vote with all Democrats for an anti-trust bill (Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act) targeting corporations for anti-competitive behavior; voted for Respect for Marriage Act.
Brian Fitzpatrick: (202) 225-7751 D.C. —— (215) 579-8102 District
2323 Rayburn House Office Building - Washington, DC 20515
District Office: 1717 Langhorne Newtown Rd. Suite 225 — Langhorne, PA 19047
Represents Pennsylvania’s 1st District, in Congress since 2016; formerly was FBI Special Agent and Federal Prosecutor; embedded with U.S. Special Forces in Iraq; represents swing district (carried by Pres. Biden 52% to 46%); said he could not vote for Trump; opposed GOP effort to repeal Obamacare; opposed building border wall; supported Paris climate agreement; opposed efforts to overturn 2020 election, Brian Fitzpatrick is co-chair of Problem Solvers Caucus. He was also just appointed to United States Group of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (legislators from NATO-member countries working together on global security issues).
David Joyce: (202) 225-5731 D.C. —— (440) 352-3939 District
2065 Rayburn House Office Building -- Washington, DC 20515
District Office: 8500 Station Street, Suite 390 — Mentor, OH 44060
Represents Ohio’s 14th District, in Congress since 2012; attorney, formerly a public defender, and then a prosecutor; in 2017 voted against repeal of Obamacare; co-chair of bipartisan Cannabis Caucus, favors letting each State decide legality; supports bipartisan efforts for environmental clean-up of water resources (rivers and lakes); opposed effort to overturn 2020 election; chairman, Republican Governance Group. During the balloting for Speaker in early January, former Clinton admin. Labor Secretary Robert Reich proposed that a cross-party alliance should consider electing Representative Joyce as Speaker.
Victoria Spartz: (202) 225-2276 D.C. —— (317) 848-0201 District
1609 Longworth House Office Building — Washington,DC 20515
District Office: 5540 Pebble Village Lane, Suite 400 Noblesville,IN 46062
Represents Indiana’s 5th District, in Congress since 2020; formerly was Certified Public Accountant and real estate broker; Ukrainian immigrant, earned Bachelor of Science and MBA degrees from the Kyiv National Economic University, and Master of Accountancy from Indiana University; formerly Chief Financial Officer of Indiana Attorney General’s office; voted to certify electoral college results during first week in office; voted “present” on 8 of the 15 votes for Speaker in January; introduced a bill with progressive Representative Pramila Jayapal aimed at curbing anti-competitive conduct (hospital mergers) in the healthcare industry. Representative Spartz was quoted a few weeks ago reprimanding Kevin McCarthy, saying it’s time for him to “stop bread and circuses in Congress and start governing for a change.”
Don Bacon: (202) 225-4155 D.C. —— (402) 938-0300 District
2104 Rayburn House Office Building —Washington, DC 20515
District Office: 3906 Gold Circle, Suite 101 — Omaha, NE 68144
Represents Nebraska’s 2nd District, in Congress since 2017; formerly Brigadier General, United States Air Force; has earned four Master’s degrees, including one from the National War College; after retiring from military was Assistant Professor at University of Bellevue (Nebraska) until elected to House in 2016; represents swing district (carried by Pres. Biden 52% to 46%) one of 13 Republicans to vote with Democrats for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; voted with Democrats to establish January 6 Commission; opposed efforts to overturn 2020 election. In November 2022, Rep. Bacon said that if Kevin McCarthy did not have enough votes to become Speaker that he’d be willing to “work with like-minded people across the aisle to find someone agreeable for Speaker,” adding “we need to govern. We can't sit neutral; we can't have total gridlock for two years".
Mike Gallagher: (202) 225-5665 D.C. —— (920) 301-4500 District
1211 Longworth HouseOfficeBuilding — Washington, DC 20515
District Office: 1702 Scheuring Road, Suite B — De Pere,WI 54115
Represents Wisconsin’s 8th District, in Congress since 2017; served 7 years as intelligence officer in U.S. Marine Corps (Iraq), then was a Foreign Policy Advisor to U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee; speaks Arabic; holds 3 Master’s Degrees and a PhD from Georgetown University; criticized Trump for “side shows distracting from real issues” and opposed efforts to overturn 2020 election; has history of working with Democratic House Members on tariffs, jobs, veterans affairs and cybersecurity issues; chairs the new committee on the Chinese Communist Party (created by a 365-65 vote) which has been praised as “bipartisan, serious and productive”; supports military aid for Ukrain; voted for Respect for Marriage Act.
In 2018, Mr. Gallagher wrote an article for Atlantic Monthly titled "How to Salvage Congress"in which he wrote: “The problem is a defective process and a power structure that, whichever party is in charge, funnels all power to leadership and stifles debate and initiative within the ranks.”
Andrew Garbarino: (202) 225-7896 D.C. —— (631) 541-4225 District
2344 Rayburn House Office Building — Washington, DC 20515 — Fax: (202) 226-2279
District Office: 31 Oak St., Suite 20 — Patchogue, NY 11772
Represents New York’s 2nd District, in Congress since 2021; former tax attorney and State Assembly Member; 3 days after being sworn in on January 6, 2021, stated that Congress has no authority to overturn the election; voted to establish January 6 Commission; was one of 13 Republicans to vote with Democrats for the Infrastructure Act; voted for Respect for Marriage Act; member of Problem Solvers Caucus and Republican Governance Group.
Nancy Mace: (202) 225-3176 D.C. —— (843) 521-2530 District
1728 Longworth House Office Building — Washington, DC 20515
District Office: 710 Boundary Street — Beaufort,SC 29902
Represents South Carolina’s 1st District, in Congress since 2021; first woman graduate of The Citadel, wrote a book about it; MS degree in journalism; first week in Congress was one of 7 Republicans to sign a letter saying Congress has no authority to influence election results; stated she wants "to be a new voice for the Republican Party," pointing out that she has spoken out "strongly against the president" and "against these Qanon conspiracy theorists that led us in a constitutional crisis”; voted to hold Steve Bannon in contempt for defying subpoena from Jan 6 committee; in Nov. 2021 defended Ilhan Omar against Lauren Boebert’s anti-Muslim comments; worked with Democratic Representative Ro Khana on Cyber-Security Bill (2021); only Republican to sponsor LGBTQ Veterans Act; voted for Respect for Marriage Act; only Republican to sponsor Judiciary Accountability Act (prohibits discrimination for judicial branch employees); Trump endorsed her primary opponent in 2022.
Dan Newhouse: (202) 225-5816 D.C. —— (509) 452-3243 District
504 Cannon House Office Building — Washington,DC 20515 — Fax: (202) 225-3251
District Offices: 402 E. Yakima Ave., Suite #1000 — Yakima,WA 98901 Fax: (509) 452-3438 and 3100 George Washington Way #130 — Richland,WA 99354 — (509) 713-7374
Represents Washington’s 4th District, in Congress since 2015; formerly state Agriculture Director; worked with Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren on immigration issues; member of Republican Governance Group; opposed Trump’s tariff increases; voted to impeach Trump after Jan. 6; voted for Jan. 6 committee; voted for Respect for Marriage Act.
David Valadao: (202) 225-4695 D.C. —— (661) 864-7736 District
2465 Rayburn House Office Building — Washington, DC 20515
District Offices: 2700 M Street, Suite 250B — Bakersfield, CA 93301 — Fax: (833) 284-9090 and 107 South Douty Street — Hanford, CA 93230 — (559) 460-6070 Fax: (559) 584-3564
Represents California’s 22nd District, in Congress 2013-2019, 2021-present; former dairy farmer and state Assemblyman; swing district, leans Democratic; worked with Democrats on immigration issues, including protection of DACA program; objected to Trump’s family separation policy; voted to impeach Trump after Jan. 6; voted for Respect for Marriage Act.\
Good afternoon Jerry...Just to let you know that I just made phone calls to the 14 moderate Republican House members. For anyone reading this who hasn’t yet made the calls, it’s really easy and takes a total of about 20 minutes. The aides who answer the phones are really nice and appreciate your call.
Jerry, I read a couple of the other comments above and agree with your feeling about the Discharge Petition vs the 14th Amendment...the latter being way too risky and time consuming. I read today’s weekly Substack post by freshman Rep. Jeff Jackson (D)of North Carolina. He really spelled out the risk of the 14th route quite clearly.
Thanks for all you’re doing.
You aren't going to like this. First, as to positive action: President Biden is required by the Constitution to pay the nation's bills. If necessary, that is what is going to happen, unless Old Joe bends to the wishes of the MAGA people. Second, I have covered government as a journalist for over 30 years. I have stood on a balcony overlooking a demonstration ...people chanting and waving signs ... at the North Carolina State Legislature. I saw and heard legislators, primarily Republicans, laughing and making crude jokes about the demonstrators. Overall, under our current system, elected officials don't care about your phone calls. They don't care about your letters. They don't care about your emails. They don't care about your petitions. They care about getting reelected, and they care about the campaign contributions that allow them to buy the ads that get them elected. If it appears that the MAGA idiots are actually going to cause the loss of the full faith and credit of the United States and crash the economy (Think of what will happen to treasury bonds), I would bet that major campaign contributors (who actually make the decisions under our system today) will be hot on the phone to the members of Congress they put in office, and their calls WILL get through. This group should be contacting these major business owners and urging them, under pain of boycott or whatever, to tell their lackeys in Congress that they will back their opponents if they cause an economic disaster. As always, "It is about the economy, stupid." (Bill Clinton) and that means the personal economies of congressmen.