Dear CPA Members and Friends:

Our requests for specific, coordinated political action are few.  We want to be efficient and effective, without overloading you.  But sometimes, I ask you to allocate 15 minutes to this highly targeted action.  This is one of those times.

Tomorrow, July 13, CPA and a number of organizations are organizing a National Currency Manipulation Call-In Day.

Call your two Senators and one Representative.  Call more if you like.  Ask for the staffer on trade issues, or talk to the receptionist.  Simply tell them to (1) cosponsor the currency manipulation bills and (2) tell their party’s leadership to move our bills to a vote.  Details are below.  The result will be that the staff will tell their boss that a whole bunch of people called today asking for support for/movement on the currency bills.  You don’t need to argue the merits in detail.  You just support the bills.  See the script below.

15 minutes.  That’s it.  We can’t win without citizen action… coordinated action.

If you have questions, contact CPA Office Manager Ellen Croibier at 413-854.2580 or at [email protected].  Thanks.

Michael Stumo, CEO, Coalition for a Prosperous America

p.s.  See CPA’s currency page on our website for more information.

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National Currency Manipulation Call-In Day

When: Call Day is Tuesday, July 13, 2010

What: Call Congress to Act on Illegal Currency Manipulation Legislation

How: Call your two Senators and one Representative.  Use the script below.  Get their number by phone (202-224-3121); this website for the Senate; or this website for the House. If you don’t know your Representative, then enter your zip code at this website which will tell you.

Why: China and other countries continue to manipulate their currency giving them an unfair and illegal advantage against U.S. producers - most believe their currency is 25-40% undervalued. American Producers need to pressure the Administration to hold currency manipulators accountable. This is why producers must call Congress and tell them to move on legislation to fix illegal currency manipulation which will help pressure both the Administration and China. Senators are considering attaching a bill by Sens. Schumer (D-NY), Stabenow (D-MI) and Graham (R-SC), S. 3134, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2010, to moving legislation at anytime but need to hear from you in order to convince leadership to hold the vote. This legislation would mandate that the Department of Commerce apply standard trade law remedies to currency subsidies. The House bill your Congressperson should co-sponsor is H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act by Representatives Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Tim Murphy (R-PA). Each House needs to act  -now!

Additional Background:
Congress needs pressure from us to move on legislation providing the Administration with additional tools to prosecute illegal currency manipulators such as China and others. Under pressure from manufacturing, labor, farmers, and other groups, the U.S. pressed China to take steps to allow their currency to float in a free market fashion, but China continues to delay while their policies injure our employers and employees. China’s announcement prior to the June G-20 Summit to allow their currency’s value to increase is a step in the right direction, but as proven before, they will not follow through unless held accountable. In fact, the “float” has barely changed the yuan’s value over the past three weeks and China’s exports are again surging.  The Senate is under pressure to add the Schumer/Stabenow/Graham currency manipulation bill to other legislation the Senate may pass any day now. The time to act is now! Call you Senators and Representatives to act now (see information at “How” above).

Script/Example of a Phone Call:

FROM A MANUFACTURER:  My name is John Doe and I work at Acme Production Company in Cleveland, Ohio with fifty employees. Foreign countries such as China continue to manipulate their currency giving them an illegal advantage over American companies, workers and employees.

FROM A FARMER/RANCHER:  My name is Jane Doe and I farm/ranch near Miles City, Montana.  Foreign countries such as China continue to manipulate their currency giving them an illegal advantage over American farmers and ranchers.  We cannot expand exports or protect ourselves from unfair imports unless legislative action is taken.

FROM A WORKER/CITIZEN:  My name is Jane Doe and I live and work in Omaha, Nebraska.  Foreign countries such as China continue to manipulate their currency giving them an illegal advantage over American workers and employees.

SENATOR CALL: On behalf of my fellow producers/farmers/ranchers/workers/voters I ask that the Senator co-sponsor S. 3134, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2010, offered by Senators Schumer, Stabenow and Graham.  I also ask that the Senator tell party leadership to move this bill to a vote without further delay.

REPRESENTATIVE CALL: On behalf of my fellow producers/farmers/ranchers/workers/voters, I ask that the Congressperson co-sponsor H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act by Representatives Tim Ryan and Tim Murphy. I also ask that the Senator tell party leadership to move this bill to a vote without further delay.