Women’s Group Reacts as AT&T Suspends Giving to Members of the Seditious Caucus
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, January 11, 2021
CONTACT: Madison Donzis | madison@unbendablemedia.com
Women’s Group Reacts as AT&T Suspends Giving to Members of the Seditious Caucus
UltraViolet Previously Urged AT&T to Cut Donations to Extremist GOP Candidates
Moments ago, AT&T announced that they were suspending PAC contributions to members of Congress who voted to object to the certification of the electoral college votes declaring President-elect Biden the winner of the 2020 Presidential election.
In reaction to the announcement, Sonja Spoo, Director of Reproductive Rights Campaigns at UltraViolet, issued the following statement:
“We applaud AT&T for taking this step, but AT&T needs to do more including pledging to never give to these members of Congress again, withholding further funds from the Republican party until seditious members are expelled from Congress or resign, and rescinding donations to the members who they have already given to who took part in the insurrection.
“AT&T had ample warning of the extremist leanings of the candidates they support. UltraViolet warned AT&T this fall through letters and public actions that their political contributions were funding racist, anti-women, anti-justice candidates. We are now seeing the horrific end result of that extremism ”
In September, UV launched the #ReproReceipts campaign which highlighted the ways in which corporate support of anti-choice candidates for office furthered a larger extremist political ideology that was anti-women, anti-justice and dangerous for the country. As part of that campaign,UltraViolet warned AT&T about its political giving to Republican extremists, like Senator Ted Cruz, and activated consumer pressure to demand AT&T reconsider its political giving including launching a petition and running a TV ad during the NBA finals–which AT&T was a sponsor of.
AT&T gave $10,000 to Sen. Ted Cruz who said tweeted earlier that month that “Pregnancy is not a life-threatening illness” and moved to ban necesary medication that helps women with abortions.
They gave $120,000 to the GOP’s Senate Committee, whose leader Mitch McConnell has tried to put votes forward to jail doctors who provide constitutionally protected health care services for women around the country
Almost 2 million dollars, or 56% of AT&T’s total political giving in 2020 was to anti-choice candidates or their associates PACs.
Learn more about UltraViolet’s “ReproReceipts” campaign here: https://weareultraviolet.org/6-companies-giving-to-anti-choice-candidates/
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UltraViolet is a community of more than one million people that drives feminist cultural and political change. Through people power and strategic advocacy, we work to improve the lives of women and girls of all identities and backgrounds, and all people impacted by sexism, by dismantling discrimination and creating a cost for sexism.