<div dir="ltr">Dear Danielle Chynoweth,<div><br></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-4ee19a0f-8026-0ead-ab75-01f18810af54"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I write on behalf of National Priorities Project in the midst of -- as you well-know -- a moment of significant crisis for our nation's budget. </span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">NPP's team has launched</span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">a series of timely new resources to help every-day Americans understand the high-stakes negotiations happening in Washington.</span></p>
<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The government shutdown is affecting all of us. See how we got to this point and how we can demand better.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">How the Shutdown is Undermining Our Democracy and Economy:</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/en/blog/2013/10/01/government-shutting-down-what-you-need-know/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Government Shutdown: What You Need to Know</span></a></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/en/blog/2013/09/27/government-shutdown-failure-democracy/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Government Shutdown is a Failure of Democracy</span></a></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jo-comerford/transparency-groups-to-co_b_4024531.html" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Letter to Congress: Appropriations Logjam Hurts Democracy</span></a></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/en/blog/2013/10/03/how-much-does-government-shutdown-cost/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">How Much Does the Government Shutdown Cost?</span></a></p>
<br><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/en/blog/2013/10/03/how-much-does-government-shutdown-cost/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></a><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Lawmakers are talking about tax reform. The stakes are high for every-day Americans who generally don't have access to information about how our tax code benefits the privileged few.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Tax Breaks Give Away Billions to the Wealthiest-- See Exactly Who Benefits:</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/en/interactive-data/taxbreaks/2013/visualization/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Exposing the Big Money in the Top 10 Tax Breaks: Interactive Visualization</span></a></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/media/uploads/publications/tax_expenditures_report.final.pdf" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Report: Exposing the Big Money in Tax Breaks</span></a></p>
<br><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/media/uploads/publications/tax_expenditures_report.final.pdf" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></a><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Even in a climate of so-called austerity, hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars pour into the Department of Defense each year. Get the facts on military spending and the local impact in your community.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">See the Real-Time Cost of Military Programs -- and See How Much Your City/Town is Paying:</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/en/cost-of/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Cost of War in Afghanistan</span></a></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/en/cost-of/department-defense/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Department of Defense</span></a></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/en/cost-of/homeland-security-since-911/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Homeland Security Since 9/11</span></a></p>
<br><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/en/cost-of/homeland-security-since-911/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></a><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">For more information:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sign up for our weekly eblasts:</span><a href="http://nationalpriorities.org/email/signup/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">http://nationalpriorities.org/email/signup/</span></a></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Subscribe to our YouTube channel:</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/NationalPriorities" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">http://www.youtube.com/user/NationalPriorities</span></a></p>
<br><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/NationalPriorities" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></a><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Feel free to contact Jo Comerford, our Executive Director, should NPP be able to offer any support for your work (</span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="mailto:jo@nationalpriorities.org">jo@nationalpriorities.org</a></span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">).</span></p>
<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Best wishes,</span></p>
Fasharra Branagan<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></span><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Fasharra Branagan<div>
National Priorities Project</div><div>243 King Street, Suite 109</div><div>Northampton, MA 01060</div><div>413.584.9556</div></div>
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