Indivisibles, 

House Republicans plan to force a vote on their horrific “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023,” as early as Wednesday this week.

The aptly-named legislation will limit our ability to address climate change, save corporations from paying their fair share of taxes, and grow the pockets of big oil and special interests as it strips away benefits from hard-working Americans.

Extremist Republicans know that this bill will never pass in the Senate or be signed by President Biden. Their goal is not for it to pass. This is a power play from the most extreme members of the Republican party to exert their control over Kevin McCarthy and the rest of their caucus, committing all of them to a suite of toxic policies and a scheme to blow up the economy through the MAGA Default Crisis. 

This bill would:

• Create mountains of arbitrary paperwork that would strip life saving Medicaid and Food Stamps from millions of seniors, families, and children
• Make it easier for big corporations and the ultra wealthy to cheat on their taxes by revoking IRS funding 
• Saddle millions of working people with student debt 
• And make huge cuts to climate, public health, and infrastructure funding just to name a few.  

Currently, no Democrats have expressed any intention of voting for this bill, and it is so extreme that even a few Republicans have come out against it (as always, we’ll believe them when we see them vote). Republicans know full-well that passing this bill would harm their constituents -- it’s just that they think they can get away with it. They are posturing to bolster their position in the MAGA Default Crisis fight. 

We need Democrats to stand united during this vote and make it clear they oppose the Republican plan to cause a MAGA Default Crisis. The vast majority of House Dems have already committed to no cuts for Social Security and Medicare, check this list to see if your Rep is one of the handful who has not. 

As for House Republicans, with a few claiming that they will vote against this bill, we want to turn up the pressure on all Republicans to oppose it. We don’t know if any Republicans will stick to their word, but that can’t stop us from working to chip away at their ranks. If you have a Republican representative, call them and demand they oppose Kevin McCarthy’s disastrous default bill.

Now is the time to stand united against MAGA legislation. We send people to Washington to help the American people, not line the pockets of their friends and donors. This extreme bill is just one small volley in this ongoing fight to prevent the MAGA default. Make sure your Rep knows where you stand. 

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

 Your 5 weekly to-dos 

1. If your Democratic representative has not yet signed on, call and tell them to add their name to the Boyle, Jayapal, Kuster letter opposing any cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Republicans are threatening to hold the world economy hostage, and a handful of Democrats are still standing on the sidelines. We cannot allow these conservative Dems to give in to Republican hostage-taking. Democrats need to stand strong and join President Biden in saying we’re not negotiating with hostage-takers. Every Democratic member who signs onto this letter makes it clearer to Republicans that Dems won’t cave, and clearer to all Americans that the Democratic Party can be counted on to protect Medicare and Social Security. Once you’ve called, write a letter to the editor (LTE) encouraging your MoC not to negotiate with MAGA hostage-takers and then tweet at your MoC demanding they sign on.
2. If your Democratic representative has already signed on, call your representative and thank them for signing on to the letter. Our representatives need to know when we’re in support of their actions, there’s no better way to let them know than to call them directly. The stronger we show our support, the more likely they will work for the people in the future. When you’re finished calling, write an LTE thanking your representative for signing on. Don’t just support your MoC in private, submit an LTE thanking your representative so that your community, and other MoCs paying attention, know that your representative is doing the right thing and supported by their constituents. Public praise helps put the pressure on the remaining MoCs to sign on too. 
3. If you have a Republican representative, use this birddogging guide to get them on record about Kevin McCarthy’s horrific debt bill. We must hold our Republican representatives accountable for their capitulation to the most extreme members of their party. Republicans know cuts to these programs are deeply unpopular. Get your Rep on record today.
4. Register for the Indivisible POC Monthly Call tomorrow, Tuesday, April 25 at 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT. Join Indivisible National POC staff as we talk and connect around issues that directly affect POC, the work that we do, and the world in which we try to create lasting change. Please note that this is a space specifically for people of color/indigenous group leaders and members.
5. RSVP for our National Rural Caucus call this Sunday, April 30 at 3pm ET/12pm PT. Communities of faith are the glue that hold our rural towns and counties together, but in the media and across society, faith is often looked at as belonging to conservatives. Join Indivisible’s Rural Caucus for our monthly meeting as we speak with progressive faith leaders about how they’re organizing to build power in red and rural areas. **Note: This is on a special date and time. Join us this Sunday!**

P.S. We rely on your support to keep call pages up and running, fund digital communications to get the word out, and continue all the work we’re doing this year. If you’re able, click here to donate to help fund our work.

Mifepristone

In a surprising turn of events, the MAGA Supreme Court paused Judge Kacsmaryk and the Fifth Circuit of Appeal’s attempts to roll back the authorization and availability of mifepristone for medication abortion -- at least for now. This means mifepristone and other forms of medication abortion are still legal at the federal level and can be obtained by mail.

This ruling ensures mifepristone will likely stay on the shelves at least until the Supreme Court decides whether or not to hear a full appeal. That won't happen for at least a few months, if not longer. For now, we get a reprieve from this particular attempt to restrict reproductive rights while awaiting a full SCOTUS ruling. Here’s what’s important to keep in mind:

• We got a good ruling from MAGA SCOTUS? Does that mean the Supreme Court is good now? Honestly, we’re as surprised as you are. But, it’s important to keep in mind that this does not mean that the conservative justices won’t continue to chip away at access to mifepristone and reproductive rights in general. Both Clarence Thomas, who should be worrying about his own legitimacy, and Samuel Alito dissented from the stay, strongly signaling that they would wield their votes to block mifepristone and the ability to mail it upon appeal. 
• What about the other conservative justices? Justices aren’t required to say how they voted in emergency orders like the one we got in the mifepristone case. We do know that, besides Alito and Thomas, none of the rest of the MAGA majority in SCOTUS signed their name to the ruling or to either dissent. What does this mean for the appeal? We don’t know. It could signal that Kacsmaryk’s ruling was so extreme even extremists couldn’t support it for fear of the damage it could cause to the FDA’s ability to regulate drugs. It could also mean that they wanted more time to get their heinous views in alignment before stripping away yet another right from the American people. We don’t have enough information to be sure what they will do in the future, but we do know that those same justices voted to repeal Roe -- they are not our allies in this fight. We cannot count on them to do the right thing.
• What’s the new timeline? The Fifth Circuit will likely hear the full appeal in the next few weeks or months and the case will almost certainly end up before the Supreme Court after that. This could stretch into next year, but in the meantime, mifepristone remains safe from Kascmaryk’s extreme ruling.

Moving forward, we know that extremists will continue to attempt to subvert the will of the people by restricting abortion access across the county. The anti-abortion movement will not stop at this ruling. They will regroup, and they will come back with some other ghoulish attack on our bodies. 

We will stay vigilant against these extremists. We will continue to work to stop Republican attacks on our bodies. But for now, we take this win in stride as we prepare for the next fight.

We’ve spent a lot of time in this Newsletter over the last few months talking about the MAGA Default Crisis. Now’s the time to put all of that knowledge and planning into action. Join us for our MAGA Default Crisis Weekend of Action, May 19-26!

The biggest legislative fight this year is quietly playing out in back rooms in the halls of Congress, but hardly anyone nationally is talking about it. MAGA extremists are refusing to pay their debts unless they are allowed to force their cruel policy agenda through Congress. That agenda consists of stripping away crucial programs for American families like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and if they don’t achieve it, they are threatening to throw the country into another recession by defaulting on our debts for the first time in American history.

This is where we come in.

Indivisibles are going to hold events all across the country calling on their MoCs to protect American families. For Democratic MoCs, we’ll be reminding them to hold strong in the face of MAGA hostage-taking -- the only people who win from Dem concessions are lobbyists for the wealthy and well-connected and the politicians they donate to. For Republican MoCs, we’re holding them accountable for the outcomes of a default and making sure they answer for the extremism in their party.

That can look like pep rallies, “thank you” visits to congressional offices, light brigades, birddogging, and all of the other creative ways Indivisibles have thought of in the past (and will think of in the future) to draw more attention to this pending crisis. But to get you started:

• Read our comprehensive MAGA Default Crisis Weekend of Action Toolkit. Want to know more about the MAGA Default Crisis? Not sure where to start for an event? Check out this resource for everything you need to know about the upcoming weekend of action, our strategy, and potential tactics you can use.
• Register your event on the Indivisible map. Get your event on the map ASAP so that other Indivisibles in your area can find it and join in! Indivisible means we do this together -- the more the merrier. Make sure other activists in your area know there’s a plan! ** Make sure to include “MAGA Default Crisis” as the event issue focus**
• RSVP for our Event Planning Training on Thursday, May 4 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Learn the tips and tricks to ensure your event is a success. From recruitment to media protocols, Indivisible will be providing guidance on best practices to increase your event’s impact.

Start planning your Week of Action events today and let’s end this MAGA Default Crisis before it becomes a national catastrophe.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, NM-03

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández standing up for trans kids as she fights to oppose H.R. 734 the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023.” After quoting Republican Governor Spencer Cox saying, “I just want them to live,” Rep. Fernández goes further citing numbers, “75,000, 4, 1, 86, and 56.” That’s 75,000 high schoolers participating in sports in Utah, 4 trans kids playing sports, 1 trans girl playing sports, 86% of trans youth reporting suicidal thoughts, and 56% who have attempted suicide. Check out a clip of her remarks here.

Rep. Ro Khanna, CA-17

Rep. Khanna summed up one of the most important themes of the Democratic response to anti-trans legislation saying, “I wanna speak to the trans kids in America today, I wanna say you belong in the American family. We’re proud of you. Democrats must not be quiet.” Watch Rep. Khanna urge his colleagues to vote no on the heinous MAGA bill.

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

Kat, a group leader with Indivisible group Bans Off Miami, being interviewed while participating in the #OccupyFlorida (formerly #occupytally23) effort to resist the most recent abortion ban in Florida. Follow along with their efforts here!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text messaging program where we send rapid response actions a few times a month.

The default crisis is front and center this week with Republicans attempting to steal the narrative. We know that Indivisibles won’t let them succeed. Call your Rep, write an LTE, prepare for our Week of Action, and get activated to fight back against their extremism.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team