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Indivisibles,

As the threat of a MAGA default looms, President Biden scheduled a meeting
this week with congressional leaders -- including Kevin McCarthy and Mitch
McConnell -- to reiterate his position that Congress needs to pass a clean
bill to avoid default, without a MAGA wish list of harmful cuts attached. 

This is what we want to see. We need the President to maintain a strong
stance in the face of MAGA Republican hostage taking! McCarthy’s
hypocritically-titled Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 would be [ [link removed] ]disastrous
for Americans across the country. Most notably, it would slash Medicaid,
jeopardizing health care for 21 million people, and decimate funding for
education, eliminating over 100,000 teachers’ jobs. They know that. We
know that. Democrats can’t waiver in their opposition to these nakedly
harmful demands.   

It’s clear President Biden understands this too.
Biden will follow up his meeting by traveling to visit Hudson Valley, New
York this week. 

Why is this important?

The Hudson Valley is represented primarily by Republican Mike Lawler, one
of Indivisible Action’s 18 [ [link removed] ]Unrepresentatives -- Republican
representatives elected in districts won by Biden in 2020 -- and Lawler’s
race was close:

[ [link removed] ]NY17 10.06% - Biden's 2020 win margin; 0.63% Republicans 2022 win
margin.

Biden knows that these Republicans are particularly vulnerable to public
pressure as their constituencies favor Biden, and he’s visiting to ensure
those communities turn up the heat on their reps to stop giving in to the
extremists in their party and protect the American people.

Dems only need five Republicans to defect to avoid a default. With enough
pressure from their constituents, they can be flipped. 

[ [link removed] ]We need your help to drive even more phone calls in crucial districts.
RSVP to join Indivisible Action’s Direct Connect Calls to
Unrepresentatives Districts on Wednesday, May 17 at 1pm ET/10am PT.

At this virtual event, we’ll phonebank into Biden-supporting districts
whose Republican Unrepresentatives may be particularly vulnerable to being
flipped (including Mike Lawler’s district, just like Biden). The people we
reach will then have the opportunity to be connected directly with their
Unrepresentative’s office to demand they stop allowing MAGA Republicans to
hold the country hostage by threatening a disastrous default. 

You don’t need to be in one of the districts to join. We need help from
all across the country to reach these Unrepresentatives. Sign up now, and
next Wednesday, Indivisible Action will walk you through exactly how you
can fight MAGA extremism today and save our country from a default.

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 Your weekly Indivisible Project to-dos 

 1. If you have a Republican representative, [ [link removed] ]call and tell them that
their vote on McCarthy’s bill was unacceptable. Though four
Republicans voted against the bill, they voted against it because it
wasn’t extreme enough. It wasn’t extreme enough even though it calls
to slash 108,000 jobs for K-12 teachers and cut health care to seniors
and disabled children. Every Republican vote was a vote against the
needs of the American people and we are quickly running out of time to
reverse course. Contact your Representative today and let them know
that is unacceptable. Once you’ve called, [ [link removed] ]write a letter to the
editor demanding the House GOP stop pushing us towards a default.
 2. If you have a chance to see your Republican representative in person,
[ [link removed] ]use this birddogging guide to get your Republican representative 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 and make
sure everyone knows just where your representative stands.
 3. If your Democratic representative has stayed on the sidelines, [ [link removed] ]call
and tell them to join the fight in opposing MAGA’s cuts to programs
our communities rely on. Republicans are holding the world economy
hostage, and a handful of Democrats are still standing on the
sidelines, refusing to take a stance against cuts. We cannot allow any
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 of Congress (MoC) needs to
make it clear to Republicans that they won’t cave and that the
Democratic Party can be counted on to protect healthcare for millions
of seniors and disabled children, our teachers, and essential
programs. Once you’ve called, [ [link removed] ]write a letter to the editor (LTE)
encouraging your MoC not to negotiate with MAGA hostage-takers and
then [ [link removed] ]tweet at your MoC demanding they protect our crucial
programs.
 4. If your Democratic representative pledged their support, [ [link removed] ]call your
representative and thank them for publicly supporting no cuts to
Social Security and Medicare. 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 are to work for the people in the future. When you’re
finished calling, [ [link removed] ]write an LTE thanking your representative for
committing to protect vital programs. 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.

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[ [link removed] ]MAGA Default Crisis Week of Action May 19-26

The MAGA Default Crisis Week of Action is a week and a half away -- plan
your event now!

We’ve spent a lot of time in this Newsletter over the last few months
talking about the [ [link removed] ]MAGA Default Crisis. Now’s the time to put all of
that knowledge and planning into action. Join us for our May MAGA Default
Crisis Week of Action. 

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
started with stripping away crucial programs for American families like
Social Security and Medicare, and has now moved on to trying to slash
108,000 K-12 teaching jobs and cutting healthcare for seniors and disabled
children. If they don’t achieve it, they are threatening that they are
willing 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 Members of Congress (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 making sure they answer for the
extremism in their party and letting them know that, if the country
defaults, we’ll be holding them accountable. 

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:

* [ [link removed] ]Watch this video from Rep. Greg Casar and our very own Ezra Levin
on our MAGA Default Crisis Week of Action. Hear directly from a Member
of Congress about the inside-outside fight necessary to prevent a
default. The potential ramifications of a default would be
catastrophic for the American people. Watch Ezra and Rep. Casar put
the crisis into context. 
* [ [link removed] ]Check out our MAGA Default Crisis Week of Action homepage. This is
your one-stop shop for all things Week of Action. Not sure where to
start for an event? Check out the toolkit! Want to make sure other
folks in your area can see your event? Register your event. Check out
this page for everything you need to know about the upcoming week of
action, our strategy, and potential tactics you can use. 

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

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[17]WE LOVE TO SEE IT!

***In the 2023 Indivisible Guide, one of the most important things we
wanted to see was our representatives show up as fighters! We need
representatives that work for the people, not just their bank accounts
and special interests! So, why not highlight those fighters? We Love To
See It! will highlight the work being done by reps fighting for everyday
people’s well being, advancing democracy, and/or protecting personal
freedoms. Let’s stand up for our representatives when they stand up for
us! We Love To See It!***

State Representative Zooey Zephyr, MT-100

State Representative Zooey Zephyr has been valiantly fighting her
Republican peers’ attempts to attack her constituents. Republicans in the
Montana state legislature proposed a bill to ban gender-affirming care for
transgender children. 

In response, Zooey Zephyr, Montana’s first trans lawmaker, informed
Republican lawmakers that, if the bill passed, there would be blood on
their hands:

[ [link removed] ]Rep. Zephyr addressing the Montana House

 

She was silenced: 

[ [link removed] ]Picture of Rep. Zephyr pressing her light to speak in the House before
leaving

 

And then barred from the House floor:

[ [link removed] ]Picture of Rep. Zephyr working from outside the chamber on a bench

 

Though the extremists in Montana did eventually pass the bill, Zooey’s
steadfast advocacy in the face of hate has galvanized a community. In
standing up against the oppression of trans people, Zooey reminded the
nation that there are still people willing to fight for their freedom, and
the ensuing response was beautiful: 

[ [link removed] ]Four pictures of crowds from the protests after Rep. Zephyr was
expelled.

 

This single legislative battle may have been lost when Republicans passed
the abhorrent bill, but Zooey’s commitment has won out. This is not about
one battle, but the entire fight, and Zooey has given us a shining example
of how to continue to move forward in the face of bigotry and cowardice. 

On Saturday, Rep. Zephyr took the next step in her fight: [ [link removed] ]She proposed
to her girlfriend. Republican extremists and bigots did everything they
could to attempt to break her spirit and not only did Zooey not break, she
chose joy. It is moments like these that we are reminded that the fight is
not just on the legislative level, it’s also on the personal level.
Zooey’s choice to reaffirm her love in spite of the hate is a reminder
that no matter what they do, no matter how hard they try, they cannot
change who we are -- and they cannot strip away our humanity. We choose
love.

[ [link removed] ]Three pictures of Rep. Zephyr proposing and celebreating her
engagement.

 

**Bonus Points: If you see your rep showing up as a fighter and want to
highlight them, reply to this email with a link to the story and we
might feature it in our next Newsletter.**



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 IndivisiWin of the Week 

[ [link removed] ]Image of folks rallying in support of paid family leave. Front and
center is a woman with an Indivisible shirt on.

A member of Indivisible Saint Paul for Paid Leave featured prominently in
this [ [link removed] ]Minnesota Reformer coverage of Minnesotans rallying in support of
paid family and medical leave as it moves through Minnesota’s state
legislature.

Follow us on [ [link removed] ]Facebook, [ [link removed] ]Twitter, and [ [link removed] ]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.

We are less than two weeks away from the MAGA Default Crisis Weekend Of
Action, what are you going to do to stand up against Republican hostage
taking! [ [link removed] ]Start planning today!

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

[ [link removed] ]Indivisible Facebook

[ [link removed] ]Indivisible Twitter

[ [link removed] ]Indivisible Instagram



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