Indivisibles,

It’s time!!

Join Indivisible Project for our MAGA Default Crisis Week of Action beginning this Friday. We have one full week jam-packed with events to fight back against Republican attempts to hold the economy hostage through threat of a default. 

MAGA extremists are refusing to pay the country's 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 over 100,000 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 holding 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. 

For example, Delaware Valley Action has already gotten ahead of the action holding a rally last week thanking Rep. Cartwright for standing strong:

We are so close to 100 events for the week with more streaming in every day! Here’s how you can join in on the fun:

• Find a Week of Action event near you! Want to see if there’s already an event near you that you can participate in? Check in with our event map and RSVP for an event near you! With events ranging from virtual skill-shares to in-person rallies, there is something for everyone in the works. And if you don’t see one for you…
• Check out our MAGA Default Crisis Week of Action homepage. This is your one-stop shop for all things Week of Action where you can learn about the crisis, plan an event, download graphics, apply for grants, and more. 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.

Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen recently warned that the U.S. could default on our debt as soon as June 1. This week of action could not be more perfectly timed to remind our representatives that we are watching and that their next steps will have a profound impact not only on the world economy, but also on every hard working American family. Join us for our Week of Action today, and make your voice heard.

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

 Your 4 weekly to-dos 

1. If you have a Republican representative, call and tell them that their vote on McCarthy’s bill was unacceptable. Though four Republicans voted against McCarthy’s “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023,” 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 healthcare 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 protect our crucial programs.
4. If your Democratic representative pledged their support, 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, 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.

P.S. We rely on grassroots supporters to help fund the tools Indivisibles use on a daily basis -- including the call pages and LTE tools on your to do list! If you're able, pitch in today to help fund Indivisible Project’s work and keep this movement going.

Indivisible Project

South Carolina, House Democrats

South Carolina (SC) is in the middle of a fight for abortion access as one of the few southern states left providing abortions. The SC Senate failed to advance a total abortion ban when it was filibustered by women in the Senate, but the House was called back into session to push through a 6-week abortion ban. In an effort to stall the bill and in hopes of running out the clock, Democratic representatives delivered over 1,000 amendments to the House floor totaling 8 boxes worth of paper. Check out the video here.

California Indivisibles and Dianne Feinstein

With so much at stake in the Senate, Senator Feinstein's absence was felt very strongly by her constituents in California and by our Indivisible chapters there. 

Sen. Feinstein sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and with her gone, it was impossible to move ahead with some judicial nominees and the committee's ability to hold Clarence Thomas accountable in the wake of serious corruption allegations was also hampered. 

Our Indivisible groups in California took swift action, with more than 60 Indivisible groups and partner orgs calling on Sen. Feinstein to step down to restore their representation in the Senate, and so that critical Senate business could move forward. Their advocacy was written up in media outlets across the state and nationally. Their work paid off -- last week, Sen. Feinstein returned to the Senate, and Democrats were immediately able to advance votes on judges whose nominations had stalled. You can read more about their efforts here. We hope you'll join us in celebrating the incredible work of our California Indivisibles!

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

Indivisible Austin held their Spring Potluck recruitment event last Sunday. After over two months of planning, direct outreach, and a thoughtfully crafted agenda, the event was so successful that they ran out of seating!!

Indivisible Action's Unrepresentatives Phonebank

Join Indivisible Action for a phonebank into Unrepresentative districts this Wednesday, May 17 at 1pm ET/10 am PT. Kevin McCarthy has allowed MAGA-Republicans like Matt Gaetz to take over the Republican party and control vital pieces of their platform and agenda. Now, we are facing the threat of defaulting on our debts for the first time in American history due to those same extremists holding our economy hostage. And the Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is cheering them on, actually encouraging a devastating collapse.

The Unrepresentatives are the 18 Republican Members of Congress who represent districts that Biden won in 2020. We believe these Unrepresentatives are uniquely vulnerable to persuasion from their constituents because they know that their re-election campaigns will sit on a razor’s edge of possibility. The simple wisdom is: If you want to win an election, don’t piss off your electorate. Voters will remember. 

This is where you come in! Time is tight, and we need everyone to take action in order to prevent a default that would hurt our seniors, our schools, our veterans, and our economy.

Indivisible Action will be calling into Unrepresentative districts to talk to voters about how MAGA Republicans are trying to slash over 100,000 K-12 teachers’ jobs and cut healthcare for seniors and disabled children. At the end, we’ll connect them directly through to their Reps and encourage them to speak up to the people elected to represent them. We need to make sure that the voters in those districts are activated and loud, so their representatives know exactly what is going to happen if they choose to allow a default -- they will be voted out. 

Join us this Wednesday May 17 at 1pm ET/10am PT for our Indivisible Action Phonebank into Unrepresentative districts.

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.

Indivisible Project’s Week of Action begins Friday, how are you getting involved? Check out the MAGA Default Crisis Week of Action page today to get started!

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team