Indivisibles,

It is day four of our MAGA Default Crisis Week of Action today, and so far, it has been a smashing success. 

From Pennsylvania, to Texas, to California, to Minnesota, to Georgia, Indivisibles all across the country have been staging incredible events demanding that their representatives avoid a default without throwing teachers, seniors, and children under the bus.  

Indivisibles are hosting over 120 registered events across the country and still counting. 

But events are not the only numbers we’re watching. The default day (potentially June 1) is fast approaching and Republicans are still playing games. 

Last Friday, McCarthy’s team abruptly walked away from meetings with the White House about avoiding a default. They returned a few hours later, clearly showing their hand that this tantrum was more Republican theatrics to try and strong-arm Democrats into giving in to extremist demands at the expense of the American people.

Where does that leave us?

Ezra wrote an incredible medium piece detailing the current state of play last Friday. Read the whole thing, but the main takeaway is that there are four things we need to accomplish to avoid this crisis:

1. Unite Democrats
2. Circumvent McCarthy
3. Play hardball
4. Apply pressure locally

That means getting all Democrats to sign onto the discharge petition, picking off vulnerable Republicans to break from their party and prevent a default, making sure Democrats are using all options on the table (more on that in a moment), and continuing to apply pressure to our representatives that can only come from their constituents. 

You know what these tactics have in common? They are all achievable during this Week of Action. You get to tailor your tactics to your representative to achieve one piece of the whole. Every one of us, whether our reps are MAGA extremists, members of the Progressive Caucus, moderates, Republicans, Democrats, or any other designation has a part to play. 

We are just over one week out until June 1. How are you going to help prevent a default crisis?

A note on hardball options for Democrats:

There has been a lot of recent talk surrounding the different tactics Democrats can use to avoid default. With extremist Republicans doing everything they can to hold us hostage, a typical and simple vote brought forth by the Speaker is not guaranteed to occur (but Biden does need to continue holding talks with House Republican leadership, it’s the right thing to do). 

In the meantime, there are a few other viable methods that we need to hold on to: 

Plan A) Discharge petition: The discharge petition is a strategy that would allow House Democrats to circumvent McCarthy to bring a vote to avoid default to the floor. It would require every single Democrat and five Republicans to sign on. As of right now, 210 Democrats have signed on. We will be putting pressure on the rest of the Democratic caucus and vulnerable Republicans to sign on ASAP to avoid a default. 

Plan B) The 14th Amendment: The 14th Amendment states, “the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.” Some legal experts argue that this language makes the debt ceiling unconstitutional and that President Biden is constitutionally required to ignore it in this circumstance (here’s an explainer from the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center). It is important to note:

• This has never been tried before
• This would almost certainly end up before the Supreme Court and we know that the extremist SCOTUS majority is in the pocket of Republicans 

These notes are important to keep in mind for why the 14th Amendment is important for Biden to keep in back pocket as a ‘break glass in case of emergency,’ but that the most strategic Plan A remains the discharge petition. 

As default day draws closer, Dems will need to continue to pursue multiple strategies to ensure this crisis doesn’t become a reality. We are here to make sure that they do.

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

 Your 4 weekly to-dos 

1. Find a Week of Action event near you today! Do you know if there’s an event near you that you can participate in? Check in with our event map and RSVP for any event near you today! With events ranging from virtual skill-shares to in-person rallies, there is something for everyone in the works.
2. If you have a Republican representative, call and demand they sign the discharge petition to avoid a default. We are just over a week away from a default that would cripple the global economy. House Republicans are still trying to use that threat to do horrific things like slash 100,000 jobs for K-12 teachers and cut health care to seniors and disabled children. Now is not the time for them to be playing these games. We need just five Republicans to sign the discharge petition so that we can vote to avoid a disastrous default. Contact your representative today and let them know that they need to sign the discharge petition today! Once you’ve called, write a letter to the editor demanding the House GOP stop pushing us towards a default.
3. 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.
4. If your Democratic representative signed the discharge petition, call your representative and thank them for publicly supporting no cuts to Medicaid, education, or other programs we rely on. If your Representative is not Jared Golden or Ed Case, they have signed the discharge petition to clear a route for a vote on the default crisis without needing McCarthy’s help. This is great! 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. If you've completed your weekly to-do's and are looking for more ways to support this movement, consider making a donation today. Your contribution will help keep our call pages up and running, fund the tools we use to mobilize volunteers, and continue all the work we're doing this year.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 23, we will be holding a MAGA Default Crisis Week of Action Call-In Day! 

We’ve been asking you to contact your representatives a lot. That is because it is, outside of earned media, one of the most impactful ways to push our elected officials to act. When they start to feel the pressure from their constituents, our reps get scared. We need to key into those feelings of self-preservation. 

Tomorrow, we are asking folks all across the country to take one extra day to make sure to contact their representatives. The more calls we can drive on one day, the more we have the opportunity to really show a groundswell of attention on the MAGA Default Crisis. 

Even if you have a set day that you call every week. Even if you participated in a Week of Action event this weekend. We need you to add an extra call to your schedule. Join us in turning the heat up on our Members of Congress to avert this crisis. 

Look out for an email tomorrow morning with more details.

Megan Hunt, State Senator, NE

State Senator Megan Hunt has been engaged in a protracted fight to ensure the safety of trans Nebraskans. Through organizing, fiery speeches, and filibustering every bill, Hunt and Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh have stood vocally and visibly in support of the trans community. Unfortunately, they lost their fight this week as Nebraska lawmakers passed a new combined ban on gender affirming care for trans youth and a 12-week abortion ban last Friday. But it did not go without one more brilliant quote that encapsulated the entire debate.

As one of their colleagues complained that Hunt and Cavanaugh’s filibuster has caused her to miss her grandson’s preschool graduation, Hunt, whose son is trans, explained, “you won’t come off this bill that hurts my son. You hate him more than you love your own family. That's why you’re here.”

Though this particular bill has passed, the people of Nebraska are in it for the long haul. Watch Senators Hunt and Cavanaugh exit the legislative session to a huge crowd giving thanks and chanting “we will win,” here:

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, TX-30

During a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on crime in Washington, DC last week, Rep. Jasmine Crockett took the gloves off while concisely and pointedly calling out Republican hypocrisy. 

Republicans have been holding up DC recently as an example of out of control crime in an attempt to continue holding undue control over policing in the nation’s capital. In response, Rep. Crockett reminded them to get their own house in order first as they “can’t even keep the halls of Congress crime-free.” Check out a clip of her response to Republican criminal hypocrisy here.

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

We will have more coverage of the incredible Week of Action events when it is all done but here is a preview of just one of the incredible rallies put on by groups across the country. Indivisibles in Minnesota rallied in front of Pete Stauber’s office this weekend.

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.

Our Week of Action runs through this Friday. Find an event near you today! Do everything you can before June 1 to help us prevent a default. Our teachers, our veterans, and our children depend on it.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team