Dear MoveOn member,
President Joe Biden, who is not a man of hyperbole, said something
extraordinary on Sunday.
He was talking about Republicans' continued refusal to raise the debt
ceiling so the government can pay its bills—even after Treasury Secretary
Janet Yellen again warned Congress last week that we're careening toward a
default that would "generate an economic and financial catastrophe."^1
President Biden said, "I think there are some MAGA Republicans in the
House who know the damage that it would do to the economy, and because I
am president, and the president's responsible for everything, Biden would
take the blame."^2
It's incredibly damning, but it resonates deeply, especially after
Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling three times, with no
preconditions, when Donald Trump was in the White House and nearly a
decade of the party's acquiescence to Trump and his fascism.^3
And now Republicans have created this debt ceiling crisis to score
political points by demanding draconian spending cuts to health care, food
stamps, education, veterans' benefits, cancer research, and more.^4
John, more could not be on the line. We have to turn up the
heat—and quickly.
[ [link removed] ]MoveOn has gone all-in on a strategic campaign targeting vulnerable
Republicans who are most likely to break with their party and join
Democrats in averting this disaster, but we are in desperate need of
additional resources to power the campaign in these critical final days.
We've been running print and digital ads in their districts, driving calls
to their offices, and recruiting people to protests, but we need to keep
doing more. Can you rush a $3 gift now?
John, we need to be clear-eyed about what will happen if the
GOP follows the orders of Trump and other MAGA extremists and allows the
country to go into default.
* 66 million Americans will stop receiving their Social Security
benefits.^5
* Stock prices could fall by as much as 45%, immediately erasing $10
trillion in household wealth and wiping out retirement accounts for
millions of Americans.^6
* There will be no system to pay 2.3 million federal workers, meaning
everything from mail delivery to air traffic control could be
disrupted.^7,8,9
* The impacts could quickly turn into an unprecedented global financial
crisis.^10
The consequences are dire, but MoveOn has a plan to help avoid this
catastrophe.
Democrats need only five Republicans to break ranks and vote to raise the
debt ceiling, which is why we are turning up the heat on the 18 House
Republicans who represent swing districts that President Biden won in 2020
and are most vulnerable to losing their seats next year.
We call them the Complicit Caucus because so far, despite masquerading as
moderates, they have been complicit in elevating Kevin McCarthy, Marjorie
Taylor Greene, and the MAGA agenda. They know that their constituents
don't want them to follow the MAGA Republicans off a cliff and
default—which is why we're turning up the heat now. We're organizing
high-visibility protests, putting up billboards, running hard-hitting ads,
and flooding their offices with calls from constituents—and it’s putting
them on the ropes.
There are 600,000 MoveOn members spread across these districts who are
ready to ensure that these Republicans all lose their seats if they ignore
their constituents. All we need to do now is make sure these
representatives know what the consequences will be of their reckless
actions.
[ [link removed] ]With only days left before the June 1 deadline, we need to pull out all
the stops in order to stop the Republicans from sending our economy into
chaos. Will you rush an urgent $3 donation now to power
this work through the finish line?
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Amanda, Kelly, Evelyn, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Biden and McCarthy Set to Resume Negotiations on Debt Limit," The New
York Times, May 22, 2023
[link removed]
2. Ibid.
3. "Yes, Republicans lifted the debt ceiling without spending cuts under
Trump," Verify, May 17, 2023
[link removed]
4. "What’s in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending," AP News,
April 26, 2023
[link removed]
5. "Yellen: U.S. faces 'widespread suffering' if debt limit not raised,"
Politico, May 16, 2023
[link removed]
6. Ibid.
7. "Federal Civilian Employment," U.S. Office of Personnel Management,
accessed May 18, 2023
[link removed]
8. "Number of Postal Employees Since 1926," United States Postal Service,
accessed May 18, 2023
[link removed]
9. "Yellen: U.S. faces 'widespread suffering' if debt limit not raised,"
Politico, May 16, 2023
[link removed]
10. Ibid.
Want to support MoveOn's work? Voters just defied history and stopped a
MAGA wave of extremism at the polls. But there is more work to do to end
the filibuster, codify abortion rights into law, and defend our freedoms,
our families, and our futures. We can accomplish all this and more, but
only if we work together.
Will you chip in right now to power our critical work?
[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, [ [link removed] ][link removed]?.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. MoveOn Political
Action - PO Box 96142, Washington, D.C. 20090-6142.
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
