As far back as January, President Biden vowed he would not negotiate with Republican economic hostage-takers over the fast-approaching debt ceiling—he insisted on a clean debt limit increase with no strings attached. Now he has negotiated with them a debt-ceiling deal containing an array of compromises.
While the 99-page ransom deal rejects the most loathsome Republican demands and also does contain some good provisions, it includes cuts and policies that we of Indivisible strongly oppose. The ransom deal once again allows Republicans to further impoverish the poor while enriching the already rich, by taking food from hungry seniors and children and enabling wealthy tax-cheats.
As the House and Senate begin debating the ransom deal legislation today, it is possible that Republicans will raise new extortion demands. Our response has to be: “Not one penny more! Not one policy retreat further!”
Tell your Members of Congress to reject all further Republican ransom demands, and if Republicans refuse tell President Biden to nullify the Republicans’ threats outright.
An overview of how we got into this mess, and ways we could get out
What is the debt ceiling? Why do we even have this thing? And what are all these solutions that have been proposed for either getting out of the immediate crisis or putting an end to these shenanigans once and for all?
Read all about it in our Deep Dive.
Nighttime Internet access helps get people off the streets—it must be restored
San Franciscans love our libraries, and many of us rely on the free wireless internet access that our local branches provide. Few rely on this internet access more than our unhoused neighbors: applying for jobs, housing, and assistance such as SNAP often requires having both internet access to get to online portals and a means of contact such as an email address.
Unfortunately, Supervisor Mandelman appears not to care about any of that, and pressured the San Francisco Public Library last year to limit the hours in which the Eureka Valley branch’s wireless network is available in an effort to repel unhoused people from the area.
We don’t blame the San Francisco Public Library. They’re under political pressure from a well-established ideologue. The library staff know full well how much unhoused patrons depend on their services to access housing, jobs, and services. They need to hear that we have their back and that we want our library to serve all San Franciscans.
Tell the Library Commission: Restore full internet access to help unhoused San Franciscans get off the streets!
LAST DAY: Get free COVID-19 tests from USPS!
Today, May 31, is the very last day to get one more shipment of four free at-home tests from the USPS. Use these tests before attending (or hosting) a gathering or other event; if you test positive, cancel, or wear a good (N95) mask and be outside if possible.
USPS says they’ve distributed nearly three quarters of a billion tests through the program, reaching two out of three American households. Nearly half of the tests distributed have reached underserved communities that need them the most.
Get yours today at https://covidtests.gov/ . And after this program ends, remember that you can still get your insurance to reimburse at-home COVID-19 test purchases thanks to SB 510, passed in 2021.
Keep up your protection: Get another bivalent booster against COVID-19!
The protection you get from vaccination gradually wanes over time, so it’s important to regularly get boosters to maintain a high level of protection against COVID-19.
Everyone six years or older can get a bivalent booster if they haven’t already. If you’re sixty-five or older, or of any age and immunocompromised, you can now receive an additional bivalent booster following your previous dose, per updated CDC guidance. The California Department of Public Health has detailed, up-to-date information on when you can get your next booster.
The updated guidance also simplifies the schedule to remove the use of the outdated original monovalent (single-strain) vaccines. Now the bivalent vaccines are the only mRNA vaccines recommended in the United States. If you or your child only recently started the monovalent series, you’ll finish it with a bivalent dose.
The bivalent vaccines, introduced last year, provide better protection against more recent strains of the virus that causes COVID-19, particularly the Omicron strains. Keep up your protection by keeping up to date on your vaccines.
Continue to support Pajaro farm workers through long recovery
Locally, Pajaro residents still need our help after the city residents had to evacuate in the middle of the night when the Pajaro River levee broke on March 11 and flooded their homes and fields.
While FEMA aid is critical and will be helpful, it's not straightforward or convenient, nor does it include a significant portion of those living in Pajaro, because they are undocumented. Indeed, the aid is piecemeal. The livelihood of all the farm workers remains at great risk.
To continue to help those who face a long and difficult recovery, many community groups are providing cash, clothing, food, and cleanup supplies to the victims of this disaster, and they could still use your financial support:
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If you’re interested in participating in activities like drafting letters to our Members of Congress and developing our strategy for influencing them, the Indivisible SF Federal Working Group is where it happens.
Indivisible SF Federal Working Group: Thursday, June 8, 7:30–9 PM. Planning meeting where we discuss strategy to influence our Members of Congress and the Biden administration to enact a progressive agenda. Meeting starts promptly at 7:30 PM. All are welcome. Register here!
SURJ SF Dialogue: Accountability Through Collective Action: Sunday, June 4, Noon–1:30 PM. SURJ SF Dialogues are participatory events designed for, but not exclusive to, white people committed to anti-racism who want to examine issues of identity, privilege, racism, and white supremacy. Individuals at all stages of their anti-racist journey are invited to join us. This Dialogue will explore what building accountability relationships with BIPOC organizations engaged in racial justice work looks like and why it is so important. Register here.
Commit to Democracy Town Hall with Rep. Josh Harder: Monday, June 5, 5–6 PM. Join Rep. Josh Harder and our fellow Indivisibles to get ready to win the House in 2024. RSVP here.
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If you’ve seen our newsletter posts on Twitter and Facebook, you might have noticed that we include a photo or graphic with each issue.
This week’s image is a photo of a woman holding a stack of freshly-printed savings bonds, taken by Harris & Ewing between 1917 and 1919 and obtained from the Library of Congress.
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
If you'd like to support our all-volunteer team:
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