Indivisibles, 

Less than 48 hours ago, we stood on the precipice of a government shutdown -- a crisis manufactured by the MAGA Republicans controlling the House and exacerbated by Kevin McCarthy’s failure to rein in extremists like Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Vote after vote, McCarthy simply could not organize his colleagues to pass a budget and stop the chaos. 

McCarthy finally agreed to put a clean Continuing Resolution (or CR) on the floor, which was the bipartisan option on the table the entire time. It passed the House overwhelmingly, with essentially every Democrat voting for it, but 90 Republicans voting against. It quickly passed the Senate as well, with every Democrat voting for it and 9 Republicans voting against. Biden signed the bill before the deadline Saturday night, and the shutdown was averted.

Thanks to the leadership of key House Democrats -- as well as local Indivisibles mobilizing in districts across the country -- Democrats held the line against extreme MAGA demands, and averted a government shutdown that would have disrupted services, caused hundreds of thousands to miss paychecks, and perpetuated the right-wing goal of government dysfunction. Republicans flailed, the Unrepresentatives took a horrible vote for 30% cuts for no reason, and in the end got zero concessions. 

So where does that leave us? We averted a shutdown for now, but this is just a temporary fix. Congress is back on deadline to pass a budget (or another continuing resolution, kicking the can even further down the road) by Friday, November 17, when the current CR ends. This fight isn’t over, so stay tuned for more opportunities for action. And McCarthy’s leadership woes are far from over, as Matt Gaetz threatens to introduce a Motion to Vacate (more on that process here). If it comes to a vote, however, it is not up to Democrats to swoop in and save him -- we’d need a power sharing agreement that disempowers the MAGA extremists from running the show. Since day one, we knew the MAGA House was a disaster, and this calamitous process makes it even clearer that Republicans cannot be trusted to govern.

Finally, as we’re uplifting Democratic leadership in Congress, we also take a moment to acknowledge the passing of California Senator Dianne Feinstein. Throughout her long and distinguished tenure in office, Senator Feinstein played a crucial role in advocating for gun safety, championing environmental conservation efforts, and fighting for women's rights and healthcare access. Senator Feinstein made history as the longest serving woman in the Senate, and in her decades of trailblazing public service, she broke ground and helped solidify what women could do in American politics again and again. Her legacy serves as a reminder of the positive impact dedicated public servants can have on our nation.

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

 Your 4 weekly to-dos 

1. If you’re in a red state or Republican-controlled district, join us this Wednesday, October 4 for the next Our States, Our Fates monthly call. In honor of Banned Books Week here at Indivisible, we're putting together a call for folks affected by book bans, or at risk of being affected by book bans, to talk about the places that book bans show up -- our libraries. If you're in a red area, or if far-right extremists have tried to take over your educational institutions and libraries, this is the call for you. We'll be talking more as well about the future of state and local work with the Our States, Our Fates cohort.
2. If you’re in a blue district, be sure to register for our next Making a Majority Blue Districts Cohort monthly call on Tuesday, October 10, featuring California Rep. Sara Jacobs! This call is open to anyone in a Congressional district represented by a Democrat. We'll talk about our plan to win in 2024 and pass important bills in 2025.
3. If your representative is a Democrat, call them now and ask them to champion reproductive freedom and protect abortion access. Last week, we introduced our new Reproductive Freedom Agenda to not only codify Roe, but also extend protections for reproductive freedoms even further. We need all Democrats in the House to cosponsor the entire agenda. Each bill is important on its own, but together they combine to create comprehensive protections for abortion access and care. 
4. If your Democratic representative has already signed on to cosponsor all three bills, submit an LTE thanking them for being a reproductive freedom champion. Our representatives, and their constituents, need to know when we’re proud of their work. Write an LTE to let them know. Make sure to encourage your representative to keep showing up for reproductive freedom by publicly showing your support.

P.S. All of the tools and resources we use to make sure your voice is heard are possible thanks to the generous support of Indivisibles chipping in, one dollar at a time. If you're able, pitch in today to help fund our work and keep this movement going.

The shutdown crisis showcased how deep MAGA mayhem really goes in the House, but even more remarkable than Kevin McCarthy’s inability to lead was the Democrats’ precision in shining a spotlight on who’s really responsible for this manufactured catastrophe. We especially want to uplift leaders like Rep. Brendan Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, who relentlessly held the Unrepresentatives' feet to the fire: 

“The irony is the Republican members who are the most endangered in November [2024] are the ones who are just MIA right now. ... It’s time for them to assert themselves — hell, it’s in their interest to assert themselves,” Boyle told NBC News on Friday. “Because at the end of the day, it’s not Marjorie Taylor Greene or Matt Gaetz or [Matt] Rosendale losing their seats in November.”

It’s critical that voters know which of their representatives risked a government shutdown and chaos for their extremist agenda, and that they remember next November. Thanks to champions like Rep. Boyle, we’ll make sure their record is clear. 

Indivisible Project Updates: Ohio

With one week to go until the end of voter registration on October 10 and the opening of early voting on October 11, Indivisible members across Ohio have been busy talking to voters about the importance of voting YES on Issue 1, a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedoms in the state. And postcard parties are happening across the country, with 75,000 postcards being hand-written by Indivisible groups now in order to reach pro-choice Ohio voters in the weeks before election day. Coming up, we have two events where you can help defeat MAGA attacks on abortion rights and continue to build momentum into 2024:

Vote YES on Abortion Rights Ohio Textbank

Wednesday, November 1, 2023, 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT

Join us as we apply a little friendly social pressure via text banking to Ohio voters in order to increase voter turnout in advance of election day!

Ohio Fight for Reproductive Rights Phonebank

Thursday, November 2, 2023, 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT

Join Indivisible members nationwide as we talk to Ohio voters in a final GOTV push about voting YES on Issue 1, and the importance of ending Ohio’s six-week abortion ban once and for all!

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

Wisconsin Republicans are hell-bent on overturning the will of the voters -- they’ve just kicked off a bogus impeachment attempt targeting Justice Janet Protasiewicz, who was elected this spring and flipped control of the state Supreme Court. But Wisconsin Indivisibles worked hard to help elect her, and now they’re mobilizing across the state to stop the WI GOP’s attack on our democracy. 

Check out Indivisible Sauk Prairie’s bridge rally to bring awareness to this dangerous power grab, and the great local media coverage their event generated! Voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around -- Wisconsin Indivisibles know it’s crucial that we protect Judge Janet so that we can end gerrymandering in the state, pass fair maps, restore abortion rights, and ensure our democracy is protected.

 Indivisible Civics: Powering Progress and The Truth Brigade 

Join the Truth Brigade for a Big Truths: Disinfo in Your Neighborhood call on Wednesday, September 13 at 6:30pm ET. The Indivisible Truth Brigade is back with a powerful antidote to the onslaught of poisonous Big Pharma disinformation. Bad actors don't want the people to support the Inflation Reduction Act provisions that cap insulin costs and allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. The Truth Brigade can disrupt that disinfo with knowledge! Join disinfo experts and Steve Knievel from Public Citizen to better understand the ways pharmaceutical companies spread false or misleading information that influences policy and undermines folks' wellbeing -- and take action to counter the lies, together. 

Follow us on Facebook, Mastodon, 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.

We’re so glad to be back with you again delivering this Newsletter to your inboxes. You give us the strength and inspiration to always continue.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team