Indivisibles,
We know the news around coronavirus has been developing rapidly and,
frankly, can be terrifying and harrowing.
Before we delve into the many, many action items we have for you, we want
to acknowledge the massive degree to which the coronavirus impacts our
ability to organize, empower others, and live our day-to-day lives. We
want to reiterate that however you choose to engage -- or not engage -- in
this work during this time is okay. Staying safe and healthy is of utmost
importance, and if it helps you to take a step back from this work right
now, we encourage you to give yourselves permission to do so.
For others, we know this moment underscores the importance of community
organizing and maintaining community connections. As such, we’ll continue
to provide resources and keep you updated on issues and bills as they move
through Congress. We'll start with a quick "state of play" on what's
happening in Congress, and then get to action items, resources and
trainings down below.
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What's happening in Congress:
There are multiple pieces of legislation on coronavirus moving through
Congress. On Wednesday, Trump signed the second coronavirus response bill
into law. This bill was an important step to provide people with the
support we will need as we endure the consequences of the coronavirus
outbreak. However, we have to remember that Trump and his Republican
allies pushed to weaken the bill before it passed the House, which will
compound the effects of Trump's moves to actively make us less prepared to
confront a pandemic. Congress cannot allow Trump and his lobbyist-stacked
administration to hand out money to corporations while leaving families
behind. Period.
Fortunately, Congress has already started working on a third coronavirus
response package intended to tackle the looming consequences of the
outbreak. While negotiations are ongoing, there are several areas Congress
must consider while crafting this legislation:
* Safeguarding our democracy
* Ensuring the health care system can meet the scope of this crisis
* Providing economic support to families
* Supporting workers and small businesses
* Preventing unaccountable corporate bailouts
* Ensuring all policies include marginalized communities
In keeping with these principles, we think that any effective response to
this crisis must include the following three policies (and you can [ [link removed] ]read
more about what should go into the coronavirus response bill in our full
resource here):
1. Nationwide vote by mail, as laid out in the Natural Disaster and
Emergency Ballot Act.
2. Direct cash assistance to individuals and families, with strenuous
requirements attached to any corporate bailouts.
3. Universal paid sick days, family leave, and expanded Unemployment
Insurance to fill in the gaps from the second coronavirus response
bill.
Read on to learn what you can do to make sure these critical safeguards to
protect Americans become law. And make sure to
bookmark [ [link removed] ][link removed] to see the latest
updates as the situation evolves.
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Here are your top actions to ensure Americans get the support they need
during the coronavirus outbreak:
1. [ [link removed] ]Call your senator and tell them that the next coronavirus package
must include these critical provisions. In this moment, we need to
prioritize direct assistance to the people who we know are most
impacted by this pandemic. That means mandating universal paid sick
leave and expanded unemployment benefits. That also means establishing
requirements for corporations who take taxpayer-funded bailouts. We
can’t just hand over trillions of dollars to corporations -- we need
to make sure that any taxpayer money they receive goes directly to
workers, not to CEOs and shareholders. Call your senators now to
demand they support these provisions be included in the next
coronavirus relief package.
2. [ [link removed] ]Call your representative and tell them the same. The previous
coronavirus bills that passed originated in the House, and it didn't
go nearly far enough in protecting folks most directly affected by
this pandemic (millions of workers will be denied the protections in
that bill). The House needs to make this right. Call your
representatives now and demand that they support the above provisions
be included in the next coronavirus package.
3. [ [link removed] ]Demand your senators ensure safe, secure elections during the
coronavirus outbreak. We know that the coronavirus is scary, and we’re
all making sacrifices to minimize any further spread of the virus. We
have seen some states make the very difficult decision to postpone
primary elections in an effort to reduce community spread of
coronavirus. But we can’t let this public health crisis impede the
functioning of our democratic processes. That’s why we’re recommending
states start now to build alternatives to in-person voting so that
nothing will put the administration of the November presidential
election at risk. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Ron Wyden have introduced
a bill to assist states in expanding vote-by-mail for this November’s
election. Call your senators to demand that the Natural Disaster and
Emergency Ballot Act be included in the next coronavirus relief
package.
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Resources for organizing during social distancing
We know that this is a challenging and uncertain time -- and we’re here to
help. We’ve compiled resources for how to organize effectively in the age
of social distancing, as well as upcoming calls and events we’re hosting
to help.
* [ [link removed] ]If you weren't able to join, watch last night's emergency COVID-19
National Activist Call. We were glad to gather with Indivisibles from
all over the country for a conversation about organizing and activism
during coronavirus and social distancing.
* [ [link removed] ]Review our resource page for organizing during social distancing.
This page includes information about organizing while social
distancing, a relatively extensive list of video conferencing
resources for virtual meetings, a list of actions you can take
remotely, as well as reputable mutual aid resources for those who want
to support their neighbors and communities during this time.
Seriously, check this one out -- it’s got a LOT of good information.
* [ [link removed] ]What to tell your MoCs to do about Coronavirus. We know it’s been
hard to keep track of what we can realistically ask our MoCs to do to
support people throughout this crisis. Read and bookmark this resource
which we’ll continue to update with the latest people-first policy
demands around this pandemic.
* RSVP to join our virtual office hours for transitioning in-person
meetings to remote events. Indivisible Training Team is hosting office
hours (on Zoom) to assist groups transitioning to virtual meeting
spaces. Register for one of these casual Q&A sessions with Indivisible
staff if you have any lingering questions on remote meetings!
[ [link removed] ]Monday, March 23 at 3pm ET/ 12pm PT
[ [link removed] ]Tuesday, March 31 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT
In solidarity,
Indivisible Team
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