Indivisibles,

On Friday night, House Democrats passed their version of a fourth coronavirus relief package -- the HEROES Act. We support this bill, but we know that there’s still room for improvement, particularly in protecting workers and our public health. However, the bill improves significantly on the CARES Act, especially on democracy issues and protections for immigrants. Passing this bill in the House, without weakening it, was a critical first step for Democrats because it will set the tone for the negotiations to come with Republicans and the White House.

Here’s why this was a victory

Like with most bills that come out of the House, there was an effort by Republicans to pass a motion-to-recommit (MTR), a power reserved to the minority party that gives them a final opportunity to change a bill. Republicans went after the immigration portion of the bill with an amendment that would stop undocumented taxpayers from benefiting from any of its provisions. This is a kind of vote that Democrats often lose. We’ve seen this tactic before. We’ve lost major pieces of legislation to this tactic. 

Through pressure and people-power, Democrats stopped the MTR, with the exception of 13 who voted to deny stimulus checks to taxpayers with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, U.S. citizens married to immigrants, and 1,000,000+ immigrant essential workers. For a list of those democrats, check out our tweet.

Big Takeaways

Through calls, emails, and tweets, Indivisibles everywhere pushed their representatives to keep the HEROES Act strong. This was the power of our movement at it’s best, and we’re proud of the strong state that this bill is in as it moves to the Senate. We want to be honest with you: this bill -- as important as it is -- is unlikely to become law. With Republicans in control of the Senate and the White House, it’s a hard truth that we face and that won’t change until we take back power in November.

But we do expect this bill to be a powerful first step in negotiations with the Senate, highlighting exactly what a People’s Agenda looks like. For this to be successful, Indivisibles will need to activate behind this bill and push senators, especially our 11 Payback Project Republican targets and senators up for re-election in November. The more we pressure them to act, the better chance we have to get to a place we believe can help all Americans. Start by taking action with your to-dos for this week:

 Your weekly to-dos 

1. Call your Senators and demand they pass the HEROES Act immediately. Majority Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans are already threatening to refuse to act on this bill. That’s why we need you to call your Senators and demand they pass the HEROES Act immediately and oppose any amendments that water the bill down. Vulnerable families are already struggling to make ends meet -- lives are at stake.
2. Join our National Day of Mourning Action on May 20. We are joining with partners around the country to host a National Day of Mourning with public events around the country to acknowledge the over 84,000 coronavirus deaths due to the President’s failure. These events will feature strong visuals like body bags, gravestones, or roses. And make sure to check out our youtube page for coverage of last week’s action. 
3. Register for our upcoming National Activist Call on June 4. The National Activist Call is a monthly space for Indivisible leaders, members, and other activists to hear updates and connect with one another. 
4. Text “PEOPLE FIRST” to 977-79 to get the latest updates on the relief bill and what’s up next. We want to keep you updated on every move of this process and this is how you can get the latest news on the People’s Agenda and what’s moving through Congress.

 2020 Update 

What’s new in the 2020 Democratic primary? We’ve got endorsement news and more updates on how states are preparing for their primary elections. Here are our most up-to-date delegate numbers for the Democratic primary: Former VP Joe Biden has 1,464 delegates. He needs at least 1,991 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. Read on to learn more!

• Former VP Joe Biden announced the members of party unity task forces last week. The tasks forces are composed of prominent Democratic leaders and public policy experts. The Biden campaign says that the ultimate goal of the task forces is to “develop the most successful possible agenda for Democrats in 2020.” In a separate statement, Sen. Bernie Sanders commended Biden for assembling “a group of leading thinkers and activists who can and will unify our party in a transformational and progressive direction.”

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s name has been coming up a lot during the Biden team’s search for a Vice Presidential candidate. Much like the unity task forces, whomever Biden taps to run as his Vice President will have a long-lasting impact on the state of the Democratic party. Warren is one of a few exciting progressive candidates that we know the Biden team is seriously considering at this point. We’ll continue to keep a close eye on this process as it develops.
  
  
• Early last week, the DNC voted in favor of a rules change that would allow delegates to vote virtually. This is a vital step toward ensuring the August convention is flexible and adaptable to the fluctuating climate of the coronavirus outbreak that is still ravaging the United States. The format of the convention has not yet made any concrete modifications beyond rescheduling as the event is currently still set to happen in-person. There’s little indication that the pandemic will be abated by the August convention, but the DNC contends that they still have time to safeguard the event.

 Find a virtual event "near" you 

COVID-19 Relief Bills Advocacy Training

The Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 epidemic hasn’t done nearly enough to help working people. Join Indivisible’s National Policy Director Angel Padilla in taking a deeper look into what’s moving in Congress for coronavirus relief. At this webinar, you’ll have a chance to make a plan on how to use The People’s Agenda Pledge to take action with your group at this critical time.

Tuesday, May 19, 8pm ET / 5pm PT 

Red and Rural Webinar Series Episode 2: Messaging 

Join us for the second webinar in the Red and Rural series as we learn how to win over conservative and undecided voters with our progressive values. We will be joined by Matt Hildreth of RuralOrganizing.org who will provide us with data, tools, and messaging tips to engage in both offline and online voter contact with our neighbors. 

Wednesday, May 27, 8pm ET / 5pm PT

The Payback Project is working

Polls are showing that challengers are gaining ground in Payback states, but our eleven Republican targets together raised over $34 million last quarter alone, and they won’t go down without a fight. That’s why, from ads on rural radio networks to Spanish-language ads, we’re preparing to pull out all the stops to win and take back the Senate this year. We’re budgeting $50,000 for our accountability ads, and that’s just the start.

Ads are a crucial way to reach people in tons of different communities -- everybody goes online, or reads a newspaper, or listens to the radio -- but unfortunately, they’re not free. That’s why we need your support: click here to donate $10 to support our ads, the Payback Project, and all the other crucial work we’re doing in 2020.

  IndivisiWin of the Week 

Last week, groups in Tallahassee, Phoenix, and Austin littered the grounds of their statehouses with body bags for the 81,000 American lives lost to COVID-19.

One last reminder of how we will succeed in putting people first this week:

1. Keep an eye on our social media for the latest updates on the HEROES Act: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
2. Have you called your Senator and asked them to pass the HEROES Act? Do that now!
3. Celebrate our small wins, and keep fighting for even bigger victories.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team