Indivisibles,

With just two weeks left until Congress returns from August recess, we’re gearing up for one of the biggest fights of the year: the debate over government funding for agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Right now— literally, as we write this— ICE is planning to circumvent the constitutional authority of Congress to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from other agencies in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund Trump’s racist, deadly immigration agenda. Last year, ICE raided money from FEMA (the agency responsible for coordinating disaster response efforts) just as hurricane season was about to start — and ICE is clearly repeating the same dangerous gamble with people’s lives. 

This is why one of the key asks in the Defund Hate campaign is to end ICE’s “transfer and reprogramming authority” that allows it go rogue and steal money. ICE and CBP are the agencies tasked with carrying out Trump’s immigration policies, which means that defunding these agencies is the best way to fight against family separations, workplace raids, human rights abuses at the border, and the other atrocities Trump’s administration commits on a near-daily basis. 

You can learn more about the fight to #DefundHate, and find tons of ways to get involved during the upcoming Week of Action from September 9-13 by checking out our #DefundHate website.

And now for your weekly to-dos:

 Your 4 weekly to-dos 

1. Get ready for the September funding fight by texting Defund Hate to 977-79. We’ll send you the latest updates on our plan for the Week of Action, and we’ll let you know when events are registered near you. 
2. Call your member of Congress right and demand that they cut funding for ICE and CBP in this September’s funding bill. We’ll give you a script and connect you directly with your representative’s office.
3. Get up-to-speed using our Defund Hate website , where you can find our event planning toolkit, social media content, downloadable rally signs, and more! We’ve also got a leave-behind you can print and use to guide your conversations with your Members of Congress and their staff.
4. Register for the September monthly activist call. Join us for our next activist call on Thursday, September 5 at 8pm Eastern Time / 5pm Pacific Time, to get the latest updates on Defund Hate, the 2020 race and more! 

 2020 Update 

With August coming to a close, we’re looking forward to another debate in just a few short weeks! In preparation, we’re checking out some new polling that shows progressives surging, digging into the Medicare for All debate, and checking out the roster of who’s in and who’s out for Houston so far.

• New polling shows Sanders and Warren in the lead. Newly released data from Monmouth University suggests that the two progressive front-runners are in a dead heat for first, polling just ahead of Vice President Biden. The nation-wide poll of Democratic voters showed a precipitous drop for the former Vice President and reflected an increasingly volatile primary as we head into the fall.

• Team Kamala and Team Bernie have been sparring over Medicare for All. We can expect the debate over how to ensure universal health care coverage to again dominate much of the conversation in Houston next month. So what’s it all about? In general, it boils down to whether or not private insurance will have a role under M4A. Read up on the conversation to stay up to date ahead of Houston!

• Who’s in and who’s out for the Houston presidential debate? Right now, we’re looking at a 10-candidate slate for the September debate. Who’s confirmed?
• Vice President Biden
• Senator Warren 
• Senator Sanders
• Senator Harris
• Senator Booker
• Senator Klobuchar
• Mayor Buttigeig
• Rep. O’Rourke
• Andrew Yang
• Sec. Castro

Who’s on the bubble? Tom Steyer, Senator Gillibrand, Rep. Gabbard, and Marianne Williamson are in need of some additional polling to qualify. If any of them are added by the August 28 deadline, the debate will be split into two nights.

 Find an IndivisiEvent near you 

 IndivisWin of the Week 

Founder of @Indivisble_WA8 spotted Warren on the campaign trail who had a few kind words to say about just how important your advocacy is to the fight for a better democracy.

We know every week Trump does things that seem stranger than the things he did last week, and this week is no exception (Nuking a hurricane? Really?). But Indivisibles are powerful because we keep our focus on what matters most: breaking down the sources of Trump’s power by fighting to protect our democracy and end his racist immigration policies, and ultimately win in 2020 so we can begin to undo the harm he has caused and build a better future for everyone.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

P.S. We Are Indivisible (the book!) comes out in a little over 8 weeks. We cannot wait to share it with you. It’s a story of democracy under threat. It’s the story of a movement rising up to respond. And, it’s a story of what comes next. Remember, you can pre-order your copy here.