Hey Indivisibles, 

We’ll get right to it -- Congress is working right now to put together a COVID-19 relief package as part of the year-end government funding bill. Any meaningful relief bill would include actually getting money to the people so that they can survive. Republicans have done everything they can to prevent funding for unemployment insurance (UI) or direct cash assistance from making it into the package. Yesterday, you made calls -- and they’re working! 

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) announced they will use the power of a voting bloc to force these necessary benefits -- extended UI benefits and $1200 cash assistance -- to be included in the relief bill. They’re wielding their progressive power and we’ve got to have their backs. Make calls now to your representative and demand that the relief bill include direct cash assistance. Keep calling and keep leaving voicemails. Then, read on for more details on the power of the CPC and how you can support your community in the coming weeks. 

Yesterday, one of our colleagues, Elice, sent you an email about how COVID-19 has impacted her personally and how desperately we need comprehensive COVID-19 relief so that Americans can survive the next few weeks. She asked you to make calls to your members of Congress to demand real relief before the new year because peoples’ lives hang in the balance. And you delivered -- you made thousands of calls and showed that the people care about those most impacted by COVID-19. 

People have gone without additional help for eight months -- that's too much compromise already. We need survival checks and enhanced UI now. Negotiators must prioritize workers and families -- that’s simply the bare minimum we should expect from our elected officials. 

This is how the CPC’s power works: Now that the bill for COVID-19 relief is moving through Congress, progressives see room for improvement. If enough progressives band together in the House, they have the ability to block the bill from coming to the floor for a vote. The CPC can demand that unless the bill is improved or they are allowed to introduce an amendment that adds $1,200 direct cash assistance, they will vote against the rule as a bloc. It’s so important that progressives wield their power to deliver results for the people -- and that’s why we need to have their backs, too.

We need to support the representatives who are making these demands, and also put pressure on every representative to support including extended UI and direct cash assistance in the final bill. For more details on the power of the CPC, check out our resource here.

With only a few days to go until the government funding deadline, we’ve got to keep up the pressure. Call your representative now and demand that the relief bill include direct cash assistance for struggling families. Even if the offices are closed, keep calling and keep leaving voicemails -- the stakes are too high.

In solidarity, 
Indivisible Team

PS -- In this moment, a lot of folks are in dire need of food, funds, and support. Check out our resource for supporting your neighbors (or find life-saving resources for your family) during this difficult time. Mutual aid funds aren’t a substitute for immediate, direct relief from the government -- but when the government fails to act, we act in solidarity.