Indivisibles,
Another week, another update on the fate of our democracy.
Over the weekend, you may have seen some reporting on the chances of
passing S. 1, the For the People Act. We know that getting this bill
through the Senate has been a real roller coaster ride, but Senator
Klobuchar, who’s been in the negotiating room hammering out the details of
the bill with Majority Leader Schumer, Senator Merkley, Senator Manchin,
Senator Warnock and others had this to say:
“I think that we’ve made actual progress. If we were just going to say,
‘Nope, can’t do this because of Senate rules,’ we wouldn’t keep going.”
Translation: This bill is very much still alive, and we are still on track
to pass it. That’s why this week we’re joining with partners across the
progressive ecosystem in the [ [link removed] ]Recess Can Wait Week of Action, running
ads offline to push people to contact their senators, and supporting
Indivisible Groups every way we can to ensure every senator hears that the
American People insist they pass this bill.
With that, here are your weekly to-dos:
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Your Weekly To-Dos
1. [ [link removed] ]Call your Senators and tell them to pass the For the People Act (S.
1) no matter what. Tell them they can’t let the filibuster, August
recess, their vacation plans or anything else get in the way. There’s
a National Call In Day on Wednesday, so be sure to call then -- but
call every other day too. We’ll send you a free “No Filibuster”
sticker when you make a call.
2. [ [link removed] ]RSVP for our next monthly National Activist Call on Thursday,
August 5. The National Activist Call is a space held on the first
Thursday of every month for activists, group leaders, and new members
alike. Join Indivisibles across the country as we celebrate successes,
discuss our national strategy, and take time to create connections
while building community with each other.
3. [ [link removed] ]Make a call about the Recovery package. The Senate has released
their draft budget resolution, and we’re glad it includes many of our
top priorities. But the $3.5 trillion offered by the Senate is the
floor, not the ceiling, and House Democrats must use the power of
their majority to augment this proposal to truly meet the scale of the
current crises. Read the resource about the recovery package, then
pick your top issue and make a call, and make sure they are included
in budget resolution before going on recess.
4. [ [link removed] ]Make a monthly donation to support this work. Indivisible runs on
grassroots donations, and when you make a monthly gift -- even a small
one -- it helps us know what resources we can plan on, which makes it
easier to prepare for the fights ahead. Please, consider making a gift
today.
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This Week On The Hill
We’re watching two major fights on the Hill right now, and they both have
one thing in common: It’s crucial that the Senate take action before they
leave for august recess. That’s why all our call scripts this week include
reminding you to tell your senators not to go home until they’ve done
their jobs. Here’s what’s up:
1. As it has been for many months now, passing S. 1, the For the People
Act, is our top priority. Right now, a small group of Democratic
Senators are negotiating the details of the final bill, and Senate
leadership is showing signs of optimism that they’ll agree to a
package and be able to bypass the filibuster (by abolishing or
changing it) to get it passed. This week we’ll be watching Leader
Schumer and Senator Klobuchar for clues as to what may come next, and
working hard not to let Senator Manchin or Senator Sinema make us
worry (remember -- [ [link removed] ]people power works.)
2. A close second priority is kickstarting the budget process so Congress
can pass a robust recovery reconciliation bill -- again, before
recess. After passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (BIF) we
expect the Senate to introduce their budget resolution. This
resolution is the first step in the budget process and sets top-line
spending numbers for the reconciliation bill and gives committees
instructions for what to include.The Senate must pass the budget
resolution before leaving for August recess so that committees can
start drafting the reconciliation bill over the August recess and pass
a robust recovery. Confused? Need a refresher? [ [link removed] ]Check out our Budget
Reconciliation 101 explainer.
A couple other things you may be hearing about and want to keep an eye on:
1. Leader Schumer is expected to schedule a vote on the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Framework (BIF) this week, now that the legislative
text was finally released over the weekend. This is a bipartisan
Senate package about physical infrastructure (think roads and
bridges). This is separate from reconciliation -- but progressives in
the House are withholding their support for the bill until we get a
vote on a robust recovery package. So if you see folks online talking
about the BIF, know that it’s a bill progressive legislators are using
to exert pressure on moderates.
2. The national eviction moratorium was set to expire July 31st, and
unfortunately the White House waited until the 11th hour to call on
Congress to act (though the White House could have done this
themselves). Progressives in the House pushed for a vote on a bill to
extend the moratorium and prevent millions of evictions. Unfortunately
moderate Dems prevented that bill from getting a vote, and the House
went on recess. Rep. Cori Bush and others participated in a sleep-in
at the steps of the Capitol over the weekend, demanding that the House
come back to pass the bill. We support their efforts, and extending
the moratorium.
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National Events
[ [link removed] ]RSVP for our next monthly National Activist Call on Thursday, August
5. The National Activist Call is a space held on the first Thursday of
every month for activists, group leaders, and new members alike. Join
Indivisibles across the country as we celebrate successes, discuss our
national strategy, and take time to create connections while building
community with each other.
[ [link removed] ]Watch -- or join -- tomorrow's Recess Can Wait - Our Democracy Can't
event at the Capitol building in D.C. In states across the country the
freedom to vote is under attack by extremist lawmakers. State legislators
have been on the front lines of the fight to protect our democracy, but
they are running out of options, and need Congress to step in and take on
this fight. State legislators from across the country will join us for a
rally outside the Capitol on August 3rd from 12-2pm ET, to demand that
Congress stay in session until they pass the For the People Act.
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IndivisiWin of the Week
[ [link removed] ]A tweet from @IndivisibleGAco that reads
"Indivisible and local partners in Douglas County
have been rallying every Saturday in support of passing
the #forthepeopleact NOW. We’ll keep rallying until it
passes! @ossoff @ReverendWarnock"
Georgia Indivisibles rally every Saturday to support S.
1!
The news is changing fast, so be sure to text INDIVISIBLE to 97779 to join
our rapid response team, and to follow us on [ [link removed] ]Facebook, [ [link removed] ]Twitter,
and [ [link removed] ]Instagram for the latest news.
In solidarity,
Indivisible Team
P.S. -- Just as we were getting ready to send this email, our co-Executive
Director, Ezra Levin, was arrested along with hundreds of other people
rallying for voting rights at the U.S. Capitol. It’s the second time in a
month there have been mass arrests of peaceful protesters at [ [link removed] ]Poor
People's Campaign events at the Capitol. Think about that for a minute.
Arrested for rallying to support voting rights. [ [link removed] ]Please, pick up your
phone and call your Senator today.
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