The Senate passed both the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIB) and also the $3.5 trillion Budget Resolution (BR), which sets up the Reconciliation Bill to enact the American Jobs and Family Plans when Congress reconvenes in mid-September. Now the House must also pass the BR. To do so, it will briefly reconvene this coming Monday (August 23). It is likely that the House will stay in session for one or more additional days to take up the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and possibly other bills.
Meanwhile, the national CDC-moratorium on evictions expired because neither Biden nor Congress took action to save it. At the last second, the Biden administration temporarily restored a limited and crippled version of the moratorium that doesn’t cover everyone and won’t last long under Republican legal challenges. We already see a wave of evictions beginning to sweep the country in those states that do not have state-level moratoriums like California’s. Everyone understands that evicting hundreds of thousands of families into already overwhelmed homeless shelters and tent encampments will accelerate Covid-Delta infections that are already surging towards a new and dangerous peak. That, in turn, will extend the pandemic, pandemic-related restrictions, and resulting economic consequences for all of us.
During its special August session, the House should add an eviction moratorium to the BIB or pass a stand-alone eviction bill, sending whichever one back to the Senate, and Schumer could recall the Senate back into emergency session to deal with the crisis. We need to ask our Members of Congress to do just that.
Contact your Representative and tell them: pass an eviction moratorium in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill or a stand-alone bill!
Pressure Biden to Pressure Senators on the Filibuster
The Senate is in recess, but we don’t take breaks in our fight for voting rights. Now is the time to pressure the President we helped bring to the White House.
President Biden has the power to influence moderate Democratic senators to reform the filibuster in order to pass voting rights legislation. Last week, senators left Washington DC for vacation after yet another Republican filibuster against S1 (For the People Act). S1 is the only federal-level legislation so far that could counteract the hundreds of voting restriction and election subversion laws now being enacted by Republican-controlled state legislatures. Recently released Census data will be misused by those same legislatures to gerrymander the redistricting process. Gerrymandering in Texas, Florida, and Georgia alone could be enough for Republicans to gain control of the House in 2022. President Biden should step up the pressure on moderate senators to reform the filibuster and pass voting protections that include nonpartisan redistricting.
From now until the Senate returns from recess in mid-September, we are asking you to contact President Biden every day. Tell him to pressure our moderate Senators to reform the filibuster and pass the voting protections that are so crucial to our democracy!
The Recall Election is going on now! Have you voted NO yet?
Keep an eye on your mailbox—ballots for the gubernatorial recall election have been mailed out and yours should arrive soon, if it hasn’t already. We need to prevent the right wing from removing our Democratic governor from office, and that means getting our ballots in before the deadline on Tuesday, September 14.
Got your ballot already? Follow our ballot instructions to vote NO. Then read our explainer blog post about what’s on the ballot to find out why we want you to vote NO on Question 1, how to handle Question 2 about other candidates for governor, and what else you can do to help stop the recall.
You can cast your ballot either by mail or by dropping it off at City Hall or your local polling place. If you choose to mail it, we recommend doing that no later than Tuesday, September 7—one week before the deadline—due to mail delays (thanks, Postmaster General DeJoy). If you choose to deliver your ballot in person, check the Department of Elections website for details on when and where.
Haven’t received your ballot yet? Start by checking your registration. If you aren’t registered to vote, you can register online if you’re eligible. And when you get your ballot, fill it out and return it as soon as possible – don’t put it off!
Already voted? That’s great! Thank you for being a voter! Now it’s time to spread the word. Turnout is everything in this election, and we need to mobilize as many Democratic voters as possible to stop the recall. Relational organizing is key, so tell all of your friends and family to make a plan to vote. Then join a phone bank, text bank, write postcards, or canvass to reach out to the wider community! Find our voter outreach events, and all the materials you can share, on our Vote webpage.
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All are welcome to join our events!
ISF Federal Working Group meeting: Thursday, August 26, 7:30–9 PM. Register here for a Zoom meeting to help us develop strategies to influence our Members of Congress and the Biden administration to enact a progressive agenda.
IN-PERSON: Phone Bank Against the Republican-led Recall of Gov. Newsom with Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis at Manny’s: Saturday, August 21, 10 AM–1 PM. Join Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Democracy Action, the San Francisco and California Democratic parties, and grassroots Democrats on August 14 to make calls to voters, asking them to vote NO on the Republican-led recall of our Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. This in-person event is taking place at Manny’s at 3092 16th Street. RSVP for a shift (10–11:30 AM or 11:30 AM–1 PM).
IN-PERSON: LGBTQ+ Phone Bank to Stop the Recall at Manny’s: Saturday, August 28, 10 AM–1 PM. Join LGBTQ+ leaders, SF Democratic Party Chair Honey Mahogany, the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, and grassroots Democrats on August 28th from 10 AM–1 PM as we make calls to voters, asking them to vote NO on the Republican-led recall of our Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. This in-person event is taking place at Manny’s at 3092 16th Street. Sign up for a shift here (10–11:30 AM or 11:30 AM–1 PM).
RECURRING: Virtual Phone Bank to Stop the Republican Recall & Protect Fair Elections with Swing Left SF and the SF Dems: Wednesdays at 6 PM and Saturdays at 10 AM. Join us for this virtual phone bank to call likely Democratic supporters and make sure they vote NO on the recall on September 14. The script is short and simple. You can make a big impact in this very short election. Sign up for a shift here.
RECURRING: Virtual Phone Bank to Stop the Recall with Grassroots Democrats HQ, Monday-Saturday. Join Grassroots Democrats HQ, in partnership with the California Democratic Party, to call voters to tell them to vote NO on this wasteful recall. Sign up for a shift here.
About this week’s photo
If you’ve seen our newsletter posts on Twitter and Facebook, you might have noticed that we include a photo or graphic with each issue. This week’s graphic is a photo by Sarah Silbiger for Reuters of the exterior of the US Capitol in their news story about the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
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