We remember corrupt Donald John Trump ranting about the “deep state” Obama-holdover civil servants working to undermine his agenda. Given his predilection for projection, we shouldn’t be surprised that before he left office, Trump embedded dozens of his political appointees in career government positions and on influential boards. Converting political appointees to civil servants is common practice. Obama did more conversions throughout his eight years in office, but Trump did the final year “burrowing” at a higher rate than Obama, and around 35 of his 58 would-be burrowers are still in office.
One of President Biden’s most popular goals is to revamp the US tax system so that the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share once again. We will work hard to elect more Democrats in November to enact the Made In America Tax Plan. But right now, in the executive branch, where Manchin and Sinema pose no obstacle, Biden could inspire voters with a bold move in defense of fair taxation by sweeping out one more corrupt burrower from the Trump era: IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig.
Before Trump appointed Charles Rettig to become IRS Commissioner in 2018, he was a tax attorney in Beverly Hills for over thirty years, representing some of the wealthiest Americans against tax audits and other enforcement actions. His tenure at the IRS has clearly displayed his biases. For one example, faced with a decreasing budget for the IRS, Rettig cut audits of the wealthy and large corporations substantially, while continuing to pursue claimants of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a program that subsidizes incomes of the working poor.
Tell President Biden to stand up for tax fairness and replace IRS Commissioner Rettig immediately.
Let’s Go Joe! Indivisible National’s Campaign to Demand Bold Action
We’re in a critical moment to demand bold action from the Biden administration and, if we’re successful, win meaningful and immediate improvements to peoples’ lives. Indivisible National has created its “Let’s Go, Joe!” campaign to drive that point home.
Without waiting for congressional action, the Biden Administration has the power to deliver on many important promises he made to the American people. Given Senators Manchin and Sinema’s slow walking and refusal to support a historic reconciliation bill, President Biden must use every tool at his disposal to provide immediate help for American families. We’re not giving up on the reconciliation bill, but we also need solutions that aren’t held hostage by dysfunction. It’s within President Biden’s authority to deliver on critical proposals, including lowering prescription drug prices, canceling student debt, addressing climate action, and much more. But it’s up to us to demand it.
There are a lot of different actions we could push President Biden to take at this moment. At a high level, we believe that the right set of actions will translate into immediate improvements in people’s lives. We’re prioritizing executive action in two key areas that we already know are extremely popular, politically possible, and aligned with Indivisible’s core advocacy issues: Climate Action and Canceling Student Debt. But we anticipate that we will add calls to action on more executive actions in the future.
Ask President Biden to take executive action on the climate emergency and student debt relief!
Ways to help Ukraine - new and updated!
Over 2 million Ukrainians have already fled Putin's murderous advance, and millions more face a looming humanitarian disaster caused by the conditions of war. Reports are surfacing of villages being terrorized by Russian troops and civilians arrested or executed. Ukraine needs our help in every respect: humanitarian aid, military assistance, and governmental support.
Here is our updated list of places where you can donate to make a difference:
Razom For Ukraine (Donate): 501(c)(3) general humanitarian support for Ukraine
Libereco Partnership for Human Rights (Donate): reputable European organization with partners in Ukraine, providing general humanitarian support
Ukrainian-American Coordinating Council (Donate): 501(c)(3) American coalition that is buying supplies and aid for refugees, civilians, and defenders in Ukraine.
Direct Bank Transfer to the National Bank of Ukraine to support Ukrainian armed forces
USA for UNHCR: the UN Refugee Agency (Donate)
Meduza: Independent journalism based in Latvia. Now that there is no free press in Russia, Meduza is one of the few remaining ways to reach ordinary Russians and dispel Putin propaganda.
Kyiv Independent: Local journalism in Ukraine (Patreon/GoFundMe)
Doctors Without Borders: Field medical aid (Donate)
The Voices of Children Foundation: Ukrainian NGO that aids children traumatized by war (Donate)
Have you ordered your second round of free COVID-19 test kits yet?
The Biden Administration launched a second round of free COVID-19 tests from the USPS. If you already ordered four tests during the first phase of the program, you're now able to order a second shipment of four tests to your address. If you haven't placed your first order yet, you'll need to place two separate orders of four each. Order your free tests today!
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If you’re interested in participating in activities like drafting letters to our Members of Congress and developing our strategy for influencing them, the Indivisible SF Federal Working Group is where it happens. Join us at our next meeting on Thursday, March 24. Details on how to register below.
ISF Federal Working Group meeting: Thursday, March 24, 7:30–9 PM. Register here to join our regular Zoom meeting, where we work together to develop strategies for influencing our Members of Congress and the Biden administration to support a progressive agenda. All are welcome to participate and contribute, even if you’ve never attended an ISF meeting before.
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. Today’s image is a social graphic from Indivisible National’s Let’s Go Joe! Campaign
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
If you'd like to support our all-volunteer team:
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