Earlier this month, President Biden issued his annual National Security Strategy paper, which forthrightly stated:
"The climate crisis is the existential challenge of our time. A warming planet endangers Americans and people around the world—risking food and water supplies, public health, and infrastructure and our national security. Without immediate global action to reduce emissions, scientists tell us we will soon exceed 1.5 degrees of warming, locking in further extreme heat and weather, rising sea levels, and catastrophic biodiversity loss."
Almost 60% of all discretionary federal spending is devoted to national security and defense. Those expenditures, and the policies they implement, are controlled by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Senate Armed Services Committee just sent its version of the 2023 NDAA to the Senate floor for adoption with no provisions addressing the national security threat of global warming and the multiple climate crises that we face. In 948 pages, the word "warming" does not appear even once, and the word "climate" only appears in the context of increased pay for military personnel ordered to serve in hazardous climates.
It is long past time for a significant portion of our defense budget to be redirected towards protecting us from the climate emergency that is already killing Americans, destroying homes and businesses, and crippling our economy right now. For example, we could reduce Pentagon greenhouse gas emissions, and also shift research funds away from new generations of nuclear weapons and defense boondoggles toward addressing the causes of global warming.
The Senate is likely to debate NDAA23 this week or next, and a coalition of Republicans and conservative corporate Democrats is almost certainly going to pass it over the objections of progressives. Since our priority between now and November 8 has to be preventing Republican victories in the midterms, ISF is not currently providing our members with a script asking Senators Feinstein and Padilla to oppose the NDAA draft as it currently stands. However, if you have the time, please consider calling or sending them a message in your own words that opposes any NDAA that fails to address global warming and the climate emergency as grave matters of national security.
#OctoberIsVotingMonth
It’s time to start filling out your ballot! We have step-by-step instructions, including a checklist, and an explainer on the state and City propositions. We also have a list of voter guides on our Vote page.
We encourage you to start now. That way, you can take your time filling out your ballot. You've got plenty of time to complete it and turn it in well before the November 8 deadline.
We aren’t the only ones voting. Early voting is underway all over the country, so if you want to volunteer to help get out the vote, there are plenty of opportunities to help build another, bigger Blue Wave and pave the way for even bigger gains in the next term. That includes our own Pints and Postcards every Sunday in October, plus other voter outreach events around the Bay Area and over Zoom. See below and our Vote page for volunteer events.
Student loan relief: Act now, before it’s too late
The Biden Administration’s online application for student loan relief is live now. Don’t miss your chance to get all the relief you’re eligible for:
- If you’ve been working for schools, the government, or non-profits, you may be eligible for expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Apply by the end of this month before expanded eligibility runs out.
- The Department of Education is working on a new income-driven repayment plan that won’t increase your balance as long as you make your minimum payments.
- Borrowers who got fleeced by certain for-profit schools will be able to apply to have entire loans canceled.
- And, oh yeah, there’s that $10,000 or $20,000 of one-time forgiveness.
Be aware: There are deadlines. Our blog post lays out in simple terms what you need to do, and by when, to get the student loan relief you qualify for. Read our explainer here.
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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. We’re on a recess until after the election, so join us at our next meeting on Thursday, Nov. 10.
Pints & Postcards: Sunday, Oct. 23, 4–6 PM at Standard Deviant Brewery. Join us to write postcards to voters in other districts/states to help build turnout and win elections! RSVP on our Eventbrite.
Manny’s Disco Brunch Phone Banks: Sunday, Oct. 23, 12–2 PM at Manny’s. Please join Manny’s, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and many more for a weekly Get Out The Vote brunch every Sunday until November 6. RSVP on Eventbrite.
Bark the Vote 2022 Registration Drive: Saturday, Oct. 22, 10 AM–2 PM at Alamo Square Park. Join this gathering of dog lovers, sponsored by the Bay Woof Foundation, SF Rec and Parks, and the SF Department of Elections, to promote civic engagement and register people to vote. Check out their website for more details.
Bay Area Coalition Phone Banks: Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Help our friends at Swing Left talk to voters about the upcoming primaries and midterms. Join Swing Left and the Bay Area Coalition on Wednesday evenings, Saturday mornings, and Sunday afternoons to make calls to voters in California and around the nation. Sign up to participate from home or in person:
- TODAY, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 5–7:30 PM
- Saturday, Oct. 22, 10 AM–12:30 PM
- Sunday, Oct. 23, 1–3:30 PM
- Tuesday, Oct. 25, 11:30 AM–2:00 PM
Voter registration drive in the California Central Valley with Swing Left: Saturdays. Do you want to help register voters in Central Valley CD-13 and CD-22, from Modesto to Bakersfield? Join our friends in Swing Left every weekend until Tuesday, November 8, for door-to-door and COVID-safe canvassing to register voters. Sign up here:
- Saturday, Oct. 22, 9 AM–3:30 PM
- Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 AM–3:30 PM
- Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 AM–3:30 PM
UNTIL ELECTION DAY: Keep it Blue SF Phone Bank w/ Team Pelosi and SF Democrats. Make calls to elect Democrats in key Congressional swing districts and critical Senate races so we can keep our Democratic House majority and add more Senate seats this November! Sign up here:
- Wednesday, Oct 19, 5–8 PM
- Thursday, Oct 20, 5–8 PM
- Saturday, Oct 22, 10 AM–4 PM
- Sunday, Oct 23, 11 AM–5 PM
- Monday, Oct 24, 5–8 PM
- Tuesday, Oct 25, 5–8 PM
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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 an illustration by one of our members using their own photo.
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
If you'd like to support our all-volunteer team:
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