Because it can be done through the reconciliation process, raising the debt ceiling does not take sixty votes, only a simple majority. While Democrats still control both chambers of Congress they can—and must—do it now to stop Republicans in the next Congress from carrying out their threats to use this “must- pass” legislation to blackmail Democrats and the Biden administration into cutting Social Security, Medicare, and other widely popular government-funded programs.
Republicans have previously weaponized the debt ceiling, using it to ram through policies and provisions they could not enact through the normal legislative process. They have publicly vowed to use their control of the House in the next Congress to force massive cuts in domestic spending, Social Security, and Medicare through debt-ceiling blackmail. Since a debt ceiling crisis is also bad for corporate America, we hope it might be possible that one or more Republican senators might agree to join in such a vote—if Democrats bring it to a vote.
Contact your senators, Speaker Pelosi, and the White House and tell them: raise the debt ceiling now! Don’t let Republicans weaponize it again!
Final January 6th Committee hearing Dec. 19
This Monday, December 19, the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the Capitol will meet one final time to recap their findings, ahead of the release of their final report Wednesday, December 21. Watch for yourself and commit to remembering and sharing the history that the Committee has preserved for our country’s sake.
Register by December 31 to vote in the 2023 ADEM election
It’s time once again for the California Democratic Party’s Assembly District Delegate elections.
Every two years in January, the California Democratic Party holds an election in every Assembly District for people in that district to choose 14 delegates who will represent their district in certain party decisions. This election is called the Assembly District Election Meetings, or ADEMs. The CADem website has more information.
To vote in the 2023 ADEMs, you must register, even if you’ve voted in a previous year’s ADEMs. ADEM elections are separate from elections for government office; for the ADEMs, you must register again each time.
The 2023 ADEMs will allow voters to vote by mail or in person. Register by Saturday, December 31, to receive a ballot in your mail.
Read more about the 2023 ADEMs on our blog.
COVID-19 boosters for kids 6 months and older, and supplemental sick leave for workers
If you get COVID-19, California has a program that will provide you with up to eighty hours of paid sick leave. But you must claim it no later than December 31, as the program expires at the end of the year. KQED has more details.
To avoid getting COVID-19, the CDC recommends that you wear a mask in shared indoor spaces, including public transportation, retail environments, restaurants, and other people’s homes. Masks can help reduce your risk of getting and spreading a variety of respiratory viruses, including the COVID-19 virus, flu, and RSV—all three of which have been surging across the country since Thanksgiving. When you do gather, you can reduce the risk by cleaning the air with ventilation and filtration.
You also should keep up to date on your vaccinations. This will reduce the chances of getting severely ill or dying if you do get COVID-19 or the flu.
If you haven’t already, get your 2022 bivalent COVID-19 booster and flu shot. Both shots are free through the end of the year and available at any pharmacy, and the COVID-19 boosters are available at community vaccination sites. Everyone six months and older is now eligible for the new booster.
SF Board of Supervisors sees reason, pulls plug on #KillerRobots proposal
After intense public pressure, the Board of Supervisors passed on second reading the much-improved policy that bans the SFPD from turning its robots into IEDs, by a margin of 10-to-1. We’re very grateful to everyone who came together on too-short notice to put the kibosh on the police department’s absurdly violent proposal, and to the 10 Supervisors for their votes.
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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. No more meetings will be scheduled this year, so that we can celebrate the holidays. Our next meeting is Thursday, January 12, 2023.
Indivisible SF Federal Working Group: Thursday, January 12, 7:30–9 PM Planning meeting where we discuss strategy to influence our Members of Congress and the Biden administration to enact a progressive agenda. Meeting starts promptly at 7:30 PM. All are welcome. Register here!
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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 a photo of the Washington Memorial and US Capitol building silhouetted by the setting sun. The photo was produced by James R. Pearson and is hosted in the National Archives.
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
If you'd like to support our all-volunteer team:
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