| Dear Friend, Last week, a handful of members of the so-called Freedom Caucus held the nation hostage, and now Social Security and Medicare could be the first casualties. These MAGA Republicans are the same ones who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election and supported the January 6 insurrection, and now they've bullied their own party into giving them unprecedented power to further dismantle our democracy. The caucus has made it clear that they intend to target the social safety net -- including Social Security and Medicare -- in the upcoming debt ceiling fight.(1) However, they have to get through us first. Together, we are stronger than the members of Congress who defeated Speaker Kevin McCarthy. We need to let McCarthy and the rest of Congress know that we won’t let these seditious representatives destroy Social Security and Medicare.
The deal McCarthy struck with the MAGA Republicans included attacking “discretionary spending” in the name of balancing the budget.(2) And while Republicans voted to give the Pentagon nearly $50 billion more than it asked for in the last budget, they are calling programs that senior citizens have spent their lives paying into and that they depend on to survive “fat and garbage."(3,4) The MAGA Republicans are threatening to shut down the government, which is why we can’t let any cuts to Social Security and Medicare even reach the floor for a vote. A massive show of grassroots support for social programs has worked for us before. We were able to stop Trumpcare, which seemed like a foregone conclusion. We were able to pass Biden’s infrastructure bill. We can do this -- with your help.
Thanks for your critical support. –Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Isidra, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Mai, Mai, and Scottie (the Courage team) PS: Courage California is fighting for equity and justice across the state and country. Will you become a monthly donor and help sustain our work? Donations go to support all of Courage California's work for a more progressive California and country. Follow us now on Facebook or Twitter! Footnotes:  |
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