Indivisibles, 

Three children and three adults were killed today at the Covenant Presbyterian School in Nashville, Tennessee in yet another school shooting. That is the 13th school shooting this year and one of the 130 mass shootings that have already occurred in 2023. 

These shootings, the sheer frequency of these events, are a uniquely American problem -- a problem that MAGA Republicans refuse to even think about addressing. As always, they will acknowledge the ‘tragic nature of the events’ while doing nothing to stop them from happening again and often promoting legislation that makes these tragedies easier to repeat. Here’s one brave mother from Highland Park taking over a Fox News broadcast to highlight their hypocrisy:

How long can we say “no more?”
How often can we mourn those we’ve lost to gun violence?
The MAGA GOP is testing the boundaries of those questions by willfully refusing to act in the face of repeated, seemingly unending tragedies. 

Voters want Congress to address gun violence and mass shootings, and yet here we are, once again, with Republicans offering thoughts and prayers when they have the power to come to the table and enact change. We must continue to hold these Republicans accountable for their inaction and opposition to gun reform. 

Indivisible’s efforts to hold Republicans accountable for their unacceptable and destructive positions this cycle is centered on the Unrepresentatives. These are the 18 Republican representatives currently serving in Biden-won districts from 2020. They vote with extremists like Marjorie Taylor Greene 95% of the time, are a major roadblock in moving forward any substantive Democratic legislation, and are the most vulnerable Republicans in 2024. 

We can push them to act. We can hold them accountable when they don’t. And ultimately, we can vote them out.

Visit our Unrepresentatives campaign, sign on to support, and take the fight directly to the MAGA Republicans who are ensuring that no progress on issues like school shootings will ever happen while they are empowered.

 MAGA Default Crisis

At a House hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2024 budget request, Rep. Brendan Boyle explicitly called out the statements of MAGA Republicans supporting cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

Cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other vital services has always been a core objective for MAGA Republicans. 

Rather than using our budget to support the American people, they want to support their donors and rich friends in a never-ending quest for money and power. But we do have representatives fighting back!

Rep. Boyle, along with Reps. Jayapal and Kuster, wrote a congressional sign-on letter calling on Democrats to commit to defending the well-being of the American people by refusing to bow to MAGA hostage taking. That letter has now been signed by over 100 Democratic representatives, and the list is growing daily.

The Republican threats are real, and we must treat them as such. Make sure your Democratic representative is signed on to the letter or if you have a Republican representative, let them know you oppose their default scheme to hold the economy hostage. 

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

 Your 4 weekly to-dos 

1. Read our MAGA Default Crisis page. This page is the new home for everything concerning the MAGA effort to throw our nation into chaos by forcing our government to default on our debts in order to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Our current focus is on getting Democratic members of the House of Representatives to sign on to the Boyle, Jayapal, Kuster letter opposing the MAGA Default Crisis and refusing to cut vital services. Scroll down to the bottom to see if your Representative has signed on.
2. If your Democratic representative has not yet signed on, call and tell them to add their name to the Boyle, Jayapal, Kuster letter opposing any cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Republicans are threatening to hold the world economy hostage. Democrats need to stand strong and join President Biden in saying we’re not negotiating with hostage-takers. Every Democratic member who signs onto this letter makes it clearer to Republicans that Dems won’t cave, and clearer to all Americans that the Democratic Party can be counted on to protect Medicare and Social Security. Once you’ve called, write a letter to the editor (LTE) encouraging your MoC not to negotiate with MAGA hostage-takers and then tweet at your MoC demanding they sign on.
3. If your Democratic representative has already signed on, call your representative and thank them for signing on to the letter. Our representatives need to know when we’re in support of their actions, there’s no better way to let them know than to call them directly. The stronger we show our support, the more likely they will work for the people in the future. When you’re finished calling, write an LTE thanking your representative for signing on. Don’t just support your MoC in private, submit an LTE thanking your representative so that your community, and other MoCs paying attention, know that your representative is doing the right thing and supported by their constituents. Public praise helps put the pressure on the remaining MoCs to sign on too. 
4. If you have a Republican representative, call and tell them you oppose the MAGA default scheme. Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee have advanced a scheme to “prevent a default” that would essentially give congressional MAGA extremists the power to decide which bills get paid (and potentially put critical payments to hospitals, schools, and social safety net programs at the back of the line). Call your Republican representative and tell them you oppose the “debt prioritization” scheme. 

P.S. We rely on your support to keep call pages up and running, fund ads to get the word out, and continue all the work we’re doing this year. If you’re able, click here to donate to help fund our work.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, FL-10

Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida walked out of a House Judiciary Committee meeting on gun violence following the removal of Patricia and Manuel Oliver (and the later detention of Oliver) -- parents of Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver. Before leaving in protest, Rep. Frost clearly defined the issue of the gun violence epidemic in America citing that over 100 people a day are lost to gun violence in this country. Watch Rep. Frost as he fights for all of the people we’ve lost and all of those we hope to never have to lose.

Reps. Chris Deluzio, PA-17 and Rohit Khanna, CA-17

Earlier this month, Reps. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania and Rohit Khanna of California penned an incredible op-ed in The Guardian about the East Palestine train derailment. Speaking to the need for safer conditions, they say, “from western Pennsylvania to Silicon Valley, political leaders from across the country have a moral duty to speak out loudly for better safety regulations and to acknowledge what the people around East Palestine and so many Americans are going through.” The safety of our national infrastructure should not be a partisan issue, and these Reps. are fighting for the people. Read their op-ed on the need for the DERAIL act today.

 National Events 

RSVP for our National Rural Caucus call this Wednesday, March 29 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. At our March call, we will be talking about the Farm Bill, Social Security, Medicare, and how we can come together to fight for it all. Aftyn Behn from ruralorganizing.org (and co-founder of our Rural Call!) will be joining this conversation. Our rural caucus is a space where we can focus on sharing resources and addressing issues specifically related to rural Indivisibles. Join us this Wednesday! 

RSVP for our National Activist Call: The MAGA Default Crisis on Wednesday, April 12 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. We know the MAGA majority in Congress is promising to hold the economy hostage in an attempt to cut critical programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Join us to learn how we plan to fight back and send a clear message that House Democrats will not allow American lives and livelihoods to be used as bargaining chips.

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

Indivisible Lumpkin held a silent vigil for trans rights outside of State Senator Steve Gooch’s house. Coverage of this action was picked up by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text messaging program where we send rapid response actions a few times a month.

The tragedies we experience in this country are often wholly preventable, but MAGA Republicans consistently work to stifle progress. The work we do today to hold them accountable and shore up the Democratic coalition will free us to enact the change we so deeply need in the future. Thank you for joining us in that work.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team