The Indivisible Team (1/8/18)
Congress gets back to work this week and they already have a full plate. The good news? Democrats Doug Jones and Tina Smith were sworn into the Senate last week (seeing D-Alabama is really cool, right?), which means we now only need to peel off two Republicans to stop more of the Trump agenda. A single vote could make all the difference in upcoming fights!
While it’s a new year, Trump hasn’t changed a bit. Over the holidays and into the New Year, he’s attacked North Korea on Twitter again, and attacked Robert Mueller and the Russia investigation multiple times (he’s a very stable genius, everyone).
But don’t get too distracted by Trump’s antics, Congress has an ambitious agenda that includes passing another government funding bill, and new issues are emerging, like a scammy infrastructure package and benefit cuts — the second could threaten important priorities like Medicare and Social Security.
Here’s a preview of the biggest fights coming up, and what you can do to take action:
- Make the Tax Scam Artists pay for their vote. We haven’t forgotten about all the GOP members of Congress (MoCs) who voted to give the wealthiest Americans and corporations a massive tax cut at the expense of the rest of us. We’ll make them pay for this massive betrayal by replacing these elected officials and repealing the tax scam. To that end, we’re hosting “early retirement parties” for those MoCs who voted for this bill (here’s a toolkit to help you put a party together). If you have a Republican representative or senator who voted for the GOP Tax Scam, throw them a retirement party. There are already parties happening across the country, and you can find one near you here (or register your own!).
- Tell Democratic MoCs to make a choice: fight for Dreamers or be part of the Deportation Caucus. By the end of next week, Republicans will need Democratic votes in order to pass a new bill to fund the government and keep it open (9 Democrats in the Senate and possibly some in the House!), so Democrats have even more leverage than they did a month ago. It’s crucial that Democrats use that leverage to vote down the bill if it doesn’t include a clean Dream Act to protect the 800,000 young Americans whose lives the president threw into turmoil last year by rescinding DACA. In December, 30 Senate Democrats voted to protect Dreamers, but we need more to fight for Dreamers this week. See how your Senators voted and make a call to hold them accountable or thank them here.
- Trump and Mitch McConnell have both said they intend to move to infrastructure early this year. What we know, based on earlier proposals, is that Trump’s infrastructure plan is intended to line the pockets of private companies and foreign investors at the expense of local governments and their own priorities. We expect an announcement of some kind of “plan” (probably no more than a page or two of broad concepts) the week of January 15. Get ready for this fight to #StopTrumpTolls.
IndivisiMerch is still available!
If you haven’t yet, check out the newest IndivisiMerch! There’s great items for these freezing winter months like fleece sweatpants and sweatshirts that will keep you nice and toasty! (trust us, we’ve tested them thoroughly.)
Check out the latest IndivisiMerch on our website now!
This week’s #TrumpThreatLevel
When he de-certified the Iran Deal back in October, Trump threatened to throttle the deal next time he got the chance, if Congress didn’t act. Congress didn’t act, and now Trump has another deadline in January where he could break the deal and take us closer to war with Iran. Call your Members of Congress to tell them to protect the deal and keep us out of war, and catch up on the state of play for the fate of the Iran deal.
It’s a New Year – let’s start the fight for a New Congress
There are 301 days until we take back the House (and maybe even the Senate). Every member of the House is up for re-election, as well as 34 Senators. Local and state elections will be happening too. Every election is a chance for Indivisible groups to grow their power and support our values.
We’ve built a whole program focused on participating in this year’s election called Indivisible 435. It already includes guides on election law and how to make an endorsement in a race. We also have a 50 state voter registration guide where you can get started on the work of bringing out new people to vote against the Trump Administration’s disastrous agenda and take back the House (and Senate!) this year. Get started planning a voter registration event, no matter where you live, here.
2018 is finally here. And it’s going to be a big one. We have a lot of work to do — and a lot of winning to do. We’re so excited you’ll be with us through it all!
In solidarity,
The Indivisible Team
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