Indivisibles,

This week it’s our responsibility to demand House Democrats hold the line on the bold, progressive values that we elected them to uphold in Congress. That’s it. That’s the job we’re asking them to do: dream bigger, speak boldly, and fight for a better future for all of us.

That’s why our asks this week are about the bills and policies Americans need, and can, accomplish if House Democrats work together. We need to continue to push House Democratic leadership to use their oversight responsibilities, advance (and not weaken) the Dream and Promise Act, and make sure that we do everything in our power to stop these endless wars.

In 2018, you knocked on doors, made calls, sent texts, and rallied all over the country to elect the most progressive and diverse Congress in American history. Now it’s time to make sure that your members of Congress (MoCs) are using their power to hold this administration accountable.

 Your 5 weekly to-dos 

1. The proper solution for a president who obstructs justice is impeachment. Whether it’s his actions to obstruct the Mueller investigation or his demands that members of his administration stonewall Congressional investigations, Trump has committed acts that should be addressed in an impeachment investigation. Write a letter to your MoC, or make a call, to make sure that your MoC knows you want them to support Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s resolution, H.R. 257, to open an impeachment inquiry.
2. It’s time to take a stand on the Dream and Promise Act. House Democrats already delayed their markup of H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, once before. Now it’s time for them to make passing this legislation in its current, strong form a priority. Members on the House Judiciary Committee especially need to hear from you that protecting immigrants is an urgent concern.
3. Tell your MoCs to prevent a new war with Iran. Trump and his war cabinet are dialing up the escalations to a 10, including deploying additional military force to the region. Noted war enthusiast, John Bolton, has called this a “clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime” in response to secret, ill-defined “threats.” MoCs can co-sponsor H.R. 2354 / S. 1039 to explicitly deny Trump the authority he needs to start a new war.
4. Democrats need to hold strong on prescription drug prices. Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s bill, H.R. 1046, would guarantee that Medicare could negotiate prices for all drugs while protecting patient’s access to their medications. This bill has the support of huge majorities of the public, along with co-sponsorships from every corner of the Democratic caucus, yet House Democratic leadership is working with the White House on bad proposals that would delegate the authority to make a final call on drug prices to unaccountable, third-party arbitrators. Use our call script here and make sure your MoC knows that the Doggett bill is the best option for bringing drug prices down.
5. Sign up early for the June National Call. Mark June 6 for the monthly Indivisible National Activist Call! All group leaders, group members, and other Indivisible activists are welcome.

 Happening on the Hill this week: 

• As the Trump administration continues to obstruct the House’s efforts to conduct oversight, House Democratic leadership is considering taking steps to hold more officials in contempt. The House Judiciary Committee has already approved a contempt citation for Attorney General Bill Barr, and now other committees may move forward with contempt citations against current and former administration officials if they continue to prevent the House from finding the truth about Trump’s obstruction and other crimes. It sounds like Democrats will hold off on voting on any contempt citation on the House floor (the last official step in the process) until they can package multiple such citations together. Voters delivered the House to Democrats so that they could hold Trump accountable and uncover the truth, which is why we want to see them use every tool available -- from contempt to impeachment.
• Meanwhile, House Democrats continue to slow-walk the Dream and Promise Act. After they delayed a markup for H.R. 6 originally scheduled for May 8, we’re hearing that Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are likely to severely weaken the bill in committee. The only way to fight back against the Trump administration’s cruel, racist immigration policies is to pass bold legislation protecting immigrant families -- so make sure your MoC knows you want them to pass the Dream and Promise Act without any amendments that would weaken it.
• Finally, Trump and his war cabinet continue to raise tensions with Iran. This might sound familiar -- a Republican administration, with noted war enthusiast John Bolton at the fore, is politicizing intelligence and creating false pretenses to get the United States into a war in the Middle East. There’s a reason that Trump’s ratcheting up of tension with Iran feels so similar to the buildup to the Iraq War, but this time Congress must act to flip the script. Call your MoCs to co-sponsor H.R. 2354 / S. 1039 to deny Trump the authority he needs to go to war with Iran. If we want to avoid another 20 years of deadly conflict, they need to act now.

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   Indivisible in your state 

  Legislative sessions are winding down in many states, but Indivisible activism is not! Indivisibles are pushing hard to move their priorities across the finish line.

  • California Indivisibles mobilized to defend their clean energy future.
  • Arizona Indivisibles held a rapid response call-in day to defend against a flurry of anti-democratic bills.
  • New York Indivisibles lobbied for public financing.
  • Georgia Indivisibles stand in solidarity for the fight for Southerners' access to abortion care.
  • Illinois Indivisibles held a town hall to discuss supporting a responsible budget and state services!

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   All Eyes on 2020 

  → Climate change is now a leading issue in Democratic presidential primaries. While in previous cycles, candidates and the media mostly only paid lip service to the climate crisis, that will have to change this year as new polls show that climate change is the second most important issue for Iowa caucus-goers. On top of that, 82% of Democrats nationally rank climate concerns as “very important”. Luckily some candidates (Sanders, Warren, O’Rourke, Gillibrand, Inslee) are already leading on the issue -- the rest of the field will need to catch up!
  → Assaults on reproductive freedom are moving to the center of the 2020 fight. Trump and several Republicans across the country have been twisting the facts of real people's medical care to push outright lies for their own political gain. Democratic candidates need to be crystal clear on abortion throughout the primary and general election, and Indivisibles will stand and fight alongside the activists defending their right to abortion access in this election and beyond.
  → Democratic campaigns are creating a better culture for interns and staff. Last week, six candidates pledged to pay their campaign interns (shout out to the Pay Our Interns campaign) and Sec. Castro’s campaign announced that their team was unionizing with the Campaign Workers Guild! Sen. Sanders’ campaign unionized earlier this year, and we should be pushing other candidates to encourage their staff to organize as part of their support for the labor movement.

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   A Match! 

  The reality of doing the work we do is that it costs money. Tools and resources that enable Indivisibles to contact their MoCs, textbank, run events and organize in their communities aren’t free (to us, we try to make them free for all Indivisibles).

  So when we get “matching grants” it’s a big deal -- essentially, a donor promises to donate up to a certain amount, as long as the grassroots chips in, too. It means grassroots gifts have twice as much impact. And (you guessed it) we have a match right now!

  Here’s where we ask you for money: If you’re able, please chip in today -- every gift up to $50,000 will be matched, so it’s like a buy-one-get-one deal, but for democracy!

  If you’ve saved your contribution information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

  Express Donate: $5

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  Express Donate: $50

  Or, donate another amount

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   IndivisiWin of the Week 

  

  California Indivisibles consistently keep the pressure on their Representatives from the federal level all the way down to the local level. Leaving no stone unturned in their fight for a government that works for everyone.

  We knew from the beginning that electing a more Democratic Congress was only the first step towards advancing progressive policies. The tough part comes in continuing to push even our most progressive representatives towards passing the types of legislation we know will enhance our democracy. But the message is an easy one: hold the line on our values and hold this administration accountable. 

  In solidarity,
  Indivisible Team