We’re still keeping a full calendar of remote events. Check https://indivisibleyolo.org/calendar/ for the most up-to-date information on actions and events you can join!
Negotiations on another coronavirus relief bill are likely to start in the Senate this week. In May, the House passed its version of the stimulus bill: the HEROES Act. It improved significantly on the CARES Act, especially on democracy and protections for immigrants, and provides additional financial relief and public health measures. This week, the Senate will be discussing its version of the bill. We’ve highlighted some of the positive items included in the House version of the Heroes Act before:
- $3.6 billion in election funding to expand vote by mail and safe in-person voting locations
- $25 billion in funding for the United States Postal Service
- Additional $1,200 payments to individuals, including immigrants and dependents over the age of 16
- A moratorium on evictions and foreclosures
- Expanded paid/sick/family leave for all workers
- Free testing and treatment for all, including immigrants regardless of status
Now, we are in a rapidly worsening pandemic due to the Trump administration’s malfeasance. And even as negotiations start for what form of coronavirus relief (if any) will pass in the Senate, Republicans are fighting every provision in the bill that would help people rather than corporations. The Trump administration is trying to push a “payroll tax cut” to stop paying into Medicare and Social Security- a blatant attempt to starve these programs. Republicans also don’t want to continue pandemic unemployment benefits. As the coronavirus toll mounts, they’d rather help the Trump administration pretend the crisis is over and push workers into unsafe jobs to briefly prop up the economy. And Mitch McConnell is trying to include a liability shield for corporations that force workers into these unsafe conditions, so that employers can sacrifice employees’ health with impunity.
We need the relief in the Heroes act, and we cannot let Republicans include their twisted and damaging priorities. Below, you can find example call scripts to ask Sen. Harris and Feinstein to support the bill and keep it from being watered down.
Would you like company making calls to representatives or doing the action of the week? Join our Virtual Action Coffee Zoom meeting Monday mornings at 10 am: https://zoom.us/j/721847201. We’ll talk through Indivisible Yolo’s action of the week, call or email our representatives, talk politics, and stay connected to each other and the work in this challenging time.
And as always, you can find up-to-date events on our calendar at https://indivisibleyolo.org/calendar/.
Take care, and take action!
-The Indivisible Yolo Team
The next General Meeting will be online Monday, July 27th from 7-8:30 pm.
We also have many opportunities to keep doing the work and keep connected even while social distancing. Postcarding meet-ups, textbank training, phonebanking, virtual action coffee- Check out the Indivisible Yolo calendar! https://indivisibleyolo.org/calendar/
We are excited to announce that we have a NEW regular weekday evening phone bank with Sister District – CA-3! Thank you Katherine Holmes for hosting in the new Thursday 6:30 pm slot. Like all the Call Team’s phone banks, there will be plenty of training for new callers.
Tell our Senators to pass the HEROES Act:
- Sen. Feinstein:Â 415-393-0707Â (SF)Â 202-224-3841Â (D.C)Â (email)
- Sen. Harris:Â 916-448-2787Â (Sacramento)Â 202-224-3553Â (D.C.)Â (email)
Sample Call Script for Sen. Harris and Feinstein:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a constituent from [CITY/Zip Code]. I’m calling Senator Harris/Feinstein to urge her to do everything possible to ensure that the HEROES Act is considered and passed in the Senate without watering it down. The bill includes necessary protections to keep people on payrolls, provide financial relief, protect our public health, and defend democracy. The Senator should strongly support the HEROES Act and its protections for working families. People are struggling to make ends meet. We need every protection in the HEROES Act to pass or lives will be at stake.
I’m appalled that the Republicans are trying to cut pandemic unemployment benefits from the bill, starve Social Security and Medicare through a “payroll tax cut”, and give employers a liability shield when they harm their employees. Please support the Heroes Act, and don’t let Republicans include any of their harmful provisions. Thank you!
