The job of dramatically improving voters’ lives in all fifty states can’t be put on hold for the holidays. President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) has passed, but we still need to pass the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) – which means that we need all fifty Democratic senators to push it through to passage, even if they must delay their winter recess.
Now that the IIJA infrastructure bill laden with corporate goodies has passed, Senate Republicans are focused on obstructing the rest of the Biden agenda. They are even delaying passage of the $7.5T+ defense bill (NDAA) as a way to put off consideration of the BBBA for as long as possible. Still, Senator Schumer hopes to pass the NDAA by the end of this week, and he has indicated that the Senate may delay its recess to pass the BBBA.
The House has already delayed its recess until December 20. Tell our senators to do the same, or not recess at all, unless and until they pass the Build Back Better Act and the voting rights bills. And ask President Biden to convene a special session of Congress in early January to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act if Congress fails to do so before the end of the year.
Contact our senators and the White House and tell them: No recess until we build back better and vote better!
Also, check out our review of what the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act invests in our city, state, and country. Thanks to Speaker Pelosi’s office for listing these items in her constituent newsletter!
And join us, our friends at Indivisible East Bay, and Black Voters Matter at a rally and march outside of senators’ offices to tell them: No Vacation Without Representation!
We will gather outside Senator Padilla’s office (333 Bush in SF) at 10 AM, where we will hear opening remarks and celebrate the work that the senator has done so far to fight for the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act.
At about 10:25 AM, we will march a few blocks to Senator Feinstein’s office (at 1 Post), where we will conduct an “empty chair interview” with an absent senator. Finally, selected attendees will stage a die-in to symbolize the voting rights that are dying in states such as Texas and Georgia.
Throughout, we will stand in solidarity with one another to call for the freedom to vote for all communities. We will share the message that the Senate should delay its recess and should not come home in 2021 until the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act have passed. RSVP here.
If you’re interested in participating in activities like drafting letters to our Members of Congress and developing our strategy for influencing them, the Indivisible SF Federal Working Group is where it happens. Join us at our next meeting on Thursday, December 9. Details on how to register below!
ISF Federal Working Group meeting: Thursday, December 9, 7:30–9 PM.Register here to join our regular Zoom meeting, where we work cooperatively to develop strategies to influence our Members of Congress and the Biden administration to support a progressive agenda. All are welcome to participate and contribute, even if you’ve never attended an ISF meeting before.
No Vacation Without Representation! Rally at Senators’ Offices, Thursday, December 9, 10–11:30 AM. The rally will start outside Senator Padilla’s office (333 Bush in SF) at 10 AM. At about 10:25 AM, we will march a few blocks to Senator Feinstein’s office (at 1 Post), where we will conduct an “empty chair interview” with an absent senator. Finally, selected attendees will stage a die-in to symbolize the voting rights that are dying in states such as Texas and Georgia. RSVP here.
Fight Back Fridays: Voting Rights Caroling Edition: Friday, December 10, 5–6 PM, at 1 Post. Join a coalition of local Indivisibles every Friday for our weekly FIGHT BACK FRIDAYS. We gather at 1 Post in SF (in front of Senator Feinstein’s office building, at one of the Montgomery Street BART exits) every Friday until the Freedom to Vote Act is passed. Learn more and register here. If you want to sing with us, download and print our carol sheet!
About this week’s photo
If you’ve seen our newsletter posts on Twitter and Facebook, you might have noticed that we include a photo or graphic with each issue. Today’s image is a social media graphic from the No Vacation Without Representation event sign-up page provided by Black Voters Matter.
Keep Fighting,
