We need action now on cutting carbon emissions in half and lowering prices. We are disgusted by Big Oil’s price gouging and their efforts to blame their higher prices on every scapegoat they can think of, from pandemic supply chain disruptions to our commitment to support Ukraine by banning Russian oil imports. We know that President Biden’s economic policies have boosted our economy to historic heights by building from the bottom and middle up.
Unfortunately, Republicans are no longer “friends across the aisle.” They are the corrupt partisans across the aisle, many of whom have helped to plot, cover up, and minimize a criminal conspiracy to attack our nation’s capitol and deny states’ election results to keep the twice-impeached Donald John Trump in power. For decades now, they have received the lion’s share of corporate lobbying funds to obstruct the change we need for a more equitable America. Even after witnessing the worsening climate crisis devastate their own states, they refuse to act—arguably yet another breach of their oaths of office.
We need every Democrat in Congress to defy the Republicans across the aisle and call them out for their criminality and willful ignorance. We need our president to use his powers under the Defense Production Act to impose limits on price gouging and extend renewable energy mandates to the Department of Defense and the USPS.
Tell President Biden and our Members of Congress: protect our planet from corruption!
Funding Defense: Ukraine and Covid
We applaud President Biden’s solid efforts to aid Ukrainians who are resisting Russia’s ruthless invasion. We admire his skilful diplomacy, which has built and maintained a united front among our allies in defense of Ukrainian democracy. We also strongly support Speaker Pelosi’s recent call to combine a $10B extension of COVID-19 pandemic defense funding with a proposed additional $33B in military aid to Ukraine. Both are defense necessities.
As we have seen over recent years, too many Republican leaders are enamored with and envious of “strongman” autocracies like Russia, Hungary, and Brazil. Many have either supported or turned a blind eye to Russian sabotage of our democratic elections. Yet the GOP is less united than usual over Ukraine, both because public opinion is united around defending Ukraine and because Republicans’ big donors in the defense industry are reaping windfall sales from the conflict.
But Republicans in Congress are united in refusing to support $10B (whittled down from $22B) for continued defense against the COVID-19 pandemic and preparation for future outbreaks even though the proposed appropriations extension is fully paid for with unspent money from other programs. Without this additional extension, you and I will have to pay out of our own pockets for COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and—in the worst case—treatment. For us, this is clearly another form of inflation.
Originally, Democrats planned to combine Ukraine military assistance with COVID-19 funding in a single bill that could overcome the filibuster by pairing a big increase in defense spending with half as much pandemic funding. But some in Washington now want to separate them. Such a move would repeat the earlier mistake of stripping out the corporate windfall of infrastructure provisions from the Build Back Better Act, making it a separate bill and thus leaving the human investment, environmental defense, health care, and other social spending provisions to wither and die. We can’t risk abandoning either military assistance to Ukraine or funding to continue battling COVID-19. We agree with Speaker Pelosi that we should combine the two and dare the GOP to defy public sentiment (and their mega-donors) by voting against it.
Tell President Biden and our senators: do not separate defense spending from COVID-19 funding!
Vote NOW in the primary election!
It’s election time again! Yes, again, for the third time this year. The May–June primary election is happening now, and you may have already received your ballot. As usual, we have much more info on our blog and at https://indivisiblesf.org/vote.
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. Our next meeting is on Thursday, May 12. Details on how to register below.
ISF Federal Working Group meeting: Thursday, May 12, 7:30–9 PM.Register here to join our regular Zoom meeting, where we work together to develop strategies for influencing 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.
Bans off Our Bodies March for Reproductive Justice: Saturday, May 14, at 11 AM at Grove & Hyde St. Join Women’s March Bay Area and many organizations as we march for reproductive justice. Line up will start at 10:45 AM at Grove & Hyde St near the Library. RSVP here.
Moral Monday March on LA Watch Party hosted by Indivisible East Bay: May 16, 5–7 PM.
Watch Rev. Barber, Rev. Theoharis, and California justice leaders speak and rally in Los Angeles.
Support the Poor People’s Campaign in its drive toward the Moral March on Washington and to the polls.
Talk about Bay Area progressive activism: challenges, triumphs, theories of change, and your moral vision. RSVP here.
Bay Area Coalition Phone Banks: Wednesdays and Saturdays. Our friends at Swing Left need your help talking to voters about the upcoming primaries and midterms. Join Swing Left and the Bay Area Coalition on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings to make calls to voters in California and around the nation. Sign up for a shift:
- TODAY, Wednesday, May 11, 5–7 PM
- Saturday, May 14, 10 AM–12 PM
- Wednesday, May 18, 5–7 PM
Supporting and Mobilizing Arizona’s Native Voters, Northeast AZ Native Organizing Campaign: Wednesday, May 18, 7–8:30 PM. Indivisible South Peninsula and Indivisible San José are hosting an info-session and fundraiser for the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats, a grassroots organization that uses deep canvassing and relational organizing to engage, register, and mobilize indigenous voters in three northeastern counties of Arizona. RSVP here.
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 photo of Mayor London Breed speaking at the abortion rights rally at the Phillip Burton Federal Building on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
Keep Fighting,
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