It’s a new Congress! You may have a new Congressperson. San Francisco’s residents are covered by Rep. Pelosi (CA-11), Rep. Lee (CA-12), and Rep. Mullin (CA-15). Our website has been updated to reflect their office phone numbers and contact forms. Find your district and representative here. For more on how redistricting has changed the electoral calculus in CA, see CNN’s article on the new map.
Now let’s get ready for a new year of resistance and persistence with a difficult situation in the House of Representatives.
In a disgusting display of personal ego and selfishness, Kevin McCarthy sold his soul on the House floor to the insurrectionist, anti-American, anti-democracy, MAGA Chaos Caucus so he could become Speaker. Much of what McCarthy agreed to is still hidden behind closed doors, lies, leaks, rumors, and spin, but while some of the rules-changes he has apparently agreed to may be beneficial, the real goals of the small Chaos Caucus (and now Speaker McCarthy) are clear:
- They are determined to ram through policies that are opposed by the majority of the American people and also the majority of the representatives we elected in 2022. As they illustrated with the vote for Speaker, they cannot achieve their agenda through the democratic process of voting, so they engage in destructive political temper-tantrums to paralyze Congress, shut down the government, and hold us all hostage to get what they want.
- They are determined to ruthlessly slash what they refer to as “Mandatory Spending Programs” – meaning Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), earned income and child tax credits. They use the obfuscatory term “Mandatory Spending Programs” to disguise their intentions from voters.
- As they just proved last month with the 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill and National Defense Authorization Act, they are determined to increase defense spending at the expense of domestic programs. They have abandoned the previously established 50–50 parity between defense and domestic funding, elevating the Pentagon budget above the needs of We the People.
- They clearly intend to promote increased fossil fuel use and oppose solar and wind power, cripple and roll back environmental protection and regulation, and block all efforts to prevent climate catastrophe and defend us and our children against global warming.
- They make explicit and plain their intention to set up bogus House “select committees” to politically persecute Democrats like President Biden and intimidate Justice Department officials and state Attorneys General who are investigating the crimes committed by ex-president Trump and the January 6th insurrectionists (including members of the Chaos Caucus themselves).
- They clearly state their determination to use “must-pass” bills like the debt ceiling, annual defense authorization, farm, and 2024 appropriation bills as hostages to impose their agenda on the American people, under the guise of “checking the Biden administration.”
Contact your MoC’s and President Biden and tell them: Do not sacrifice our freedoms or our interests in futile gestures of bipartisanship toward MAGA Republicans who have no sincere interest in it.
New Congress, new Indivisible Guide
The Indivisible movement started with a team of former congressional staffers writing a guide on navigating a Trump presidency back in 2016. Since then, Indivisible has continued to put out guides for every new Congress, updating the state of play and consolidating tactics for the new year in one place. This year is no different.
Read Indivisible National’s updated Guide for 2023. This year’s focus will be on resisting the MAGA House and electorally defeating MAGA in the coming two years.
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. We’re spending the rest of the year celebrating the holidays, but we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Thursday, January 12, 2023.
Make Public Comment at the SF Police Commission in partnership with Wealth & Disparities in the Black Community: TODAY, Wednesday, January 11, starting 5:30 PM. We need you urgently as the San Francisco Police Commission weighs a revision to traffic stops policy in order to end biased stops, i.e. racial profiling. A comment at the Police Commission meeting takes just 2 minutes (at this week’s Wednesday evening meeting at 5:30pm).
If you are unable to comment in person or via phone, you may email your comment. Please copy mwjusticenow@gmail.com on your email to sfpd.commission@sfgov.org. If emailing, in the subject line, put “Public Comment – End Biased Stops”.
More details and public comment talking points here.
Indivisible SF Federal Working Group: Thursday, January 12, 7:30–9 PM. Planning meeting where we discuss strategy to influence our Members of Congress and the Biden administration to enact a progressive agenda. Meeting starts promptly at 7:30 PM. All are welcome. Register 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 frame-grab of Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s speech after the election of the new House Speaker, as aired by C-SPAN, from his YouTube channel.
Keep Fighting,
