Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/25

Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!

I’m quite late this morning, as I got caught in a meeting. I’ll simply say: we’ve made it halfway through the week! Stay with me! Three more days until we can all take a break.

In the meantime, please know that your actions matter. They’re moving the needle. They are ALTERING the FUTURE!

This is a remarkable thing. And you are a remarkable person.

Thanks for being here, and thanks for taking action with me one more time.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

[I know this feels repetitive. Please do it anyway!]

I’m calling to find out whether the Senator has yet signed on the Sen. Feinstein’s S. 25, which is her Assault Weapons Ban bill. We need this law. We’re literally dying out here. Doing something about guns is a top priority for me. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

I want the Congressmember to call on Representative Santos to resign. We can laugh at him all we want, but in reality this matter is deadly serious. Santos is an imposter, a criminal, and a person capable of incredible deceit. We don’t even know who funded his Congressional campaign, but we do know he has ties to Russian oligarchs. He should absolutely not be in Congress. If he won’t step down he should be expelled. Thanks.

[If GOP add:] One more thing: I’m furious that Republicans are holding our economy hostage and threatening their constituents’ financial futures with this debt ceiling vote. Pass a clean debt ceiling increase now or you will all lose your seats in 2024. Period.

Extra Credit ✅

Let’s sign this letter asking the Army Corps of Engineers not to grant a permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Please add a one-sentence comment about why climate change is a concern for you and/or why you don’t want to see new fossil fuel projects being built. (The personalized comments stand out, really!)

If you like you can also sign a similar letter to the US Forest Service asking them to deny the builders of the MVP a permit to cross the Jefferson National Forest. Do so here.

Get Smart! 📚

Indivisible’s new guide is focussed almost entirely on how to fight MAGA extremism. Want to learn more?

1. Register for a (rescheduled)Deep Dive on the New Guide now happening this Thursday, January 26 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Join activists from across the country as the Indivisible leadership team breaks down the main focuses of the new Guide, walks us through activation strategies that can be applied locally in 2023, and creates a community space to reconvene while launching into a new year. You do not have to be an Indivisible member to attend!

2. Read the new 2023 Indivisible Guide. Whether you can make the call this Thursday or not, if you want tangible actions you can take to confront MAGA extremism, this is the place to start.

Spread the Word! 📣

Latest economic progress points under Joe Biden:

1. A record nearly 11 million jobs have been created—the strongest two years of job growth in history.

2. 750,000 manufacturing jobs have been created—a faster recovery than any other business cycle since 1953.

3. We have the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years.

4. 38 states have unemployment rates below 4%.

5. We are at a near-record low unemployment for Black and Hispanic Americans.

6. We’ve just had the best two years for small business applications on record, with 10.5 million applications filed.

7. Annual inflation has fallen for 6 months in a row.

8. Gas prices are down about $1.60 from their peak.

9. Wages are higher now than they were 6 months ago—adjusted for inflation.

10. Household net worth is up 23% above pre-pandemic levels.

Also, Thursday POTUS will deliver a major economic speech. (More here: Biden set to hammer GOP over national sales tax in major econ speech)

Win Races! 🗳

I signed up to call voters in PA tomorrow from 3-5PM PT with Turn PA Blue. Remember, there are three crucial special elections in Allegheny County coming up to fill seats in PA's HD 32, HD 34, & HD 35! We MUST hold the PA House!

Can you join me? Sign up here.

Can’t do Thursdays? I’ve got more options with another great group! 

Join the Environmental Voter Project to call low propensity environmental voters in PA on Sunday, January 29th at 11am PT / 2pm ET; or Monday, January 30th at 3pm PT / 6pm ET; or Tuesday, January 31st at 9am PT / 12pm ET; or Wednesday, February 1st at 4pm PT / 7pm ET; or Saturday, February 4th at 12pm PT / 3pm ET! These calls are even easier and sooooo fun. 

All hands on deck to hold the Pennsylvania House! Woot!

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PUIWQK to 50409]

While I applaud the Biden administration’s decision to offer new ways for people to come lawfully to the United States, I am concerned about it being paired with enforcement measures that cut off asylum access at the border for thousands of migrants fleeing violence and disaster who do not have the economic means to qualify for the new parole program.

These Trump-era bans on asylum for people who travel through another country on their way to the U.S. go directly against our values. Many critics are concerned that the expansion of Title 42 and the new transit ban will further erode the legal right to seek asylum and put many more people in danger, particularly Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ people.

I’m calling on you to join the 291 civil, human rights, and immigrant rights groups along with Representatives Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Grijalva (D-AZ), and Casar (D-TX) and Senators Menendez (D-NJ), Booker (D-NJ), Padilla (D-CA), and Luján (D-NM) in signing a letter urging the Biden administration against expanding Title 42 and resurrecting the Trump-era Asylum ban. Thanks.

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OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess