Week of April 3, 2017
ALL WEEK: Tell CRUZ and CORNYN to vote NO on cloture for Gorsuch + Oppose the “nuclear option”
Last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Neil Gorsuch were more of the same for the Trump administration: an extreme nominee attempting to defend his record of standing with corporate power instead of the American people. To ensure Gorsuch doesn’t roll back civil rights, women’s rights, labor rights, and many other rights for years to come, we need the Senate to show some serious spine.
The important vote for Gorsuch is the “cloture” vote. Voting for “cloture” means voting to cut off debate and end a filibuster. This vote requires 60 votes to succeed, which means Senate Republicans CAN’T win this on their own—they don’t have enough votes. Ask your Senator (regardless of party) to vote “NO on cloture” for Gorsuch.
If Republicans cannot find 60 votes for cloture, tell your Senators that you do NOT support the use of the “nuclear option”, which would change the Senate rules to allow for a simple majority to move the process forward. Tell your Senators that if the GOP can’t get to 60, they should change the nominee, not the rules!
Check out a script on this here
Monday, April 3
All Day. Call members of the Texas House redistricting committee
Want to end gerrymandering? It starts with the Texas Lege’s willingness to vote on redistricting. Please call the House Redistricting Committee to tell them how excited you are that HJR 32 and HB 369 have made it to their committee, you want them to call it for public hearings, and to vote to PASS this on to the Legislature for a full vote.
Scripts and contact information are here
Tuesday, April 4
8 p.m. “Reclaim Recess” Webinar from the Indivisible Team
NOTE: We are doing this instead of our regular Tuesday night call.
Last recess, more than 100,000 people showed up for town halls across the country and helped save health insurance for 24 million Americans. What can we accomplish this time?
The next in-district work period will begin on April 8. Join us for a live webinar this Tuesday to hear about this recess’ policy priorities and our latest tips on how to hold your Member of Congress accountable.
Also check out our new Constituent Town Hall Toolkit
Wednesday, April 5
All Day. Call SENATORS and HOUSE REPS to protest Trump’s response to Syrian war crimes.
Just read this:
It’s hard to overstate how bizarre and dangerous this statement is. Normally, we focus our calls on specific legislation or cabinet nominees. But when your president violates decades, if not centuries, of norms, you can still make your voices heard. Speak from the heart, but if it helps to have a script, this will get you started:
President Trump’s response to war crimes committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people is unacceptable. Blaming the previous administration for a foreign government’s use of chemical weapons is unpatriotic and dangerous. When the United States cannot present a united front on the international stage, our credibility is severely diminished. Please put country over party and speak out against such a clear violation of American values.
All Day. Call TEXAS HOUSE REPS to stop companies from selling your personal data
The Texas House votes on their budget tomorrow. There are many amendments, both good and bad, to call your rep about. But one in particular warrants attention because Trump just signed a bill that clears the way for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to sell your browsing history and other personal data.
But… you can stop this at the state level by telling your rep in the Texas House to support Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas)’s pro-privacy amendment. This should be a bipartisan issue!
Read about Anchia’s amendment (and many others) at Indivisible TXLege
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Indivisible Austin Coffee Meetup
Upper Crust Bakery
Indivisible Austin’s weekly lunchtime coffee gathering. Drop by to say hi, ask a question, voice a concern, meet other members, grab some free swag, or buy a t-shirt ($20 cash). Location changes weekly. Can’t make daytimes? Check out our Thursday night meetup.
Thursday, April 6
6 to 8 p.m. Indivisible Austin Coffee Meetup
Cafe Express
A casual weekly meet-up for Indivisible Austin members and interested parties. Drop by to say hello, meet some of the members, grab a bumper sticker and wallet card, and maybe sit and chat for a while. We’re also now selling IATX t-shirts — $20 cash!
Friday, April 7
All day. Call MoCs and ask what Trump’s Syria strategy is; demand a public statement on refugees
Major hat tip to Celeste Pewter on this one.
Last night, the U.S. launched dozens of missiles at Syrian military targets. This is a complicated situation. Yes, chemical attacks are unacceptable and need strong response; but does anyone trust Trump to carry out that response? Also, most Central Texas MoCs opposed any military strike on Syria when Obama was president. Now they are changing their tune.
- If your MoC opposed a strike in 2013, but approved Trump’s unilateral bombing last night, ask them why. What has changed? Why wasn’t Congress consulted? And what is the plan now?
- Also ask them: Now that we are bombing Syria, ostensibly for humanitarian reasons, what is their stance on allowing Syrian refugees into the United States? Demand a public response… and also a Town Hall.
All day. Call MoCs and demand a Town Hall!
Congress heads into recess this weekend, which allegedly means they make themselves available to meet with constituents in their districts. So call them up and ask for a meeting! And if they refuse, considering hold one anyway–without them. Here are some tips on how to hold your own “Constituent Town Hall.”
Saturday, April 8
9 – 10:30 a.m. TX Lege Town Hall with Eddie Rodriguez, TX House District 51
Linder Elementary School, 2801 Metcalfe Rd
1:30-5:30 p.m. Community Event: Resistencia Fest
In February 2017, almost 20,000 Latinx youth from Austin walked out of school to protest immigration raids and resist Donald Trump’s hate agenda. Resistencia Fest is a free event to celebrate the students who walked out and bring Latinx youth (many of whom will be eligible to vote soon) together to empower them to take their movement to the polls next year.