In response to the news, Trump rang the alarm on Truth Social: “THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

Remind you of anything?

The same dog-whistles he used ahead of the January 6th insurrection are back (honestly, they never left), and Trump is using his impending indictment to shore up his base ahead of a potentially contentious 2024 primary run. Remember, Trump’s team are experts at turning any news coverage — good or bad — into an opportunity to uplift their demagogue.

But we won’t be distracted.

If you think back to the Trump presidency, you might remember the feelings of a neverending news cycle. We woke up every morning wondering what horror was in store that day. And often, those horrors dominated the media’s (and the general public’s) attention — they turned where Trump wanted them to look as his administration purposefully piled up the horrors, attempting to overwhelm us and making addressing all of them functionally impossible.

Well, we’re not in the Trump years and he doesn’t wield the same control over the media that he used to. An indictment is a very serious thing — and more may be on the way — but, in the meantime, we have work left to do. We will not let Trump distract us from fighting for our agenda this Congress — and we will not allow Trump’s enablers to dodge responsibility for their complicity.

Trump must be brought to justice and face legal consequences for his actions, and Republicans in Congress who bend over backwards to protect Trump must face consequences, too. Our job right now is to keep fighting for Democratic priorities and demanding accountability for the MAGA extremists who supported him, shielded him, and will shamelessly politicize this moment to divide the American people even further.

Democrats cannot allow Trump to distract them from fighting for the people, and we won’t either.

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

Your 4 weekly to-dos

1. Read our MAGA Default Crisis page. This page is the new home for everything concerning the MAGA effort to throw our nation into chaos by forcing our government to default on our debts in order to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Our current focus is on getting Democratic members of the House of Representatives to sign on to the Boyle, Jayapal, Kuster letter opposing the MAGA Default Crisis and refusing to cut vital services. Scroll down to the bottom to see if your Representative has signed on yet.
2. If your Democratic representative has not yet signed on, call and tell them to add their name to the Boyle, Jayapal, Kuster letter opposing any cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Republicans are threatening to hold the world economy hostage. Democrats need to stand strong and join President Biden in saying we’re not negotiating with hostage-takers. Every Democratic member who signs onto this letter makes it clearer to Republicans that Dems won’t cave, and clearer to all Americans that the Democratic Party can be counted on to protect Medicare and Social Security. Once you’ve called, write a letter to the editor (LTE) encouraging your MoC not to negotiate with MAGA hostage-takers and then tweet at your MoC demanding they sign on.
3. If your Democratic representative has already signed on, call your representative and thank them for signing on to the letter. Our representatives need to know when we’re in support of their actions, there’s no better way to let them know than to call them directly. The stronger we show our support, the more likely they will work for the people in the future. When you’re finished calling, write an LTE thanking your representative for signing on. Don’t just support your MoC in private, submit an LTE thanking your representative so that your community, and other MoCs paying attention, know that your representative is doing the right thing and supported by their constituents. Public praise helps put the pressure on the remaining MoCs to sign on too.
4. If you have a Republican representative, call and tell them you oppose the MAGA default scheme. Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee have advanced a scheme to “prevent a default” that would essentially give congressional MAGA extremists the power to decide which bills get paid (and potentially put critical payments to hospitals, schools, and social safety net programs at the back of the line). Call your Republican representative and tell them you oppose the “debt prioritization” scheme.

P.S. We rely on your support to keep call pages up and running, fund ads to get the word out, and continue all the work we’re doing this year. If you’re able, click here to donate to help fund our work.

The Unrepresentatives

Two weeks ago, we launched our Unrepresentatives campaign on Rachel Maddow with Ezra highlighting the 18 Republican representatives currently serving in Biden-won districts from 2020.

This week, we got incredible coverage on the program from The Guardian:

As Ezra so perfectly stated in his launch email, the Unrepresentatives is, “our plan to take on the 18 most vulnerable Republican representatives by exposing their extremism, holding them accountable, and defeating them.”

Press like this is the first step of ensuring we are exposing their extremism!

These Unrepresentatives like to paint themselves as moderates, but when your party is led by the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene, and you vote with her 95% of the time, we’re here to remind you that your extreme views do not reflect your constituents. For the next two years, we’ll work to ensure these Reps. are held accountable — then in 2024, we’ll vote them out!

Take the time to get familiar with the program today!

***In the 2023 Indivisible Guide, one of the most important things we wanted to see was our Members of Congress (MoCs) show up as fighters! We need a Congress that works for the people, not just their bank accounts and special interests! So, why not highlight those fighters? We Love To See It! will highlight the work being done by MoCs fighting for everyday people’s well being, advancing democracy, and/or protecting personal freedoms. Let’s stand up for our representatives when they stand up for us! We Love To See It!***

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, WA-07

Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington offered an amendment to change the name of the so-called “Women and Girls in Sports Act” to the much more accurate “Stigmatizing Vulnerable Children Act” at a House Education Committee hearing. Citing that “more than 75% of transgender students report experiencing harassment or discrimination in schools,” and that, “more than half of transgender and non-binary youth have seriously considered suicide,” Rep. Jayapal lays out the ways in which this bill would further stigmatize trans and non-binary children while highlighting the MAGA false narrative. These laws directly lead to the statistics Rep. Jayapal cited, and she’s refusing to allow Republicans to avoid responsibility while claiming to want to “protect children.” Watch Rep. Jayapal stand up for the lives oftrans children and call out MAGA false messaging here!

**Bonus Points: If you see your MoC showing up as a fighter and want to highlight them, reply to this email with a link to the story and we might feature it in our next Newsletter.**

National Events

RSVP for our National Rural Caucus call next Wednesday, March 29 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. At our March call, we will be talking about the Farm Bill, Social Security, Medicare, and how we can come together to fight for it all. Aftyn Behn from ruralorganizing.org (and co-founder of our Rural Call!) will be joining this conversation. Our rural caucus is a space where we can focus on sharing resources and addressing issues specifically related to rural Indivisibles. Join us next Wednesday!

IndivisiWin of the Week

Indivisible Saint Paul thanking their Representative Betty McCollum for signing on to the Boyle, Jayapal, Kuster letter protecting Social Security and Medicare!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text messaging program where we send rapid response actions a few times a month.

The next few weeks are going to be filled with challenges for our attention. Remember, we have the power to enact change as long as we stay the course. Keep informed, stay on message, and we will continue to work together for the good of the people.