Last week, Republicans pushed their moral monstrosity of a TrumpCare bill through the House of Representatives. This week, they’ve gone back to their home districts all around the country—and it’s time for you to hold them accountable.
Facebook Live on Payback Recess TONIGHT at 8:30 p.m. ET
More than 150,000 of you tuned in to our Facebook live last Thursday—and you had a lot of questions. Tonight, Indivisible Team members are doing it again so that we can answer your questions on TrumpCare and on how best to hold your Representative accountable this recess. We’ll be answering questions live, and you can also just tweet them at us ahead of time. Tune in to our Facebook pagetonight at 8:30 p.m. ET to join us.
Top Priority This Week: Hold House Members Accountable for TrumpCare Vote
The House is in recess all week, which means they’re supposed to be home and meeting constituents. No matter how your Representative voted on TrumpCare, it’s critical for your group to show up at district offices, town halls, and events to let them know just how you feel about their vote.
If your Representative voted against TrumpCare, thank them for prioritizing their constituents over the Trump agenda. This is especially important if your Representative is Republican. But if they voted for TrumpCare, you deserve to have them justify their vote to you. Ask them how they can possibly defend taking away protections for people with pre-existing conditions, or ripping health care away from more than 24 million people. Our latest toolkit, Enough Is Enough: Stop TrumpCare, has everything you need, including:
- How Every Member Voted on the Health Care Bill—a handy cheat sheet
- TrumpCare Passed the House—Now What?—an explainer on the rest of the legislative process, a.k.a. all of the opportunities to stop this bill before it becomes a law
- The 10 Worst Things About TrumpCare—if your MoC voted yes, be sure to hold them accountable for these terrible provisions
- Call Script: Hold Your Representative Accountable—conversations you can have with your MoC and their staff, no matter how your MoC voted
- How TrumpCare Harms Us All—talking points for your phone calls and office visits
- Die-In Planning Guide—to take your accountability tactics to the next level
- The Narrow, Tortured Passage of the GOP Health Bill Reflects a Much Larger Struggle Ahead—a guest blog post by our friend, Families USA co-founder Ron Pollack
It hasn’t escaped our attention that barely any Republican MoCs have announced town hall meetings for this recess. It’s pretty clear why—they’re scared, and they don’t want to answer questions. If your Representative is one of the MoCs daring to hide from constituents after this life-and-death vote, now’s a good time to refer back to our Missing Members Action Plan for ramping up the pressure on them to hold a town hall or, if necessary, holding one of your own. An in-person district office visit is also an excellent opportunity to put some of the “die-in” tactics to use. Use our Act Locally map to find an upcoming Indivisible action near you, or add actions that your group is already planning so that other local activists can join you.
And remember, accountability isn’t just about shaming bad votes—it’s also about rewarding good ones. If your MoC voted no on the bill, this is a great opportunity to give them some positive reinforcement and say thank you—but be sure they’re committed to voting no again if the bill comes back to the House. A sample thank you is included as part of our accountability script.
Holding Your Representative Accountable is Critical to Stopping TrumpCare
It may seem strange that we’re suggesting you focus on the House, where the vote on TrumpCare has already happened. But holding your MoC accountable for how they voted is actually hugely important for stopping TrumpCare, because it sends a message to your two Senators about what will happen to them if they back it. The more bad press, big protests, and serious problems that House Republicans get, the more scared the Senate will be to even touch the bill.
But Don’t Ignore the Senate, Either
Even though there is no action scheduled this week on TrumpCare in the Senate, Senators still need to hear from you that you oppose this terrible bill. Let them know that you’ll hold them accountable too if they vote to repeal the ACA.
And there’s one fight in the Senate that can be won this week. The Senate is set to vote on a resolution (S.J. Res. 11) to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to permanently do away with a widely supported rule that limits waste of natural gas on public lands. This rule helps keep our communities healthy and prevents emissions of one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases.
If passed, this resolution would amount to an $800 million giveaway of taxpayer revenue, giving oil and gas companies a free pass to waste taxpayer-owned resources while also endangering our climate and public health. They don't have the votes, and if they can't get them by May 11, the CRA window closes permanently.
- Make sure your Senators know you oppose this resolution: Call them today to tell them to vote no on undoing the “BLM Methane and Waste Prevention Rule.” For more information, including fact sheets, call scripts, and talking points, visit the Wilderness Society’s methane toolkit to take action.
Last week wasn’t easy, and we know that you, your Indivisible group members, and your families and friends may be worried about what comes next. But your constituent power remains strong, and this week, you’ve got an especially important opportunity to make your voice heard.
If You’re as Angry as We Are about That TrumpCare Vote, Help Us Fight Back
When House Republicans voted for TrumpCare on Thursday, they were making a bet. They were betting that they can wait us out—that the resistance is slowing down.
They have no idea how wrong they are. We’re not beat; we’re angry. After last week, we’ve never been more fired up and ready to go—and we know you are too. About seven staff and volunteers put together this email at 11 p.m. on Sunday night because we’re not backing down. And as you can see from the above toolkits, explainers, and live events, we’re just getting started. All we want is to keep supporting the local groups who are making a difference. Can you help us do that with a donation?
As always, the most important thing that you can do is exercise your power as a constituent. Especially this week during recess, stand indivisible and hold your Representative accountable for this vote. This fight is far from over. We’re going to keep fighting, and together, we will win.
In solidarity,
The Indivisible Team
P.S. Show the world that the Indivisible movement is here to stay: keep sending your stories, pictures, and videos to stories@indivisibleguide.com. We’ll amplify your voice and get it to the national media—who are very interested in what you’re up to!
