Now Let's Get the Rest Done!

Happy Tuesday, Activists! We hope your week is off to a good start. First up, don't forget our Quizzo Party tonight! Plus, you can see photos and video of last week's events in Friday's newsletter at this link.

We will have a professional Quizzo Master lead the game. You can join a team or start your own, to go on to fame and glory!

PLUS -- Wait 'til you see our awesome new video created by our crack video production team! Come for the camaraderie! Come for the food! Come for the prizes! Come for the glory of a winning team! Come for the new video! We'll provide all the food and there will be a cash bar. When: Tonight, 6:00 pm Where: Black Sheep Irish Pub, 247 S. 17th St, Philadelphia, 19103, Second Floor. We'll have this private room to ourselves. The windows will be open so we have good ventilation. The Rules: You must: (1) be vaccinated; (2) bring proof of vaccination; (3) wear a mask in the building when you're not eating or drinking. SIGN UP HERE. (This party is brought to us through a generous grant from Indivisible national.)

What we have so far. No doubt about it, yesterday was a big day, as President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. The bill has so much investment in it that it’s hard to comprehend. Here is some of what it will do locally: As the Inquirer reports, “The package also sets aside $1 billion for a proposal developed by Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Pa.) and colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to reconnect urban neighborhoods around the nation split by highway construction years ago — places like Nicetown and Chinatown.” Read more about that here.

PLUS many more billions for other highway, public transit, port, airport, and bridge repair investments in Pennsylvania. The White House had released a list of spending by state that you can see here and a more plain language summary for the national benefits here. More of the dollar amounts and how they are allocated for national spending is in this report, such as: * Broadband: $65 billion * Power infrastructure: $73 billion * Clean drinking water: $55 billion * Resilience and Western water storage: $50 billion * Removal of pollution from water and soil: $21 billion Next, we need to sell it! Now that we have the bullet points, we will need to move to the next step – describing what it will do in people’s lives, which is the most important message. We’ll have more on this in Friday’s newsletter, so stay tuned. Unlike in 2009 when the Democrats did not effectively sell the Recovery Act to the country, this time it seems the Dems have already started promoting this bill like the big deal it is. For example, here’s a tweet from Senator Casey this morning: “Thanks to the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, nearly 400,000 Pennsylvanians currently living without high-speed internet will gain access to it. Many other families will see lower prices for their internet services.”

And this one from Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg and Congressman Ted Lieu – “Just announced: in the next few months, House Democrats will do over 1,000 infrastructure events across our nation. Democrats deliver." If you are on Twitter, retweet Casey’s and Lieu’s tweets (links in the paragraph above) to amplify the information. And you can retweet our Indivisible Philadelphia tweets on a daily basis. This really helps amplify the messages we want to get out.

Again, be looking for more helpful tips in Friday’s newsletter, when the Indivisible Philadelphia Messaging Campaign begins!

CALLS TO ACTION - LET'S GET THE REST DONE! The Build Back Better bill has the rest of the investments that the Infrastructure bill begins. Rep. Evans – D.C. office 202-225-4001; Phila 215-276-0340; email link Rep. Boyle – D.C. office 202-225-6111; Phila 215-335-3355; email link Sen. Toomey – Phila office 215-241-1090; D.C. 202-224-4254; email link Sen. Casey – Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. 202-224-6324; email link. For outside PA: Find your Senators’ phone numbers and emails at this link. 1. Call your representative and make sure they pass the full Build Back Better Agenda. We expect the BBB Bill to be voted on this week in the House! So this is a key moment to win the most progressive reconciliation bill possible. It’s urgent to call your representative and tell them how important you believe this inclusive recovery bill is, and that you are grateful for their strong support. 2. Once you have called your representative call our senators and demand they pass the bill immediately after the House sends it over. Even for Senator Toomey, it’s important that he knows we are watching, and won’t let him take credit after the fact for the investments this bill provides. 3. Call our Senators and demand they move quickly on the Freedom to Vote Act. Republican senators are redrawing congressional districts (particularly in communities of color), and trying to suppress marginalized votes across America. We must preserve and protect our democracy against ongoing attempts to erode it. Call our Senators and tell them you want them to adjust the filibuster now to pass the Freedom to Vote Act.

We'll be back on Friday. Have a great week in the meantime!