Tell Your Members of Congress: Support the Thrive Agenda!

Call BOTH of your Senators.

 
 

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Call Script

Short Phone Version:

My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.

Please pass a bold Infrastructure Plan that includes as much of the THRIVE Agenda as possible. 

Let’s not divide up the upcoming infrastructure bill just to garner one or two Republican Senators’ votes when we know a big, bold bill will benefit Democrats, Republicans and Independents in all 50 states.

In addition, please include increasing the federal minimum wage to $15/hour in the bill. Doing so will have a positive impact on the federal budget by increasing tax revenue and lifting millions of Americans out of poverty.

Longer Email/ResistBot Version:

My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.

Please pass a bold Infrastructure Plan that includes as much of the THRIVE Agenda as possible. 

This means creating millions of good paying, safe jobs, investing in black, brown and indigenous communities, combating climate catastrophe, ensuring fairness for workers affected by economic transitions, and reinvesting in public institutions to enable communities to thrive. 

We hear discussion about dividing the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Bill into two parts, in hopes of garnering one or two Republican Senators’ votes. We know the plan to Build Back Better will benefit all Americans, Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike, just like the American Rescue Plan is doing right now.

We ask you to be bold about this bill, because President Biden’s recovery bills are popular with all voters. 

Please pass one great Infrastructure Bill through reconciliation that includes ALL the things we know will help all of us most efficiently and solidly, inspired by the THRIVE Resolution. Including:

  • Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 in the bill. You can defend its relevance because it will boost tax revenues as well as stimulate spending.

  • Increasing jobs, wages and benefits for the work of caring for children, the elderly, and the sick.

If the Senate Parliamentarian objects to these items, let’s reject her advice and fight for them. Our nation faces unprecedented crises: devastation from the pandemic, a climate emergency and profound income inequality that need to be addressed immediately. 


Background

With Democrats in control of the House, Senate, and White House, we have a once in a generation opportunity to create bold, transformational change. But the building blocks for a strong slate of reforms must include an inclusive recovery act and structural democracy reform. These aspirations were described in the THRIVE Resolution in the 116th Congress (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/1102), with 89 co-sponsors, including Representative Speier. 

As the House starts to work on a recovery package, we must demand that any recovery addresses the many and systemic crises that millions of Americans face and believe the THRIVE Resolution addresses those very well. With the climate crisis continuing to worsen, the economy still in a deep recession, and the need for racial justice and healing being felt as acutely as ever, the case for Green New Deal-style policymaking is stronger than ever before. We need a bold new vision to create millions of good jobs, repair and revive our economy, and address the overlapping crises of mass unemployment, racial injustice, public health, and climate change. 

The THRIVE Resolution demands that the recovery fight be grounded in eight pillars -- from creating millions of union jobs while averting climate catastrophe to investing in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities -- THRIVE’s top priorities are the families and communities who share the dream of a good life: free from worry about meeting basic needs, with reliable and fulfilling work, and a dignified and healthy standard of living.

No Republican Senators voted for the American Rescue Plan Act in spite of 70% public support for it. 

Republican Senators are already scoffing at the concept of dividing the infrastructure bill into two parts. Other Republicans said they opposed early reports that Biden may seek to finance the total $3 trillion in new infrastructure spending through tax increases mostly targeting the most profitable corporations and highest-earning American families. They are raising the spectre of class warfare. But it is they who have been waging class warfare against us, the 99%, for decades.

References

https://www.thriveagenda.com/

Text of THRIVE Resolution: https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hres1102/BILLS-116hres1102ih.xml  

The Eight Pillars of the THRIVE Agenda: https://www.thriveagenda.com/agenda 

Economic Policy Institute testimony on benefits of raising the minimum wage: https://www.epi.org/publication/minimum-wage-testimony-feb-2019/ 

Public Support for the American Rescue Plan: https://morningconsult.com/2021/02/24/covid-stimulus-support-poll/

Two-Part Infrastructure Plan being resisted by Republican Senators: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/03/23/biden-republicans-infrastructure-reform/


 

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