Quote of the Week:“I don’t feel that I’m any kind of hero. To me, the work had to be done. I was asked to do it. So I did.”–Private First Class Joe Lesniewski, veteran of the Normandy invasion (D-Day), June 6, 1944 Get Out on the Streets:
Federal ActionsEliminate Bad Policies in Reconciliation Bill Background:
Trump’s massive budget bill would cause at least a 2.3 trillion dollar deficit, and the 1,000-plus-page bill also includes a number of bad policies inserted by the House. But Senate rules prohibit the inclusion of policies that aren’t related to federal spending or revenue. Now that the bill is in the Senate, there’s a real opportunity to eliminate many of these bad provisions through the Byrd rule, which says provisions that are mostly policy rather than fiscal cannot be in the budget bill. Some of the most punitive of these include those that, on a national basis:
At this point, the Senate must either adopt the House reconciliation bill as is, or change it and send it back to the House. The Byrd rule requires a review by the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth McDonough, a respected rules expert. Democrats led by Senator Merkley, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, will make arguments to her about policies in the bill, and she will render an opinion as to which policies are not permissible. She then will advise Senate leadership, which usually follows her decisions and throws out offending non-fiscal policies. In other words, the Byrd process can be a way to eliminate bad policies prior to a vote by the whole Senate. Action: Ask your Senators to maximize the Byrd rule process to eliminate bad policies in the reconciliation bill, and thank them for working to protect the safety net in the Senate bill.
Script: Thank you for working with Senator Merkley and Senate Democratic leadership to develop strong arguments to support the elimination of bad policies in the budget bill prior to the Senate vote. In addition, thank you for working to protect the safety net in the final version of the budget bill. Phonebank with Indivisible—Stop the Trump Tax Scam Every Wednesday and Thursday in June, join Indivisible for a phonebank where we’ll be calling voters and connecting them directly to their Senator. Together, we’ll urge Republicans to oppose the Trump Tax Scam—a reckless GOP tax plan that prioritizes billionaires like Elon Musk while selling out working families. Republicans in Congress are trying to ram this through using budget reconciliation, bypassing bipartisan support to give trillions in tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. Their plan? Slash Medicaid, SNAP, and early education programs—all so billionaires can hoard more wealth while everyday Americans pay more. Indivisible National will be using Scale to Win, their easy-to-use calling tool, to make sure voters can speak out and be heard. Action: RSVP now and make your voice heard! Report Immigration Enforcement Activity Source: May 31st edition of Immigrant Support Info Share, newsletter Read this testimonial from a Seattle-based attorney: “I have a client who was detained on Sunday. ICE went to his home in plain clothes. One agent knocked on his door to tell him that he had hit his car and asked him to come out to check the damage. No one had hit his car; they arrested him as soon as he was in the parking lot.” Help alert others to immigration raids and detentions in Washington by calling the WAISN Deportation Defense Hotline at 1-844-724-3737. Operators speak Spanish and English, and they have interpretations available in nearly 300 languages. Action: Call 1-844-724-3737 to report ICE activity. This is WAISN’s Deportation Defense Hotline. Share this number with others who may need it or want to help! Local Actions:2025 Local Elections Candidate Information RSVP for OI’s June Endorsement Presentation For the past four months, OI’s Endorsement Research Team has been researching candidates for the upcoming local elections. Here is the link to candidate information, which is on the website. The Endorsement Research Team will present their results on June 21 at 10:00 am to Olympia Indivisible members on Zoom, with reports on candidates for:
Immediately following the Zoom presentation, Olympia Indivisible will be asking our members to do endorsement votes for local races. So you don’t want to miss this presentation! Action: Please register today. Deadline for registration for this presentation is June 20 at 10am. Sign up for our Elections Volunteer Support Team Olympia Indivisible has developed a reputation of being our region's most organized and energized campaign support volunteers for progressive candidates, but we need a team to organize and lead this work. In an era of creeping authoritarianism, every single race matters. Sign up today to be part of the Elections Volunteer Support Team. We are looking for both team members AND two co-leads to ensure that the candidates OI members endorse for city councils, Port Commission, and school board get the volunteer, boots-on-the-ground help they need to win. Action: Sign up to be a member or co-lead of the Elections Volunteer Support Team Coffee Connection and Capitol Lake Walk June 28th Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash OI’s members have been asking for opportunities to gather, connect, build community, and support each other as we rise to meet this moment in history. OI’s Membership Team has launched two new activities (see below for details) and we invite OI members new and old to be part of these Saturday morning meet-ups. We’re taking off the next two weeks because of the No Kings Rally on June 14th and the Endorsement Research Team all-member Zoom presentation on June 21st. But we’ll be back in action on Saturday, June 28th, so mark your calendar and save the date!
Action: Come join us for either or both activities – no sign-up or RSVP necessary! Have You Scheduled These Events?
Engage in Civic Reasoning and Discourse The Civic Engagement Program (CEP) leads the Office of the Secretary of State’s effort to develop strategies and implement resources and programs to ensure that all Washingtonians have access to, interest in, and ability to engage in civic reasoning and discourse. Here are the Olympia events. All the events are from 6:30-8:00 and all are free,
Independence Day Weekend DIY All-member Picnic All OI members are invited to pack a picnic, bring a blanket or chair, and come gather together to celebrate the United States of America's 249th anniversary! This informal, unscripted, no-host event will be all about better getting to know each other and building community. We hope to see you there! Place: Lion's Park, 800 Wilson St SE, Olympia Date: Saturday, July 5 Time: 5 - 7 pm From OI’s Unions and Workers Justice Team Planning for Climate Change: Let Your Voice Be Heard! How does climate change impact the present and future for your community, your life, your family, and your work? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that a global increase of 1.5 degrees C would cause serious impacts. Guess what? We are now there. For our region this means more intensified storms, flooding, droughts, extreme heat, and wildfire damage and smoke. Action: Come to a community-led meeting facilitated by Thurston Climate Action Team and People’s Economy Lab. When: Thursday, June 12 from 4-6pm Where: Davis Williams Building, 906 Columbia St, SW, Suite 200 Olympia, WA Together we will build shared understanding, generate actionable recommendations, and strengthen democratic engagement by addressing the climate crisis at a local level. Your Work Pays Off: Photo by Ali Mkumbwa on Unsplash After three months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, a Filipino green-card holder is finally free. Lewelyn Dixon, a 50-year legal resident and University of Washington lab technician detained by ICE last February on her return from visiting the Philippines, was released on Thursday after a judge ruled that she does not qualify for deportation. Many people advocated for her release, including her union SEIU.
And Kilmar Abrego Garcia, illegally deported to El Salvador last March by mistake, is being returned to the United States. He faces indictment on federal charges of unlawfully transporting illegal aliens for financial gain, but at least he’s getting a semblance of due process. Comments are closed.
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