January 14, 2025
Confirmation hearings begin, the GOP threatens disaster relief, safeguards at the state level, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: Congress.gov
By US mail: Representatives / Senators
By fax: Representatives / Senators
By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS, ROUND 1
The confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet will begin today on Capitol Hill – with a little less momentum than anticipated, with Doug Burgum’s hearing for Interior delayed until Thursday and Doug Collins’ for Secretary of Veterans Affairs until next Tuesday due to FBI and Office of Government Ethics reviews not being complete. We can watch Pete Hegseth before the Armed Services Committee here at 9:30 AM Eastern, and take action today by:
Finding asks for our senators on what we’d like to see them highlight while they have the nation’s attention on Trump’s disastrous choices here. For those of us with senators on the Homeland Security or Energy and Natural Resources Committees, we can also urge them to ask these questions posed by the for Burgum, Energy Secretary designee Chris Wright and Office of Management and Budget Director nominee Russ Vought.
Joining the Working Families Party, MoveOn, Indivisible and Public Citizen for a mass call on how we organize against Hegseth, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi and potential FBI Director Kash Patel we can join TONIGHT at 8PM here.
Checking out ’s scripts for contacting our senators, sample social media posts and letters to the editor, and other tools for opposing Vought here.
Sharing online and with our networks ’s post on the red flags for Bondi we can share online and with our networks here.
REPUBLICANS PLAN TO HOLD LOS ANGELES HOSTAGE
The wildfires that continue to devastate Los Angeles have brought out the best in so many Los Angelenos – and the absolute worst in the American right. Desperate to blame anything but climate change, they have flooded the zone with a torrent of lies and distractions, and increasingly have settled on blaming “too much focus on diversity” for the inability to get control of a fire hurricane in 70-mile-per-hour winds. Republican elected officials are taking this even further, threatening to hold disaster aid hostage if California doesn’t change some yet-to-be-identified policy or to push through a debt ceiling hike. This is disgusting and unacceptable even by their standards, and all decent people in government need to speak out. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress to condemn these threats, insist there be no strings attached to aid and push them to loudly and specifically name and shame Speaker Mike Johnson, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Rep Zach Nunn (R-GA), Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) and anyone else who is trying to score political points off people losing their homes and fleeing for their lives. We can find a sample script for our friend and ally here. We can also take this moment to take care of people where conservatives won’t by considering a donation split between the California Community Wildlife Relief Fund, Movement Innovation Collaborative, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank or any of the organizations on this spreadsheet from Hang Out Do Good.
ONE LAST CHANCE FOR JUSTICE
The Biden Administration is down to its final hours, but the President retains pardon and commutation power until the very end – and he must continue to use it. While it’s increasingly difficult for the public to get in touch with the White House, we can and should still ask our members of Congress to relay our support for mercy on behalf of:
Native American activist Leonard Peltier (sample language here)
Environmental lawyer Steven Donzinger (sample language here)
Survivors of sexual abuse at FCI Dublin (sample language here)
Women punished for defending themselves against their abusers, those still suffering from unfair sentencing disparities, and the elderly and chronically ill (sample language here)
All those still imprisoned for non-violent federal cannabis-related crimes (sample language and Resistbot petition here)
Liz Cheney and other possible targets of political persecution by Trump (sample language here)
PROTECT DEMOCRACY AT THE STATE LEVEL
With Trump nominating unqualified candidates who will damage their departments, and Project 2025 promising to tear down or debilitate crucial agencies like the Department of Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service and attacking constitutional rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of religion, the challenge of defending democracy is going to be great – and will fall heavily on the states. California is holding a special legislative session to put in place state-level protections for its residents. Other states need to follow suit. Indivisible has put together “A Blueprint for Blue States” to safeguard them against the second Trump administration. Let’s read it, share it with our state legislators and ask what they’re doing to protect our state.
LANDMARK HEALTH CARE STRIKE IN OREGON
More than 5,000 health care workers at eight hospitals and six clinics run by Providence Oregon went on strike Friday morning after a year of failed contract negotiations. They’re pushing for higher pay and better working conditions in the largest health care strike in Oregon state history. Let’s show our support for the folks who save our lives. We can find a public petition to sign, ways to donate to the strike fund, and for Oregonians how to sign up for a shift on the picket line here.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
MA – MAKING PROGRESS THIS SESSION, EVENT TOMORROW
Massachusetts can be a laboratory for progressive policy during Trump 2.0. Unfortunately, our own politics stand to get in the way: our legislature is notoriously one of the least productive in the country, and numerous major bills stalled out before they adjourned last year. Now they’re back for another session, and we need to make sure things are different. Progressive Massachusetts will be holding a Zoom training TOMORROW at 7:00 PM to offer a rundown of the legislative process and best practices for citizens making a difference. Let’s consider signing up here.
KEEPING AN EYE ON…
Final vote on the Laken Riley Act expected today… the Wisconsin state supreme court election April 1st… the potential steal in North Carolina… Indivisible’s Help Over Hate MLK Weekend of Service…
Much appreciate the listings as to what to do every day. I called the Armed Services Committee yesterday from Colorado. Thank you for what you do. The Substacks are doing great work.
The Blueprint link is broken