January 29, 2025
Trump is cutting off seniors, schoolkids, veterans, expectant mothers and the entire country from support they depend on.
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:
If you have questions, comments, and especially submissions for actions, please email us at roganslisttips@gmail.com!
TRUMP SLASHES SUPPORT FOR EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN
The fallout continues to grow from Trump abruptly and illegally cutting funding to all federal programs, as the realization starts to sink in exactly how many Americans would be set to lose things they depend on and how much damage Trump’s power grab could do. Kids enrolled in Head Start, seniors who rely on Meals on Wheels, veterans at risk of suicide, firefighters and police in need of equipment and resources, working Americans who count on Medicaid for their health care, infants and expectant mothers getting nutrition through WIC – the list could go on for days. As Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said “if you drive on a road, you’re impacted. If you get health care, you’re impacted. If your children are being educated in our schools, you’re impacted.” Now the fight back begins. Multiple states, nonprofits and small businesses filed lawsuits yesterday, with more doubtless coming, and a federal judge has already issued a temporary block on Trump’s scheme through Monday. For our part, we can:
Review and share messaging guidance on how to convey the full cost for regular people of what Trump is doing from Navigator Research and Research Collaborative’s Freedom over Fascism Toolkit.
Continue to put pressure on our members of Congress to take action immediately. We can use this tool from the National Low Income Housing Coalition to make calls or send messages or this script and Resistbot from . Let’s demand real answers from them on how they will respond – this is a crisis.
With our senators, let’s be sure to add that it is completely unacceptable to confirm Russ Vought, a champion of exactly this sort of illegal cut, as director of the Office of Management and Budget now. He is set for a committee vote Thursday, although Democrats are now demanding that be delayed.
Ensure that our members of Congress, local advocacy groups and local, regional and national media have real stories to tell about the harm and confusion Trump has caused. If we or anything we are involved with are being hit by these cuts, let’s be sure to reach out to these folks to share our experiences and ask that they share them with a wider audience. Many of these groups will be looking for ways to illustrate the real-life damage, and we can provide them with what they need.
More Perfect Union in particular is asking folks impacted to reach out to them at stories@perfectunion.us.
WAR ON WORKING PEOPLE CONTINUES WITH GUTTING OF NLRB
One constitutional crisis at a time isn’t enough for the Trump Administration. As expected, Trump fired National labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo Monday night – a fierce advocate for workers’ rights has no place in the billionaires’ club. But he then went a step further and fired Democratic board member Gwynne Wilcox. In addition to being illegal, this leaves the NLRB with only two board members – effectively shutting the entire agency down until further notice and letting corporations run roughshod over worker protections and unions. This is a gift to Trump’s oligarch pals, who want to be able to underpay and abuse their workers and crush any labor organizing - although Wilcox is planning to sue to be reinstated. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and demand they speak out against this firing and the billionaire Trump donors it benefits, and do whatever is in their power to ensure that working people continue to be safeguarded by our labor laws. Let’s also take this moment to contact our state legislators and governors and urge them to prioritize pro-labor bills like banning captive audience meetings and securing unemployment insurance for striking workers this year, since the federal government can’t be counted on. (We can also show our solidarity with labor by donating to the strike fund for the Oregon Nurses Association or phonebanking with Amazon union organizers in Garner, North Carolina.)
OBJECTING TO UNANIMOUS CONSENT: WHAT IS THE RED LINE?
With emergency piling on emergency, there are serious questions to be asked about how long we can and should continue with business as usual – especially in the halls of power. There are numerous procedural tools that Democrats have the option of putting to work as Trump continues to make ordinary Americans collateral damage in his power plays, both to slow down congressional action and to send a message that the country is headed in a dangerous direction. A major one is unanimous consent. The formal rules of the Senate encourage extended debate, making accomplishing even ordinary matters tiresomely slow. “U.C.” agreements dispense with these formal rules and put legislation on a fast track, allowing for limits on debate, offering amendments, motions, and other proceedings. Their use is fundamental to getting most of the regular work of the Senate done, and they can be disrupted by the objection of any one senator. With continued objections, the opposition can logjam the Senate and slow the body to a crawl. It’s an incredibly disruptive option, but these are extraordinary times. Let’s reach out to our senator and ask them if they will begin objecting to all unanimous consent agreements in the wake of Trump’s power grab – and if they will not do so now, what their red line is for doing so.
SPOTLIGHT ON KENNEDY, GABBARD, PATEL
In the event that normal business continues in the Senate, the next two days will be big ones for Trump’s cabinet. Along with a scheduled vote on Vought, Attorney General designee Pam Bondi is also set to receive a committee vote today, and Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Director of National Intelligence pick Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director selection Kash Patel all have their hearings scheduled. We can watch Kennedy before the Budget Committee today here and before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee here; Gabbard tomorrow here and Patel tomorrow here. Kennedy and Gabbard in particular have uncertain futures before the full Senate, and Kennedy’s cannot be helped by the release of a letter from his cousin calling him a predator who is “addicted to attention and power – vaccinating his own kids while building a following by hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.” Let’s keep a close eye on developments for these hearings, and continue to urge our senators to say no to Bondi and Patel’s desire to punish Trump’s political enemies, Vought’s extremism, Kennedy’s antivaccine advocacy and the serious questions about whether Gabbard can be trusted.
RESOURCE FOR CIVIL SERVANTS HELPS PROTECT OUR IMPARTIAL FEDERAL WORKFORCE
Last week Trump issued an executive order to remove job protections for tens of thousands of federal workers, potentially reshaping agencies by enabling the hiring of political loyalists. This policy undermines the merit-based civil service system, opening the door to politically motivated dismissals. If Trump succeeds, the impartiality and independence of the federal workforce are in grave danger. In response, people, organizations, and communities across the country are coming together to support civil servants, making sure they have the resources they need if they face threats or attacks. With 95% of Americans agreeing that civil servants should be hired and promoted based on their skills, not their political views, there is a strong commitment to maintaining a non-partisan workforce and protecting the dedicated individuals who serve the public. To aid and guide our endangered federal workers, Civil Service Strong has built a collection of resources for civil servants, with essential guidance and protections to support their rights and safety in the face of challenges. Key tools include a checklist of legal rights, guidance on whistleblowing, and advice on maintaining anonymity while reporting wrongdoing. Organizations like Protect Democracy and the Government Accountability Project walk through navigating ethical obligations, preserving DOJ independence, and responding to executive orders that may impact the federal workforce. Federal agencies like the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board and the EEOC provide avenues for addressing employment discrimination and merit system violations. These centralized resources empower civil servants to uphold ethical standards and safeguard democratic principles. We can check out this library of aid, tools and advice available for federal workers here, then share this information with civil servants that we know as well as our friends on social media.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
MA – RIGHT TO SHELTER IS WHAT’S RIGHT
Over forty years ago, Massachusetts passed a right to shelter for unhoused families, based on a moral belief that babies and children should not be forced to sleep on the streets. But over the past year, Governor Healey has been chipping away at this law bit by bit. After making tighter and tighter time limits for emergency shelter, her latest proposals combine new requirements designed to restrict access, limits as short as 30 days, and a Trumpian ban on undocumented immigrants and new arrivals. As Trump demonizes immigrants and launches an agenda of cutting vital services to provide tax cuts for the rich, the last thing that Massachusetts needs to do is tell him “We’re on board.” Let’s use this tool from Progressive Massachusetts to tell our legislators to reject efforts to undermine emergency shelter access.
KEEPING AN EYE ON…
The Wisconsin state supreme court election April 1st… North Carolina supreme court steal will go to trial… Costco workers contract expires Friday…