Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/28
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.
My goodness. What a day—and it’s not even noon on the West coast.
We woke up, of course, to a barrage of news, both about Trump’s latest set of purges—this time from the DOJ—and a funding “freeze,” which is both utterly illegal and horribly destructive. While I presume the latter will eventually get blocked by the Supreme Court, the short-term pain it will cause can’t be overstated. I’m already getting frantic calls and texts from non-political friends about everything from HIV grant funding getting pulled to NGOs shutting down. Senior citizens across the country are wondering if their Meals on Wheels will show up tonight; impoverished children are wondering if they’ll get lunch at school today. Trump’s EO is a mean-spirited, capricious, and pernicious attack on the most vulnerable everywhere—all to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
Really wild.
The “good” news, if you can call it that, is that, as far as the spending freezes go, what Trump is doing is blatantly, flagrantly illegal. Congress, and Congress alone, hold the “power of the purse.” Once funds have been appropriated through Congress the president lacks any power to withhold (or impound) them. Nixon tried in the 70’s, and Congress responded by swiftly passing a bill to ensure no president could ever do so again. It’s called the Impoundment Control Act of 1974; you can read all about it here. The Supreme Court has upheld and affirmed it.
In short, Trump has no legal leg to stand on here. The lawsuits have already started and will almost certainly succeed. In the meantime, however, the suffering will be immense. So it’s time for us to make noise—a lot of it—now. Lawmakers respond to a backlash. Let’s create one, and let it be fierce. I’ve done my best to give you good talking points below. You don’t need to say everything I’ve written—I found it difficult to keep these script short. The most important thing is that every Senators’ and Congressmembers’ phone be ringing off the hook all day, every day, until this freeze is lifted.
One more thing for those of us with Democratic lawmakers: It’s time to tell them to throw down. I’m feeling a growing sense of frustration with their docile response to Trump’s lawlessness, and I know I’m not alone. They need to hear it from all us. As constituents we have more power than anyone to push them into a more aggressive stance. So let’s make sure we do so.
I know this is hard, friends, but remember, Trump is overreaching. A lot. He is wildly overestimating the country’s support for him—it’s classic hubris. Remember, only a third of the country voted for him, and of that third a large amount did so solely because they thought he would lower their everyday expenses. Very few Trump supporters signed up for what’s happening right now. He’s overplaying his hand. It’s awful, and terrifying, and real people will suffer.
But this will eventually make it easier to defeat him.
So stay steady. Breathe. Help who you can. Make sure everyone you talk to is reminded that Trump is doing this to enrich himself and his billionaire cronies. This cruelty, the abhorrent stinginess, the sudden withdrawal of care for the neediest here and worldwide? It’s all. To pay. For tax cuts.
Don’t let anyone forget it for a second.
Let’s get to work.
P.S. — Please forgive any typos. This newsletter was a doozy and I was trying to get it out fast.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I’m horrified at Trump’s mass purge of Inspectors General on Friday night. It’s in violation of the Inspectors General Act of 1978. It can’t be allowed. I’m also horrified by last night’s purge of DOJ officials who investigated January 6. Donald Trump has broken his promise to de-weaponize the Department of Justice. His first moves have been to punish people that he is in opposition to. Is this the sort of behavior the Senator swore an oath to protect? If not s/he needs to push back aggressively—now.
I also want to comment on Trump’s lawless, destructive, and cruel funding freeze. It violates the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The money he’s trying to withhold—which is for everything from child care, to housing, to police officers, to opioid addiction treatment, to disaster relief, to foreign aid, and more — has already been appropriated. The administration doesn’t have the authority to prevent its expenditure. The Supreme Court has affirmed this. We have separation of powers for a reason. We don’t live in an autocracy. Tell him no. Thanks.
[If Democrat add:] Democrats need to play hardball. Please announce an immediate boycott of all nominations and legislation until federal funding is restored.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling about Trump’s lawless, destructive, and cruel freezing of all federal grants and loans. This order violates the Impoundment Act of 1974, which created procedures to prevent a president from unilaterally substituting his or her own funding decisions for those of Congress. The money Trump is trying to withhold—which is for everything from child care, to housing, to police officers. to opioid addiction treatment, to disaster relief, to foreign aid, and more—has already been appropriated. The administration doesn’t have the authority to freeze it. Period. We have laws for a reason. We have separation of powers for a reason. We don’t live under a tyranny for a reason—because we fought a war to overthrow it. Tell him hell no. Thanks.
[If Democrat add:] Democrats need to play hardball. Please announce an immediate boycott of all nominations and legislation until federal funding is restored.
Extra Credit ✅
Let’s call the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs at (202) 224-4751 and say:
My name is _____ and I’m calling from _____. I want this committee to investigate Donald Trump’s illegal purge of Inspectors General. These firings are in direct violation of the Inspectors General Act of 1978, which requires both a substantive rationale and 30 days' advance notice to Congress before an IG can be fired. This is an unprecedented attack, it’s against the law, and it is this committee’s job to act. Please do so. Thanks.
Extra Extra Credit ✅✅
Remember the Resistbot letter I posted a few days ago about Kash Patel?
Well, Resistbot is doing hand deliveries of it to Senators Collins in Maine, Curtis in Utah, McConnell in KY, McCormick in PA, Murkowski in Alaska, & Young in Indiana. (These are considered “gettable” Senators.) If you live in any of those states please text ‘Patel” to 50409 and follow the simple prompts. Your letter will be hand delivered to your Senator!
And by the way, if you missed sending the letter last week please send it now! Again, text Patel to 50409 to get started!
Get Smart! 📚
Join BigTentUSA on January 30th at 5pm ET for a compelling conversation with Sarah Longwell, a Republican political strategist and publisher of The Bulwark, as they unpack the first 10 days of Donald Trump's administration. From major policy moves to early signals about the administration's priorities, Sarah will explore what these initial actions reveal about the next four years, AND what we can do.
Sarah will also share insights into the key figures shaping the administration, their influence, and the dynamics within the White House. This conversation will offer an expert perspective on the critical developments and what they mean for the future of America.
⏰ RSVP HERE | THURSDAY JAN. 30 | 5:00PM ET
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
Freedom Over Fascism put out a great toolkit with guidance on how to talk about Trump’s Executive Orders and unconstitutional actions with consistent framing. Check it out here!
Also, the excellent Murmur Substack just posted suggestions for talking about Trump’s latest illegal actions, including the freeze. Check it out here. ⬇️
Give 💰!
It’s unclear what’s going to happen with SNAP and WIC under Trump’s illegal freeze, but it is clear that there are going to be a lot more hungry people in this country because of everything he’s doing. Please consider donating to your local food pantry. I also love Why Hunger—it’s big in my family.
Win Races! 🗳
Wisconsin has a critically important Supreme Court election in April. We must, must, must win it. Swing Blue Alliance has three ways we can help. They are:
Calling voters: Starting on Monday, February 3 from 6-8pm ET. Volunteer for their phone banks
Recruiting poll observers. Starting Wednesday, February 5 from 5-7pm ET. Volunteer for Voter Protection phone banks
Raising $30,000 for Susan Crawford’s campaign. They received an anonymous $5,000 matching grant which ends on Sunday February 2nd. Donate to Susan Crawford's Campaign.
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
Don’t forget the Robert Hubbell event tomorrow with Climate Action Now! Should be great!
Join Climate Action Now and Robert Hubbell Wednesday, January 29, from 7-8 pm ET for the Save the EV Tax Credits Action Party. Robert will moderate an expert panel discussing the current situation, and the Climate Action Now team will guide you in taking action to protect the EV tax credits.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all three reps] [Text SIGN PLIYSR to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
I’m a constituent writing about Trump’s lawless, destructive, and cruel freezing of all federal grants and loans. This order violates the Impoundment Act of 1974, which created procedures to prevent a president from unilaterally substituting his or her own funding decisions for those of Congress. The money Trump is trying to withhold—which is for everything from child care, to housing, to police officers. to opioid addiction treatment, to disaster relief, to foreign aid, and more—has already been appropriated. The administration doesn’t have the authority to freeze it. Period.
We have laws for a reason. We have separation of powers for a reason. We don’t live under a tyranny for a reason—because we fought a war to overthrow it. Tell him hell no. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
I called my senators (Dems) and congressman. I called my congressman for the first time (he's a republican in his first term) and his staffer told me they have been receiving many calls about the funding freeze. I could hear their phones ringing off the hook during my call. Go democracy!
I am leaving (more than) impassioned voice mails for Fetterman (ergh) and McCormick (more ergh). I just hope someone is listening.