Chop Wood, Carry Water 3/31
Work the program, not the problem.
Hi, all, and happy Monday.
Eid Mubarak, as well, to those who observe Eid al-Fitr. And happy Trans Day of Visibility! And Cesar Chavez day! What a beautiful and important day!
I hope you had a great weekend. I did, because I spent most of Saturday at Tesla Takedowns. Little lifts my spirits more than being at a well-attended protest. And these were well-attended indeed! The Old Town Pasadena event was three times the size as the week before and way more ebullient. I also went to the Glendale Americana Takedown—the first time I’ve attended a protest at a mall. It was smaller than the Old Town event, but also well attended. Here’s a picture from that one:
It really was such a mood-lifter doing the double header. It was also wonderful to meet so many of you. You’re everywhere! It’s fantastic.
Now we dig into our critically important elections tomorrow—I hope we’re all signed up for a phonebank! One last time, the Florida “How Can I Help” document is here, and the Wisconsin one, courtesy of my friend Will Baum, is here. I’ll be phonebanking into Wisconsin today at 2:00 PM PT at this event.
After that, at 4PM PT / 7PM ET, I’ll be doing my weekly Substack Live, and this week I’ll have a guest in the second half! I’ll spend the first half hour talking about the news and how we’re responding to it, and then I’ll be joined by Isaiah Martin, who’s running for Congress in TX-18. Isaiah is running to replace Rep. Sylvester Turner, who passed away this year. He is a Houston native, community advocate, and University of Houston graduate who has dedicated his life to public service. I also know him as a brilliant content creator who’s gone viral for debating Trump supporters live on TikTok. He’s terrific and I think you’ll really enjoy meeting him. I hope to see some of you there—I’ll send out a reminder email right before I hop on.
That’s all for now, folks. I know a lot of really troubling stuff is happening—it’s hard to take. But I also know that action is the only way we get through this and eventually come out on the other side. It’s tiring and hard and it’s not going to be a quick win, but if we persist and stay together we cannot lose.
So let’s “work the program, not the problem” one more time. We’ve got this.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m deeply concerned about the lack of due process being given to foreign residents in the U.S. right now. Due process is enshrined in the Constitution as a safeguard against arbitrary executive power. It mandates that no individual, including noncitizens in the U.S., be deprived of life, liberty or property without a fair and just process. The Trump administration is ignoring that. This threatens the broader rights and liberties of us all. The Senator needs to fight back. S/he also needs to call for the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil, Badar Khan Suri, and Rumeysa Ozturk. Thanks. [H/T]
Also, I understand that the Senate is expected to vote tomorrow on a Democratic resolution aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canada. I want the Senator to support this resolution. This Administration is igniting a reckless trade war — costs for everyone will go up and our farmers and businesses will suffer. Vote YES on this Resolution.
Finally, Pete Hegseth and Michael Waltz need to go. Today. We are unsafe with them in charge of our national security. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I am calling to urge the Congressmember to vote NO on H.R. 22, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. The SAVE Act isn’t about safeguarding elections — it’s about silencing voters. That’s wrong, and I expect my representative to oppose it.
Also, I’m really concerned about Trump’s plans to privatize the United States Postal Service. I want the Congressmember to support H.Res.70, which directs Congress to take all appropriate measures to ensure that the USPS remains independent and is not subject to privatization. Thanks. [H/T Save the Post Office Coalition]
Extra Credit ✅
Tomorrow at 3PM ET the Democratic Steering & Policy Committee is holding a hearing on Social Security. It’s really important—you may have heard Whip Clark talk about it in my interview with her. Her office just sent me the link to watch. Your extra credit is to share about it in advance by posting something like this:
🚨 URGENT!! 🚨
Tomorrow, April 1, at 3PM ET, House Democrats are holding a critically important hearing about the Trump administration’s attacks on Social Security. Want to find out whether you’ll still be getting your checks in 6 months? Or 3? Set a reminder to watch, and tell a friend.
Get Smart! 📚
Healthcare Roundtable with Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter
Consolidation among hospitals, health insurers, and pharmacy benefit managers is raising costs and reducing care quality for patients. But it's also hurting the healthcare workforce, eroding professional autonomy and pushing independent providers out of the market.
In recent years, the FTC has prioritized ensuring a competitive healthcare marketplace, including by blocking illegal mergers; suing the "Big Three" PBMs and a private equity-backed anesthesiology mega group for gouging consumers; and banning noncompete agreements, which prohibit workers from changing jobs. Despite President Donald Trump's recent attempt to fire them, Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter remain committed to this work.
On Monday, March 31, from 8:00-9:00 pm ET, join Fight Corporate Monopolies for a virtual roundtable discussion, during which Commissioners Bedoya and Slaughter will be in conversation with physicians, pharmacists, a nurses union representative and a patient advocate about their market experiences.
Hope to see you there! RSVP here!
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
Please join DemCast’s Social Storm on the SAVE Act TODAY! Here is the link to the toolkit.
Give 💰!
Please attend what will be an entertaining hour of fundraising featuring actor Kyra Sedgwick, Senator Adam Schiff, podcaster Dan Pfeiffer, author Elizabeth Chur, local leaders from California’s Central Valley, and Marsh Theater director and playwright Charlie Varon. By attending, you will support an organizing effort, The Purple Project, that can be the beginning of the end of MAGA.
Your money will go to the Kings and Tulare County Democratic parties in California’s Congressional District 22 to fight cuts to Medicaid (Medi-Cal) in a district where two-thirds of the residents are on Medi-Cal.
You can sign up to attend the fundraiser on April 2, at 5:30 p.m. PT, here. If you can’t attend, please consider donating here.
Get in the Streets! 🪧
The nationwide day of action is coming up! Want to join? Here are two things you can do:
1) Sign up for a pre-rally mass call on April 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET. We’ll hear from movement leaders including Rahna Epting (MoveOn), Randi Weingarten (American Federation of Teachers), Ezra Levin (Indivisible) as well as members of Congress.
2) Find a rally in your community and sign up to join on April 5! This is our chance to send a message that we demand a stop to the chaos and looting of our country. There are events all across the country
Win Races! 🗳
To repeat what I said above, the Florida “How Can I Help” document is here, and the Wisconsin one, courtesy of my friend Will Baum, is here. I’ll be phonebanking into Wisconsin today at 2:00 PM PT at this event.
ELECTION DAY IS TOMORROW! Please help!
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
Tell Congress to uphold the EPA’s ban on cancer-causing trichloroethylene (TCE), which Republicans want to overturn. Send a letter, which you can and should personalize, here.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PZBEMM to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
I’m writing to express my strong opposition to H.R. 1526, the No Rogue Rulings Act (“NORRA”). If passed, NORRA would destabilize the checks and balances built into our constitutional system, putting the freedom of every American at risk.
NORRA would sharply limit federal district courts’ ability to do their jobs and issue nationwide injunctions against unlawful actions. By design, it would prevent federal district courts from effectively blocking illegal actions, including actions by this administration. But when an unlawful federal government action hurts people across the country, it is important to be able to take timely action to stop that action nationwide.
The framers of our Constitution established a judicial branch as part of the checks and balances essential to protecting our liberty. This brazenly political attempt to restrain and block our federal courts from doing their jobs in this manner must be rejected. Please uphold your path of office and oppose NORRA. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Sorry everyone there was a typo in the Extra Credit item. The hearing is at 3PM ET. I had it right in the suggested social media post but wrong in the text above. I've fixed it in the onlone version but if you got an email version it'll have the typo. Again, the correct time for the Social Security hearing is 12 PT / 3PM ET thanks!
Please urge all new-car dealers to clearly identify the tariff amount on a sticker adjacent to the regular window sticker. This is for transparency- let’s not let the tariffs get hidden in the MSRP - shoppers/buyers need to SEE the screwing they’re getting.