Quote of the Week:“Time and again, when the state becomes a hostile force, or is absent at times of crisis, people have come together to mourn the dead, forge networks of assistance and solidarity, and engage in spontaneous and righteous action to help those being targeted.” - Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Our Time of Resistance Quote of the Week:  Photo by zaya odeesho on Unsplash Want the scoop on upcoming rallies, marches, and related events? Visit OI’s Rallies, Marches, Town Halls and Boycotts webpage! Indivisible National Actions
Legislative Actions:The Washington State legislature “short session“ runs from Monday, January 12, 2026 through Thursday, March 12. A handy way to participate in fast-moving legislative actions is to sign up for Take Action Network (TAN). Action1: Optimize your action-taking powers on TAN. DEADLINE: Jan 31 • 8:00pm On TAN already? Take a few housekeeping steps to make your work go smoothly. Immigrant Justice, Education, Good Government Action2: Here is a link to the list of the latest TAN actions. If you’re not yet using TAN, please go to this link and use your constituent power to advocate for progress this session! Federal Actions:Defend Health Care for Trans and Non-Binary Youth Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash Last month the House of Representatives passed HR 498, a bill that would ban Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care for transgender youth. “Gender-affirming care” like breast augmentations for flat-chested girls or reduction for boys with gynecomastia would not be affected; the target is the GOP’s current Public Enemy #1 (after immigrants): trans and non-binary people. The next day, the Department of Health and Human Services put out for comment new rules banning Medicaid and CHIP coverage for “sex-rejecting” therapies, claiming on what it admitted was slim evidence that such therapies were likely to do more harm than good. Transphobia already has gender-nonconforming kids at an elevated risk of suicide; the last thing we need are laws and regulations that embody and promote transphobia. The bill is now before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. It passed the House only by a narrow margin, 215-201, so we may be able to stop it. DHHS’s new rule is open for comment until February 17. Action 1: Contact your senators
Script: As a constituent with trans and non-binary family and friends, I urge you to block HR 498, a bill that would deny gender-affirming care to youth on Medicaid. Our trans and non-binary youth are endangered not by medical care but by the virulent transphobia the Republican Party is using to divide our country. Action 2: Submit a comment to DHHS Script: As an American with trans and non-binary family and friends, I strongly oppose this rule change. It is based, as you yourselves admit, on “limited evidence” of harm. We already have plenty of evidence of the harm transphobia does to our youth: one study reported that 56% of transgender youth report attempting suicide, and 86% reported suicidality (Austin et al., “Suicidality Among Transgender Youth,” J Interpers Violence 2022 March). Writing more transphobia into DHHS regulations will not save lives — it will end them. WA State Actions:Urgent Request for Volunteers This Week Washington Families for Freedom (WFF) is a group of parents, teachers, students and community members standing together for every student’s right to safety. They are fighting against two harmful 2026 ballot initiatives that would increase students’ exposure to potential abuse. These measures, bankrolled by mega-millionaire Brian Heywood, would take away protections for all students. . WFF is seeking volunteers to observe the Secretary of State's counting and validation process of signatures submitted by Let's Go Washington for I-638 and 001 at the Tumwater SoS office (243 Israel Road SE, Tumwater). Shifts begin this Tuesday, January 20, 2026 and will likely continue the following week and a half or two, depending on how long it takes the Secretary of State to complete the count. 2-hour shifts are available on business days between 8:30-5 PM. Action: Fill out this simple form and select the shift(s) you're available for. Someone from WFF will follow up with you. No experience required, volunteers will receive training! Support the Initiative Integrity Act: Tell your StorySource: From our friends at FUSE and Bellingham Indivisible Washington’s initiative process is supposed to belong to the people, and voters should trust that any initiative on their ballot reflects genuine community interest and solves a real problem. But right now, our state’s pay-per-signature system incentivizes aggressive and misleading tactics by paid signature gatherers. It also enables wealthy interests – like multimillionaire Brian Heywood – to buy their way onto the ballot and manipulate our initiative system. By supporting the the Initiative Integrity Act, you’re supporting a bill that takes commonsense steps to protect Washington voters by:
Action 1: Legislators listen when they hear directly from the people they represent. Fill out this story bank form to help FUSE create letters to your legislators about why you support the Initiative Integrity Act. Action 2: Testify in support of the bill. Just indicate your interest in testifying by filling out the story bank form. We expect the bill’s first hearing to happen during the week of January 20. Have You Scheduled These Events?Weekly Olympia Indivisible Gatherings Caffeinated and Activated Coffee Connection Join us Saturday, January 31 | 10 - 11 AM New Location! Diverse Events & Creative Arts Yard (Known as Decay) 402 Washington St. NE, Olympia, 98501 On-street parking available. Bring your own coffee (or favorite morning drink) — we’ll bring the connection and conversation.  Action Cafe Mondays at Noon. A Zoom lunchtime gathering where folks meet, make new friends, and take actions together. Sign up to be on the Action Cafe email list. More Resources for Your Activism:
Department of Good News: Court Blows Off Trump Attack on Offshore Wind ProjectLast Thursday, US District Court Judge Carl Nichols issued a preliminary injunction on another one of Donald Trump’s bans on offshore wind power, this time on the Empire Wind project off the coast of New York. The project is expected to add over 1000 union jobs in the region and power half a million homes with affordable renewable energy. Judge Nichols dismissed the Trump administration’s defense of its ban as “all over the map.” Senate Passes Budget that Supports NOAA, Department of Interior, and US Forest ServiceOn January 15 the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan FY2026 budget that maintains funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), an enormous win for the State of Washington and the nation in the face of increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events like wildfires and atmospheric rivers.
Senators roundly rejected Trump’s proposed FY2026 budget cuts which would have:
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