Quote of the Week: “We are not going to take advice on election integrity from a guy who can’t stop lying about his 2020 election loss. We have a secure and fair election system that respects voters’ rights, and we will use every tool we have to protect that.”--Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, quoted in the Spokane Spokesman-Review Legislative Actions:The Key to Statewide Activism is Using TAN! If you're new to Take Action Network (TAN):
Environment Support HB 1837 (improved Amtrak Cascades service to relieve traffic congestion and lower greenhouse gas emissions!): Sign in "Pro" for Senate Transportation's Public Hearing DEADLINE: Apr 1 • 3:00pm The Intercity Passenger Rail Improvement Priorities (ESHB 1837) requires the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Legislature to implement long-awaited improvements to Amtrak Cascades intercity passenger rail service. Justice Support Unemployment Insurance for Undocumented Workers. Pass SB 5626 (Senate: In Committee (Ways & Means)) DEADLINE: Apr 27 • 11:00pm Unemployment insurance ensures that individuals who lose income can meet their basic needs during periods they are unable to find stable work. Many immigrant workers are not eligible for unemployment assistance. Education SSB 5123 Support inclusivity in public schools (House: In Executive Committee (Education)) DEADLINE: Apr 2 • 11:00pm SSB 5123 extends anti-discrimination protections for public school students, protecting LGBTQ+ and marginalized youth. The Executive session will decide to send the bill on to Rules. Federal Actions:Demand Freedom for Lewelyn Dixon and Alfredo (Lelo) Juarez Image from Canva, John Kelly, 3/24/2025 Background:
The Trump administration’s jihad against what it calls “the worst of the worst” immigrants has ensnared a lab technician and a labor organizer. Lewelyn Dixon, a legal permanent resident for fifty years and a lab technician at UW Medical for the past twenty, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on her return from visiting the Philippines February 28. She is being held at the ICE Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, with no court date until July 17. Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez Zeferino, a farmworker and union organizer, was arrested in Sedro-Woolley Tuesday morning while dropping off his partner at her job in the tulip fields. When Juarez asked to see a warrant, ICE agents shattered his car window. He is also being held at Tacoma. ICE has detained many immigrants recently for little or no apparent reason – students Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, and Canadian entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney. Mooney’s account of her detention reveals a motive: most of the facilities are privately owned. There’s money in detaining people. Action 1: Take this TAN action to contact your members of Congress on Lewelyn Dixon’s behalf. Action 2: Take this TAN action to make a donation to Lelo’s legal expenses. Save the Department of Education Background:
Trump recently signed an executive order that tries to get rid of the Department of Education (DOE) and illegally laid off half of the DOE staff. The executive order uses legal tricks to close the department and avoid judicial intervention. The plan is to dismantle the department as spelled out in Project 2025. But here’s the thing: he can’t unilaterally wipe out a federal department that Congress created. By weakening public education and cutting off funding, Congressional Republicans can then say the DOE is “obsolete” and pass a law to get rid of it. Action: Reach out to both our Senators and our Congresswoman to support the Department of Education.
Script: I am asking you to stand strong in support of the Department of Education because it supports key civil rights protections and funding for disadvantaged students. Eliminating this department will harm all students, especially in marginalized and rural communities. America’s greatness is rooted in its support of the poor, the middle class, and those with a disadvantage. We have always tried to include everyone in this great American experiment and we need to continue doing so. Please do all you can to protect the Department of Education. Script: (for Senator Murray, in addition to the above) - Thank you, Senator Murray, for speaking loudly about not letting Trump gut the Department of Education. Demand Investigation of “Signalgate” Background: The Atlantic publishes Signal group chat messages: What did Pete Hegseth, Mike Waltz, JD Vance write? Trump cabinet officials discussed war plans over Signal, a commercial group chat instead of using official secure communication systems. Jeff Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, was invited to this Signal chat and listened in. Before bombs were dropped on Yemen on March 15, Secretary of Defense Hegseth texted traditional classified details to the group such as the specific timeline for strikes and what kind of weapons would be used. Leaking this kind of information potentially endangers American pilots. Now Trump officials are claiming classified information was not shared during the chat. The Republican Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker and ranking Democrat Sen. Jack Reed have sent a letter to the Defense Dep’t. Inspector General requesting an investigation and remedial actions, but Trump’s cabinet and House Leader Johnson say no such investigation is needed. Action: Urge your MoCs to fight for a real investigation of the Trump administration’s dangerous use of unsecured commercial communication systems.
Protect the Right to Vote: Defeat the SAVE Act  Background:
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R. 22) is an anti-democratic bill based on Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud. It enshrines barriers to the ballot box courts have previously found illegal. The bill requires voters to prove citizenship in person at a government office with a current passport or birth certificate - documents many lack immediate access to. Name mismatches could result in an inability to register, and rural, poor and tribal voters may need to travel long distances to register. This bill also threatens online registration and mail-in voting. SAVE requires states to purge existing voter rolls, causing many people to lose their right to vote. Even worse, they might not even know they’ve been removed from voter polls until it is too late to re-register. Rather than strengthening democracy, SAVE will weaken it. Action: Please contact our Senators and your Representative. If Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is your representative (CD3), it is especially important to contact her, because she voted for a version of this act previously.
Script: (please feel free to edit): Please stop the SAVE Act. This legislation is founded on lies that non-citizens are influencing our elections. It disenfranchises tribal, rural, poor, senior, disabled and women voters by requiring in-person registration and complicated proof of citizenship. It upends voter-registration drives and online voter registration – both proven methods of reaching young voters. Fair and free elections are the cornerstone of our Democracy. Save Social Security from the Oligarchy Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash Background:
Former Social Security Martin O’Malley believes that Social Security Benefits may be interrupted within 30-90 days. Staffing is at a 50-year low and there are more recipients than ever. Social Security is audited yearly and has gotten awards many years for their clean audits. Social Security only has 1% overhead for ALL of the benefits that go out each month. There is NO bloat in the SSA. Action 1: Email our MoCs to urge them to boldly speak out against the gutting of Social Security. Consider calling Washington’s Republican delegation with this message. Our Members of Congress (MoCs)
Other WA Representatives Representative Dan Newhouse (CD 4) (202) 225-5816 (D.C.) (509) 713-7374 (Tri-Cities) Representative Michael Baumgartner (CD 5) (202) 225-2006 (D.C.) (509) 353-2374 (Spokane) Marie Gluesenkamp Perez - Democrat in a purple district (CD3) DC Office: (202)225-3536 Script: I am worried about Social Security given the massive layoffs and the need to show up in person to make changes in one’s name, address, etc. If my Social Security checks stop coming, I will [fill in the consequences for you]. Please do everything you can to keep Social Security safe for us Americans. Action 2:
Action 3: If you have friends and family in red states/areas, reach out to them and encourage them to call their members of Congress about the importance of keeping Social Security. Local Actions:Find Out Why the Olympia Airport’s Master Plan Update is Dangerous for Our Community Photo Credit: Simon Wheatley, CC BY-SA2.0 Port of Olympia Commissioners seek to approve an Update to the 2021 Master Plan for the Olympia Airport opposed by many community members, particularly those who live in flight paths. Ronda Larson Kramer, a local attorney and activist, recently presented a brief talk explaining how the Update will allow more flights over Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater and add impervious surfaces over a critical aquifer recharge area for the Deschutes River. The Airport Master Plan Update would also impact threatened and endangered species and have negative economic impacts on homeowners near the airport. Action: Watch a recording of Ms. Kramer’s presentation and a brief question and answer period on YouTube, Olympia Airport Master Plan Update Presentation by Ronda Larson Kramer. Have You Scheduled These Events?
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