Resistance is not futile

This is a good article - So You Want to Be a Dissident? A practical guide to courage in Trump’s age of fear. By Julia Angwin and Ami Fields-Meyer. "'The key to challenging authoritarian regimes,' Stephan said, 'is for citizens to decline to participate in immoral and illegal acts.'"

The stage is being set, the magic Sharpie pen is being wielded, the collaborators are being identified, the potential resisters are being intimidated, the boundaries are being tested, the threads are being pulled, clasps undone, bolts removed. This is just the beginning, three months into a 48 month (we can only hope there is still an end date) dismantling. We are at the point when the basketball is still circling the rim. Our lives depend, in many ways, on it not going in. It looks like it will go in.

On May Day, millions will walk off their jobs and demonstrate opposition to a Russian-asset president and an intimidated or bought-off Congress. When the person elected to follow the laws is breaking the laws and when the people's representatives are not representing and afraid to hold the law-breaker to account, and when the courts have ruled the president's actions are almost never illegal, what else can we do?

On Saturday, May 3, we will gather at State Road & Losey and demonstrate to help wake up our neighbors. This is not normal. This is not legal. It's not ok to kidnap people and send them without any trial to domestic or foreign hell holes. It's not ok to send US citizens to detention camps or to expect six year old refugees to represent themselves in immigration court or to arrest judges for ushering a person through Door B into a public hallway instead of through Door A. It's not ok for unvetted federal contractors to delete, copy, or steal sensitive personal and national security data.

On Sunday, May 4, we'll Love Out Loud to support and protect our LGBTQ+ friends, relatives, neighbors, families. Meet at 1 p.m. at STATE ROAD & LOSEY.

On Saturday, May 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. there will be a Fighting Oligarchy: People over Billionaires Rally and Day of Action in La Crosse at the Riverside Park Bandshell. (Bernie will NOT be at this rally) Sign up here: https://act.berniesanders.com/signup/rsvp-oligarchy-team-la-crosse/

On Wednesday, May 14 at 7 p.m., we'll gather at the Concordia, 1129 La Crosse St., for REFUGE STRONG, to learn, network, and plan to protect and defend our precious Mississippi River and its habitats, ecosystems, research programs, and staff. 

Throughout May and the coming months and years, we'll continue to find ways to hold the line, put on the brakes, change the trajectory. We'll encourage our friends and, especially, our members of Congress to resist, block, and not cooperate.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

We are supposed to have three equal branches in our government. Congress is elected to pass laws and budgets. The president is supposed to make sure the laws and budgets are followed and enforced. And courts interpret and apply laws, and determine whether or not they are Constitutional.

Immigrants have rights including the right to enter the country. "In the U.S., asylum seekers apply for protection from inside the country or at a port of entry. In contrast, a refugee is a person who applies for protection from outside of the U.S." (National Immigration Forum) Immigrants have Constitutional protections no matter their status, including the right to due process.

Executive Orders are not laws, commands, commandments, or edicts. They can be illegal. 

The money that is being withheld or reallocated is not Trump's to withhold or reallocate. It's our money we pooled for services, improvements, research, inventions, breakthroughs, assistance, information. It's the money our elected representatives voted to distribute for health care, medicine, science, habitat restoration, transportation, housing, courts, and more.

 

We are not consumers, customers, charges, audience members, children, or subjects. We have the right to speak freely, assemble peacefully, and live free lives, guaranteed by the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the other amendments. If we want to keep it that way, we probably have to do something more than watch and hope.

 

There's a lot we can do. Stay informed. Get connected. Help organize local actions. Call Congress every day. Don't do bad stuff. Do good stuff. If they say no, we say ha ha ha. Resistance is not futile.

May 17 - Hmoob-American Day

Hmoob-American Day

Saturday, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Onalaska Omni Center

Celebrating 50 YEARS!

Join us in celebrating 50 years of resilience, survival, and achievement of the Hmoob community. Hmoob-American Day, observed on May 14, commemorates and honors the contributions of the Hmoob people in the United States and their departure from Laos after the Vietnam War. 

Everyone is invited to come and celebrate with music and dancing, games and sports, vendors and merchants, live performances, wonderful Hmoob food including free lunch, and much more! FREE ADMISSION.

Hosted by Hmoob Cultural and Community Center; Cia Siab, Inc.; and Vang Council of La Crosse, Inc.

Learn more here: https://facebook.com/events/1669032893993227/

Can you VOLUNTEER TO HELP? Sign up here for one or more two hour shifts between 6 am and 6 pm to help us make this event a success. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us at info@ciasiabinc.org or call our office at 608-615-7117.

Earth Fair Sunday

 

Don't drive to the Earth Fair if you can avoid it. 

Emissions from cars & light trucks are the highest portion of the highest sector of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the hope that we can keep atmospheric carbon levels at 350 ppm, we're now at 430 ppm. Despite the pledges to reduce emissions enough to cap hearing at +1.5° C, we're on track to hit and pass that cap in the next few years. 

Here's the problem. People want to "save the planet," but maybe not so much if it means we might be inconvenienced or have to spend more time or can't fly out to visit the grandkids in California every month. Here's one day when action could match intention, the first day of a new, carbon-reduced transportation life.

How to get there? Ride your bike, car pool, OR take the FREE MTU bus. The #4 bus goes from the Jay Street Transit Center to Aldi South and many points in between. Just like Disney World, you get on the bus and then you get off at your destination (the route is diverting for the day to drop you off at the park entrance shown in red on the map below). 

It leaves the Transit Center every hour starting at 7:42. It arrives at Myrick from downtown every hour starting at about 7:50. From the south, it gets to the park every hour starting at about 8:30 a.m.

If you are not on the #4 bus route, you can take another bus to the Transit Center (or another point where routes connect with the #4) and transfer.

Here's the #4 map (find the whole route map here). If you must drive, pack your vehicle full of other people and then drive to a lot on the #4 route and take the bus to the fair. You can park free in the Jay Street ramp and catch the bus from the Transit Center. You can also park in these lots (red dots):

• WWTC Aprenticeship Center (2860 21st Pl S)
• Aldi South
• Village Shopping Center
• other lots or streets along the route

For more info on the Earth Fair, visit 

Housing Week

From April 28 through May 3, 2025, La Crosse Housing Week will offer a series of events and gatherings for community members to learn about local housing issues and how to get involved. Please join us! All events are free and open to the public. At each event, you’ll learn simple ways you can make change in the La Crosse community.

4/28: Faith & Housing, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. Rose Convent (#2 bus)

4/28: Missing Middle Housing Tour, 5 p.m., Weigent-Hogan neighborhood (#2 bus)

4/29: Sustainable Futures: Housing as a Catalyst for Healthier Communities with Habitat for Humanity, 10 a.m., Online 

* see below 

4/29: Case Study - City of Middleton Zoning Code Rewrite from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Cleary & Friends Alumni Center, East Ave & La Crosse Street (#4 bus)

4/30: Room to Grow: How Zoning Affects Our Environment from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at The Nature Place in My rock Park (bus does not go here)

4/30: Zoning + Beyond: Forward La Crosse from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the La Crosse Public Library, 8th & Main (circulators, #4 bus)

4/30: Housing on Tap: Solutions for All Life Stages from 4:30 to 6:30 at the Cappella Events Center, 8th & King (circulators, #2 bus)

5/ 1: Let’s Taco ‘Bout ADUs from noon to 1 p.m. (lunch provided) at the Pump House Regional Arts Center, King & Front Street (circulator2 bus)

5/ 1: Zoning + Beyond: Forward La Crosse at 5 p.m. at the La Crosse Public Library, 8th & Main (circulators, #4 bus)

5/ 2: Then + Now: Housing Access, Affordability, and Discrimination in La Crosse at 9:30 a.m. at the La Crosse Public Library, 8th & Main (circulators, #4 bus)

5/ 2: The Economics of Redevelopment at 1 p.m. at the Black River Beach Neighborhood Center, 1200 Rose St. (#6 bus)

Learn more at the link! https://lacrossehousingweek.org/

*[4/29: What do Missing Middle Housing, Walkable Urbanism, Zoning Reform, and More Resilient Communities Have in Common? 10 a.m., Online (This is NOT part of housing week, but it just happens to align)]

NOT The WHCD

 

NOT The White House Correspondents' Dinner will provide real facts, pundits, correspondents, and lots of comedians. 

Pay per view: $20.26.

More info here: https://www.meethook.live/not

Call - Bring them back

From Indivisible: 

Call TODAY and demand your elected officials speak out and use every tool they have to push back on Trump's unconstitutional disappearances.

It's not just Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant and father of three who lived in Maryland for over a decade before being abducted and sent to El Salvador withOUT charges, hearing, trial, or conviction. Hundreds of immigrants and some US citizens, born in the United States, have been kidnapped and spirited away to hell sites in the US and in other countries. But his case is important because it exposes the Trump administration's unlawful behaviors and plans for the future.

Read more here. Then, email and call Congressional offices today. 

As Steven Beschloss notes, "The refusal by the Trump regime to provide Kilmar Abrego Garcia due process endangers every American's civil liberties."

Earth Day

Meanwhile ...

"Here’s the science: Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) above pre-industrial levels is essential for avoiding increasingly severe and widespread climate change impacts, but doing so requires cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 42% by 2030 and 56% by 2035, relative to 2023. Current policies alone will achieve less than a 1% reduction by 2030 and 2035." -  Systems Change Lab

Global atmospheric carbon = 430 ppm. (Target passed long ago = 350)

Stop driving fossil-fueled vehicles and stop flying as much as possible (want vs. need). Walk, bike take the bus, car pool, take the train. If you have to drive, replace a ff car with an EV. (Used EVs are more and more affordable.)

Stop purchasing high-carbon foods, including beef, dairy, chocolate, shrimp, coffee, palm oil, rice. Move to a low-carbon diet.

Seal & insulate your home. Upgrade and electrify appliances. 

If you can, install solar panels on your home. La Crosse county is doing another solar group buy. Energy credits of 30% are still available for solar, energy upgrades, battery storage and more.

Stop buying and using plastic. On top of the microplastic contamination crisis, most plastic is made of fossil fuels. When it's tossed, very little is recycled. Around here, it may be burned to produce eldctricity. (Libby fir the closure of the "waste-to-energy" trash burner, too.) Plastic pollution is also a social justice issue.

Avoid buying unneeded stuff. Reduce stuff, reduce global emissions from shipping and transportation of goods. Share, support "libraries of things," swap, buy 2nd hand.

Beyond personal changes, go bigger. Vote for the good guys. Get active to change institutional and community behaviors. Feed back about product choices and packaging. If you control messaging, advertising, or communications, put the carbon-friendly choices in front. Make sure people know they don't have to drive to your event. Highlight vegan choices. Urge people to rethink high-carbon habits. Talk about it all the time to everyone. 

Learn more. Updates coming. Get started now.

We can't wait  We can't ignore. We can't not act.

If not now, when?

April 19 - Report & Next Steps

From Tasha:

More than 500 people showed up on April 19, and that estimate is on the lower side of things, and we also filled that entire food caravan for Wafer in the two hour time slot that we were there! That is AMAZING! In two hours, you all filled an ENTIRE FOOD CARAVAN! What a bunch of REVOLUTIONARY BADASSES WE GOT! And we still don't have the total amount of money that we raised that day, so I will provide those totals when I find out!

Again, absolutely AMAZING!

For our Community Bingo, not everyone was able to turn their sheet in, so I will be opting to have it at our next rally as well and hopefully get more people to participate. Thank you to those who participated and I hope that you were able to meet with other people in your community that you don't normally talk to.

If you would like to get more involved with events, please feel free to email* and I will do my best to get as many of you involved as possible. Also, we do now have Facebook page for those of you who have Facebook, you can ask to join that.

Now for some reminders:

Tuesday, April 22 at 5 p.m. at the Cappella Performing Arts Center, 712 King St., there is a Town Hall meeting. Second Congressional District Rep. Mark Pocan will be there to speak. Our representative, Derrick Van Orden, is invited, but remember, he probably won't show, but we can still show up! So let's pack the town hall! You can sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/776170/

Saturday, May 3, from noon to 2 p.m. at the corner of State Rd and Losey Blvd, we will be having our next demonstration, May Day Strong. I invite you all to attend, bring you signs, your voices, your friends and join in solidarity against Trump and Elon, and against those who fall in line (DVO) with their policies to demand change! You can sign up here with this link: https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/775365/

[CP: There is also a LOVE OUT LOUD demonstration at this same corner on May 4 from 1 to 2 p.m. in support of the LGBTQ+ community.] 

**** Additionally, every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at City Hall in La Crosse (corner of Fourth Street & La Crosse Street, there is a drmonstration. You can also sign up and attend those: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/774392/

**** Mark your calendars for May 10th from noon to 4 p.m. as we will be hosting a speaker event at Riverside park. We will have more details to come.

Lastly, I want to thank each and every one of you for continuing to show up, continuing to be loud and proud and standing up for La Crosse, for Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, for our nation, but most importantly for one another. Take care of yourselves, take care of one another, and together, we can win this fight for democracy.

* Use the CONTACT form on this page and CP will forward your message to Tasha.

June 6 - Vets March in DC

 

June 6 at 2 p.m. in Washington, DC

Sign up for info:

https://www.unite4veterans.org/

Today

Today:

From local organizers (NEW LINK!)

SATURDAY, APRIL 19

NOON TO 2 P.M.

LOSEY & STATE ROAD

For April 19th we want to focus a bit more on our local politicians, mainly Derrick Van Orden who keeps dodging our town halls. If you would like to make signs, we would love to see them! Ideas that we have are Where's Derrick in the theme of "Where's Waldo," Derrick the Menace in the theme of "Denice the Menace."

But the big thing we really want to focus on having a positive community event based on educating others on the resources that we have in our area and how we can help support them. Please see the below message:

Much like Trump and Musk, we can't count on our local politicians to fight for us. When our local programs are getting cut and the people in our communities are suffering, where is our local representation?

Derrick Van Orden may continue to dodge our town halls but we can still show up for one another! Come join us once again at the Cross sections of State Road and Losey Boulevard to come together once again as a community.

This will be another non-violent visibility community event! Bring your signs, and if you are able to, bring a non perishable food item or hygiene item for our local Wafer Food Pantry that supplies the hungry people in La Crosse and the surrounding area. We want to be more community focused so bring your knowledge about a community need or non-profit and share with those around you! When you get to the event there is no need to spread out, get to know your fellow neighbors and share what you learn about our resources!

There are two goals of this visibility event:

Continued momentum in solidarity against Trump and Musk and our local politicians who are engaging in similar conduct. Call them out on their recess! Bringing the community of La Crosse and the surrounding areas together and being able to take care of our neighbors. We invite you to join us with this event, meet your neighbors, share stories and build on how we can continue to take care of each other through the continued cuts.

Secondly, I am announcing the May Day Strong Protest. The event is live on Mobilize. For more details, please use the following link 

The La Crosse County Democratic Party office,  2318 State Rd, will be available for immediate use of the restroom and a drinking fountain. 

Please plan ahead to park on side streets as we did on April 5th. No cars were towed from the K-Mart parking lot but we cannot guarantee that will not happen. Plan to bike, walk, car pool, or bus to the event if you can! Plan ahead to have someone drop you off if you need accommodations for disabilities and bring a chair or something to sit on if you need it. Before the event, eat something, take medications and fill a reusable water bottle. 

Be careful about stepping into the street, blocking driveways, sidewalks, and traffic. Please do not stand in the middle intersections as that is not safe and we do not want anyone to get hurt! It's much harder to use your voice if you're in the hospital. 

Don't engage with counter protesteers!

Additional safety information will be available soon for those attending their first protest event.

Register here - https://events.pol-rev.com/events/9966a5f1-0994-402d-a2be-748a1e911826 - for updates.  

No Other Land streaming

The creators of No Other Land, the Oscar-winning film about the communities of Masafer Yatta that are being forcibly displaced by the Israeli army and settlers, after finding NO U.S. distributor for their film, are makng it available online.

For the next three weeks, they are making the film available online in North America to raise support for Masafer Yatta because their community is still being destroyed and they urgently need help.

All profits from streaming the movie will go directly to support Masafer Yatta communities!

If you already watched the film, you can donate any amount you like to the villages of Masafer Yatta. 

How to watch

How to donate

Learn more: https://supportmasaferyatta.com/

Yes, It's a Constitutional Crisis

 

Washington, DC — Today, Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, and Dianna Wynn, president of the League of Women Voters, released the following statement:  

“It has now been 87 days since the start of the Trump administration. From the flagrant disregard for congressional authority and governmental checks and balances to defying Supreme Court orders to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back home, one thing is abundantly clear: our country is in a constitutional crisis.   

"We the people must fight back. That is why the League of Women Voters is launching a powerful new initiative, Unite and Rise 8.5. 

"Unite and Rise 8.5 will engage and mobilize 8.5 million voters between now and November 2026 to protect and preserve our democratic institutions. 

"The foundational principles that have sustained our democracy — checks and balances, the rule of law, free and fair elections — are under direct and sustained threat. In this extraordinary moment, we cannot proceed with business as usual. All Americans — no matter who you voted for in 2024 — need to come together, stand united, and fight back to save our democracy. We cannot afford to fail the generations to come.” 

About Unite and Rise 8.5: Starting May 1, the League will launch the Unite and Rise 8.5 initiative, which aims to mobilize 8.5 million voters using the power of voter engagement as a cornerstone of our democracy. Unite and Rise 8.5 will showcase the many ways voters can drive change, including through advocacy, mobilization, civic education, and engagement. The initiative is part of LWV’s Women Defend Democracy campaign. 

###

And, by the way, attention women: Here's what Project 2025 has planned for us.

Hmoob American Day seeks vols

Cia Siab, Inc. is partnering with the Hmong Cultural and Community Center and the Vang Council of La Crosse to celebrate 50 years of resilience, survival, and achievements of the Hmoob community.

Hmoob American Day, observed on May 14, commemorates and honors the contributions of Hmoob people in the United States and the departure from Laos after the Vietnam War. We're celebrating locally on Saturday, May 17th and... we need your help!

Sign up here for one or more two hour shifts between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. to help us make this event a success. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us at info@ciasiabinc.org or call our office at 608-615-7117.

Thanks, and see you on the 17th!

Jess & Gaosheng

HAD Volunteer Coordinators

Refuge Strong May 14

The Friends for Refuge Mississippi River Pools 7&8 is starting an advocacy group to support our Refuge and staff during these times of decreasing federal staff, slashing budgets, closing of offices, and privatization of public lands. We want to bring environmental groups together for our collective concerns around environmental cut backs of funding.

Join us on Wednesday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Concordia to connect and amplify our efforts, learn about the issues, and strategize for future actions.

Local environmental groups will table. Local experts will speak. There will be time to network, too.

Email for details or to table: goldflash3@yahoo.com

Yes April 19

Reposting:

From local organizers (NEW LINK!)

SATURDAY, APRIL 19

NOON TO 2 P.M.

LOSEY & STATE ROAD

For April 19th we want to focus a bit more on our local politicians, mainly Derrick Van Orden who keeps dodging our town halls. If you would like to make signs, we would love to see them! Ideas that we have are Where's Derrick in the theme of "Where's Waldo," Derrick the Menace in the theme of "Denice the Menace."

But the big thing we really want to focus on having a positive community event based on educating others on the resources that we have in our area and how we can help support them. Please see the below message:

Much like Trump and Musk, we can't count on our local politicians to fight for us. When our local programs are getting cut and the people in our communities are suffering, where is our local representation?

Derrick Van Orden may continue to dodge our town halls but we can still show up for one another! Come join us once again at the Cross sections of State Road and Losey Boulevard to come together once again as a community.

This will be another non-violent visibility community event! Bring your signs, and if you are able to, bring a non perishable food item or hygiene item for our local Wafer Food Pantry that supplies the hungry people in La Crosse and the surrounding area. We want to be more community focused so bring your knowledge about a community need or non-profit and share with those around you! When you get to the event there is no need to spread out, get to know your fellow neighbors and share what you learn about our resources!

There are two goals of this visibility event:

Continued momentum in solidarity against Trump and Musk and our local politicians who are engaging in similar conduct. Call them out on their recess! Bringing the community of La Crosse and the surrounding areas together and being able to take care of our neighbors. We invite you to join us with this event, meet your neighbors, share stories and build on how we can continue to take care of each other through the continued cuts.

Secondly, I am announcing the May Day Strong Protest. The event is live on Mobilize. For more details, please use the following link 

The La Crosse County Democratic Party office,  2318 State Rd, will be available for immediate use of the restroom and a drinking fountain. 

Please plan ahead to park on side streets as we did on April 5th. No cars were towed from the K-Mart parking lot but we cannot guarantee that will not happen. Plan to bike, walk, car pool, or bus to the event if you can! Plan ahead to have someone drop you off if you need accommodations for disabilities and bring a chair or something to sit on if you need it. Before the event, eat something, take medications and fill a reusable water bottle. 

Be careful about stepping into the street, blocking driveways, sidewalks, and traffic. Please do not stand in the middle intersections as that is not safe and we do not want anyone to get hurt! It's much harder to use your voice if you're in the hospital. 

Don't engage with counter protesteers!

Additional safety information will be available soon for those attending their first protest event.

Register here - https://events.pol-rev.com/events/9966a5f1-0994-402d-a2be-748a1e911826 - for updates.  

May 10: 16th Annual Grassroots Fest

Wisconsin Grassroots Network presents the 16th Annual Grassroots Festival 

Saturday, May 10

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

McFarland High School 5103 Farewell St., McFarland, Wisconsin

Five Keynote speakers:

• Rep. Jamie Raskin (pre-recorded video)
• John Bonifaz, Free Speech for All
• Alan Minsky, Progressive Democrats of America
• George Penn, WIUTA
• John Nichols, The Nation Magazine

Twenty breakout sessions, lunch (must realgistef in advance), tabling, networking, learning, plotting, lifting up.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! 

LEARN MORE HERE: https://wigrassrootsnetwork.com/16th-Annual-Grassroots-Festival

La Crosse Town Hall with Rep. Pocan

Even as our own U.S. Rep. hides in his little Zoom box, attacking his constituents and backing the coup, there are some U.S.  Representatives who take their jobs as the people's servants seriously.

Rep. Mark Pocan will be at the Cappella Performing Arts Center, 721 King Street, on Tuesday, April 22 at 5 p.m. for a real, open to the public, advertised in advance, in person Town Hall. The official 3rd CD Rep., Derrick Van Orden, refuses to hold in person town halls, though he has been invited to this one.

From Opportunity Wisconsin, event organizer: "We believe it’s more important than ever for our Members of Congress to have open and honest conversations with the people they represent. Unfortunately, Representative Derrick Van Orden has yet to hold an in-person town hall meeting with his constituents.

Whether it’s rising costs, economic uncertainty, or the future of programs like Medicaid, Social Security, and SNAP, the decisions made by Congress in the coming weeks will impact the lives of all Wisconsinites, including families and small businesses here in Western Wisconsin. Rep. Van Orden’s constituents deserve answers to their questions and concerns.

"Please join our grassroots coalition for a town hall with special guest Representative Mark Pocan on Tuesday, April 22nd at 5:00 PM CT at Capella Performing Arts Center in La Crosse. Seating is limited.

"*Rep. Derrick Van Orden has been invited to attend this event."

RSVP here: https://www.mobilize.us/owi/event/776170/

The No Good Very Bad Budget

This is from Bobby Kogan, Senior Director of Federal Budget Policy for the Center for American Progress. Read his explainer in the budget reconciliation process at American Progress.

The House just passed its budget resolution, so reconciliation is now underway. This is their bill to destroy Medicaid and SNAP while cutting taxes disproportionately for the rich.

THIS IS VERY REAL and can be enacted even if all Ds vote no.

This is a tax bill, so it needs to begin in the House. The House or Senate or both need to go through the full committee process. The House almost certainly will, meaning each committee'll write legislation, & the members of each committee will need to vote on it.

This is the first place stop them.

Those Medicaid cuts? They come from the Energy & Commerce Committee. Here's a list of the members. If we can get a majority of these people to vote no, it's stuck there (unless the House gives up on the official committee process, forcing the Senate to do it)

Those SNAP cuts? They come from the Agriculture Committee. Same deal. We have to try to stop there here.

Those student loan cuts? They come from the Education and Workforce Committee. Same deal here as well.

If we lose there, and Republicans make it through all the reconciled committees, it goes to the Budget Committee. Same deal, try to stop it at the Budget Committee.

If we lose there, it'll go through the Rules Committee for a rule.

And if we lose there, it goes to the full floor for passage. When Republicans were trying to repeal the ACA in 2017, we initially stopped them here in March of 2017 before losing in May of 2017.

This is where the body as a whole will be voting on passage of a bill that would rip Medicaid away from many millions of people while taking food away from the hungry. They will console themselves because it could change. But we need to try to stop them here. If they can't pass it here, it's stuck.

If we lose there, it goes to the Senate. If the House skipped any of the steps, the Senate will have to go through the committee process as well - and it may choose to regardless.

For the Senate, SNAP is in the Ag Committee; student loans are in the HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committee; and Medicaid is in the Finance Committee.

If the Senate is *forced* to go through the full committee process (because the House didn't), then these are all places to stop them. In that case, if they can't make it out of committee, they're stuck.

Then they go to the floor. This is a privileged motion in the Senate with set debate (20 hours, split equally between Ds and Rs). This means there is no vote for cloture - which means it only takes 51 votes. Even if all Ds vote no, Rs can still do it if they stick together.

So, we need to try to peel off Republicans on the motion to proceed. We need four.

If we lose there, we go to vote-a-rama, followed by final passage. This is where we eventually won on ACA repeal. They couldn't get the votes for final passage in the Senate.

If we lose there, there's an extremely high likelihood that whatever passed the Senate will not be identical to what passed the House, so it'll have to go back to the House.

First, the House could just try to pass whatever the Senate passed.

The big drama between the House and the Senate has been that the House hardliners are worried the Senate bill won't cut Medicaid and SNAP enough. I explain in detail here.

But if the House just takes up the Senate bill and passes it, that's it. It's done. It goes to Trump for a signature. So we absolutely need to stop it there.

Some people will have voted yes the first time because they thought it might die in the Senate. Now it's real. Convince them.

Other people might be upset that the Senate version could be less evil than the House version. Sure, captain. Whatever you need. Not evil enough. Great reason to vote no. Whatever reason you want, I support.

If the House doesn't want to take up the Senate version for passage, it could amend it and send it back to the Senate. But they likely wouldn't do that. Instead, if they want to change it, they'll likely go to conference.

This is where both the House and the Senate send representatives to go work on a bill that they think each side can agree to. And in order to make it out of conference, you need a majority of House conferees to say yes and a majority of Senate conferees to say yes.

We won't know who the conferees will be until we get here. But at that point, this will be the place to stop them.

If they can make it out of conference, then it goes back to both the House AND the Senate to try to pass the conference report without any further amendments.

This will be the final place to stop them. One more vote in the House and the Senate where we try to save people's lives.

So, what can we do?

The single most important thing you can do, by a parsec, is show up at a town hall w/ your GOP member and talk to them face to face.

Heroes like @indivisible.org helped organize last time. People drove for hours to spend just a few minutes talking to their members. But we saved lives because of it.

The next most important thing you can do is call your GOP member's office every single day. When I worked in the Senate, in every single weekly all-staff meeting, we went over the phone calls we'd received.

Also, call your governor! Medicaid cuts would have an enormous effect on state budgets. The governors do not want to lose all that federal money. If your Republican governor talks to your Republican representatives, that matters!

Tell them you don't want any Medicaid cuts. Tell them you don't want any SNAP cuts. Tell them you don't want huge tax cuts for billionaires.

Tell them why it matters to you. *Make them* hear WHY Medicaid matters to you. That is how we convinced Murkowski, Collins, and McCain to vote no.

This will be a very hard fight, but it's worth it, because people matter.

We owe it to our family members who rely on Medicaid and SNAP. We owe it to our friends. We owe it to our neighbors. We owe it to the people we'll never meet.

Read more from Kogan at https://www.americanprogress.org/people/bobby-kogan/

MAY DAY STRONG in La Crosse

SATURDAY, MAY 3

NOON TO 2 P.M.

LOSEY & STATE ROAD

Register:  https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/775365/

Across the country—from fruit fields in California to classrooms in Chicago, from kitchens in Queens to loading docks in Atlanta—working people are rising up. We are demanding a country that puts our families over their fortunes—public schools over private profits, healthcare over hedge funds, housing over homelessness.

Musk, Trump and their fellow profiteers are trying to create a race to the bottom—on wages, on benefits, on dignity itself. They want to erase labor rights, break our unions, and silence immigrant voices.

May Day 2025 we are standing united. We're organizing for a world where every family has housing, healthcare, fair wages, union protection, and safety—regardless of race, zip code, or immigration status.

They’re defunding our schools, privatizing public services, attacking unions, and targeting immigrant families with fear and violence. This is a war on working people—and we will not stand down.

This May Day, we will turn the page. This is the beginning of a new era—one where working families lead, immigrants are protected, and no one is left behind. This is not charity. This is not a request. We are reclaiming our power from corporate elites, and we will not be intimidated by Trump, Musk, or their billionaire backers. They’ve ruled for too long. Their time is up.

STOP THE BILLIONAIRE TAKEOVER. WE ARE THE MANY. THEY ARE THE FEW. THIS IS MAY DAY. JOIN US.

MAY 4 - Love Out Loud

Sunday, May 4 at 1 p.m.

Losey & State Road

As changes are silently being made for our LGBTQ siblings to local institutions and they are complying before being required to comply, we're trying to get as many groups together to support publicly our LGBTQIA+ siblings.

Now's the time to be visible and united. Join us Sunday, May 4th, 1 p.m., at the corner of Losey & State Road to wave signs and show support for our LGBTQIA+ family. Need a sign to wave? Come to The Center (230 6th Street South) at 11 a.m. that day to make a sign and experience art, connection, and community. 

Sign up for updates (and help organizers estimate numbers)

Your information will not be shared with anyone. We simply need to know how many people to plan for. We will also communicate plans in the event of rain & legal reminders about disengaging with counter-protesters.  

Friday Fight Back

FRIDAY, APRIL 11

HUMANITIES TO STEM - WE WILL FIGHT FOR THEM! 

Protect academics! The dismantling and restructuring of the Smithsonian, Department of Education, and research universities will lead to an uninformed and unpatriotic public.

11 a.m. - Poster-Making

Noon to 2 p.m. - Student Demonstration

UWL - CLOCK TOWER

A legal, peaceful protest led by Eagles for Equity.

April 19 - La Crosse Day of Action - UPDATED

From local organizers (NEW LINK!)

SATURDAY, APRIL 19

NOON TO 2 P.M.

LOSEY & STATE ROAD

For April 19th we want to focus a bit more on our local politicians, mainly Derrick Van Orden who keeps dodging our town halls. If you would like to make signs, we would love to see them! Ideas that we have are Where's Derrick in the theme of "Where's Waldo," Derrick the Menace in the theme of "Denice the Menace."

But the big thing we really want to focus on having a positive community event based on educating others on the resources that we have in our area and how we can help support them. Please see the below message:

Much like Trump and Musk, we can't count on our local politicians to fight for us. When our local programs are getting cut and the people in our communities are suffering, where is our local representation?

Derrick Van Orden may continue to dodge our town halls but we can still show up for one another! Come join us once again at the Cross sections of State Road and Losey Boulevard to come together once again as a community.

This will be another non-violent visibility community event! Bring your signs, and if you are able to, bring a non perishable food item or hygiene item for our local Wafer Food Pantry that supplies the hungry people in La Crosse and the surrounding area. We want to be more community focused so bring your knowledge about a community need or non-profit and share with those around you! When you get to the event there is no need to spread out, get to know your fellow neighbors and share what you learn about our resources!

There are two goals of this visibility event:

Continued momentum in solidarity against Trump and Musk and our local politicians who are engaging in similar conduct. Call them out on their recess! Bringing the community of La Crosse and the surrounding areas together and being able to take care of our neighbors. We invite you to join us with this event, meet your neighbors, share stories and build on how we can continue to take care of each other through the continued cuts.

Secondly, I am announcing the May Day Strong Protest. The event is live on Mobilize. For more details, please use the following link 

The La Crosse County Democratic Party office,  2318 State Rd, will be available for immediate use of the restroom and a drinking fountain. 

Please plan ahead to park on side streets as we did on April 5th. No cars were towed from the K-Mart parking lot but we cannot guarantee that will not happen. Plan to bike, walk, car pool, or bus to the event if you can! Plan ahead to have someone drop you off if you need accommodations for disabilities and bring a chair or something to sit on if you need it. Before the event, eat something, take medications and fill a reusable water bottle. 

Be careful about stepping into the street, blocking driveways, sidewalks, and traffic. Please do not stand in the middle intersections as that is not safe and we do not want anyone to get hurt! It's much harder to use your voice if you're in the hospital. 

Don't engage with counter protesteers!

Additional safety information will be available soon for those attending their first protest event.

Register here - https://events.pol-rev.com/events/9966a5f1-0994-402d-a2be-748a1e911826 - for updates.