Actions for the Week of 5/11/25

Written By Darbie Maccubbin

How to contact your elected officials

Use this link to find contact information for ALL of your elected officials – Federal, State, City, and County – just by entering your address

https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Other useful links:

Say No to handouts for the wealthy at the expense of working families

From Indivisible: Republicans in Congress are trying to ram through the Trump Tax Scam, their tax plan that sells out everyday Americans to help billionaires like Elon Musk get even richer.

Call or email your Republican Representative and tell him/her to stand up for their constituents.

To send an email: Follow the link below to send a pre-scripted message (which you can personalize).

https://act.indivisible.org/sign/no-cutting-programs-to-fund-handouts-to-billionaires

To call: Use this script from 5 Calls:

Hello, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].

I’m calling to urge [REP NAME] to oppose any budget reconciliation bill that cuts Medicaid, reduces Medicaid expansion, or imposes Medicaid work requirements. Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of Americans and rural health systems. Reducing its federal budget would cut off millions of people from needed health care and destroy lives and local economies.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.

Blue state response to Trump illegally withholding federal funds

From Joe Katz at Rogan’s List: Trump has the full authority of the national government at his disposal, and he is gleefully abusing it to force all Americans to live by his rules. But the federal system means blue states have power too. One example comes from New York which is among those that have been subjected to repeated threats from Trump that he’ll cut off federal funding if they won’t do his bidding - typically in extremely legally dubious ways. But that funding ultimately comes from Americans, much of it from the self-same blue states and cities they’re attempting to bully.

New York State Senator and Working Families Democrat Jessica Ramos has introduced the RECOURSE Act (S6915) to push back, authorizing the state to withhold payments due to the federal government if the Trump Administration illegally freezes funds appropriated to the state by Congress or a federal agency. New York would keep grant repayments and payroll taxes from state employees that they could use to cover for what Trump has stolen.

Contact your state legislators and governors and tell them to support the RECOURSE Act (if in NY) or introduce similar legislation in other states. Write your own script or use the ones below.

If you are in New York state:

New York State Senator Jessica Ramos has introduced the RECOURSE Act, S6915. This bill lets the state withhold tax payments to the federal government if a judge finds Trump has illegally frozen funds appropriated to our state by Congress or a federal agency. Please do whatever you can to support and pass this legislation into law. With the RECOURSE Act, we would be able to use withheld payments to cover for what Trump steals and keep our programs and services running.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

If you are in a BLUE state other than New York:

New York State Senator Jessica Ramos has introduced the RECOURSE Act, S6915. This bill lets the state withhold tax payments to the federal government if a judge finds Trump has illegally frozen funds appropriated to our state by Congress or a federal agency. Please do whatever you can to introduce and push through legislation like New York’s RECOURSE Act which would enable us to use withheld payments to cover for what Trump steals and keep our programs and services running.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Boycott products made in El Salvador

The Trump administration has paid $6 million dollars to El Salvador to house hundreds of people illegally deported from the U.S. without due process to that country’s high-security mega-prison.

Last week, we asked our governors and legislators to divest from companies in El Salvador. This week let’s do the same with our own spending by following these suggested actions from the Alt National Park Service.

Check tags and packages and avoid buying those marked “Made in El Salvador.”  Companies that manufacture in El Salvador include: Hanes (underwear, T-shirts, socks), Fruit of the Loom (apparel, sporting goods), Gildan (basic clothing), Diana (snacks and candy), Capri (mattresses and furniture), Indufoam (bedding and mattresses), Bon Appetit (snack foods), Livsmart (beverages), Jumex (juice and drinks), Laboratorios Vijosa (pharmaceuticals), Salvaplastic (plastic goods), Olimpia Beds (furniture).

Extra credit: Contact the heads of companies manufacturing in El Salvador, such as Hanes and Fruit of the Loom, to voice your dismay at their silence.

Hanesbrands Inc. – brands include Maidenform, Bali, Playtex, Hanes, Bonds, Champion
CEO: Stephen B. Bratspies
101 N. Cherry St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Phone: (336) 519-8080
Email: contact_us@hanes.com (scroll down to General Inquiries)

Fruit of the Loom, Inc. – brands include Spalding, Russell Athletic, Fruit of the Loom, Jerzees, BVD, Vanity Fair, Dudley
CEO: Jeff Cohen
One Fruit of the Loom Drive
Bowling Green, KY 42103
Phone: (855) 253-4534
Email: https://www.fotlinc.com/our-company/contact-us/

Sample script:

Dear {company head},

Your company should be speaking out loudly and publicly against the stance of the Trump administration and El Salvador’s president, who have disrespected U.S. due process laws for prisoners and defied a Supreme Court order to return wrongfully imprisoned deportees. As a manufacturer in El Salvador, your company has influence to reinforce U.S. constitutional rights and democratic values. Until you have done all you can to bring about the return of people who were wrongfully imprisoned, I and many others will boycott your brands.

Sincerely,

Action for Buffalo Residents: Buffalo Fleet Conversion to Zero Emissions Vehicles

The Sierra Club Niagara Group has been working with the Buffalo Common Council on Fleet Conversion and introduced the Zero Emission Vehicle for Buffalo (ZEV4Buffalo) Ordinance to the Buffalo Common Council’s Community Development Committee in December 2024. The Council Members are generally supportive. In fact, the City of Buffalo has already purchased 2 fully electric trucks and 2 EV cars in February 2025 for the Parking Department. Converting the City Fleet would improve air quality and respiratory health, reduce noise, and save the city money. This would also be a strong contribution to the fight against climate change.  

Please show your support for this initiative by filling in the survey at the link below. The surveys go directly to the eight Common Council Members, Commissioner Marton, and Commissioner Wagner, and will encourage them to support the City of Buffalo fleet transition from gas to electric vehicles.  

 https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/National?actionId=AR0529615

Darbie Maccubbin
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