Friends, each week, on behalf of our membership, we join coalition efforts and sign on to letters to Congress and other key decision-makers on a wide range of issues that advance progress and power to the people. Normally, I post these letters on our website rather than fill your inbox with too many emails. But today, I am sharing the letter sent to Congress: No Funding for Trump’s Illegal War on Iran.

Before I share the letter below, I want to highlight an important reason this war is illegal, unwise, uncertain, and unconscionable:

“the cost of President Donald Trump’s expanding military campaign in Iran is already rivaling and could soon exceed what it would have taken to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance subsidies that recently expired.

Let that sink in. A few weeks of war equals a year of Affordable Care Act subsidies — saving lives and supporting healthier communities.

The war is estimated to cost as much as $1 billion per day, while congressional budget analyses show that extending enhanced ACA subsidies would have cost about $30 billion for one year or roughly $60 billion for two years.”1

People Power United stands in fierce opposition to the Trump administration’s decision to bomb Iran without a declaration of war, without congressional authorization, and without the consent of the American people. The Constitution is unambiguous: the power to declare war belongs to Congress — not to one man, not to a cabinet of unelected loyalists, and not to a president who has mistaken the Oval Office for a throne.

We mourn every American life placed in harm’s way, and we grieve for the innocent civilians who will bear the cost of decisions they had no voice in making. As we have said before: “In a free democracy, no president gets to unilaterally send our sons and daughters to die without answering to Congress and to the American people. The rule of law is not optional — not now, not ever.”

Here is the letter sent to Congress on behalf of our members:

Dear U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives,

We, the undersigned 251 organizations, have a range of institutional missions and mandates, but are united in seeking an end to an unconstitutional, unauthorized U.S. war. We therefore urge you to vote against any additional funding for Trump’s unconstitutional war on Iran, including the reported supplemental appropriations bill that could provide $50 billion or more for this devastating war.

By launching a war against Iran, Trump has violated the Constitution, defied international law, flouted the will of the American people, and has put millions of lives across the region at risk. A vote for President Trump’s Pentagon supplemental funding package would be a vote to commit the U.S. even further to this crisis, which has already killed seven U.S. servicemembers and nearly 2,000 people from across the region, and which endangers the lives of many more.

The Constitution assigns responsibility for authorizing war solely to Congress to ensure that the president does not unilaterally impose the costs and tradeoffs of armed conflict. Congress and the administration have slashed crucial programs as Americans experience soaring economic costs across the board. Waging a war of choice that costs an estimated $1 billion a day not only fails to address the economic squeeze and healthcare crisis facing working Americans, it also diverts federal funding that could otherwise be utilized.

The Pentagon budget already now totals more than $1 trillion, after the extra $150 billion the agency received in the tax and budget reconciliation bill. The $50 billion that the administration reportedly seeks for a new Pentagon supplemental would be enough to restore food assistance for four million Americans that was taken away in the tax and budget reconciliation bill, establish universal pre-K education, and pay for the annual construction of more than 100,000 units of housing, among other possible priorities. Congress must not allow the illegal commencement of hostilities to force a de facto decision to prioritize warmaking over other needs.

The choice before Congress is whether it will choose to prevent this unconstitutional war from dragging out and potentially escalating or enabling dangerous and deadly protracted conflict. We urge you to refuse funding for this illegal war that Congress never authorized and a majority of the American people oppose.

Tell Congress: Don’t Fund Trump’s War in Iran

No More Money for War

5 Reasons the Grassroots Resistance Movement Can’t Wait to Resist Project 2025

💥Your Power in Action: What You Can Do Today

• Make your voice heard: 🚫 Not One Dime for Trump’s War, 📋 Sign the petition: Tell Congress: Stop Trump’s Illegal War in Iran

• 🔊 Tell Congress: Block Trump’s Election Denier Pick to Lead DHS,

  👉 Power up: Reject Markwayne Mullins Confirmation, ☎️ Call your Senator at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to vote NO on Mullin for DHS

• 📢 Be the change Tell State AGs: Block the Warner-Paramount Mega-Merger

• 🎬 Speak out now: Tell Your Secretary of State: No ICE at the Polls.

• 🚨Use your voice: Stop the next Great Recession before it starts

• BONUS: 🗳️ Make your voice heard Register to vote, vote in every election, and help your community do the same. Reproductive freedom is won and lost at the ballot box.

• BONUS: 👑🚫 Drive the change Sign up for the next national No Kings Day of Action and show up in solidarity with everyone whose rights are under attack.

The movement for resisting out of control wars starts here.

People Power United: Who We Are & What We Stand For

Hatred has no home here. Not now. Not ever.

People Power United stands unwaveringly against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and every form of bigotry. That is not a disclaimer — it is our foundation. It is who we are, every single day.

We are 300,000+ strong — everyday people from every corner of this country who refuse to sit down, stay quiet, or give up on democracy. We are not funded by corporations. We are not beholden to PACs or billionaires or special interests. We are powered entirely by you — by the people who show up, speak out, and refuse to let freedom die on our watch.

People Power United is organized by Laurie Woodward Garcia — an activist who has marched, organized, and fought on the front lines, from the Free the Children March at Homestead Air Force Base to the steps of Congress. Paid with hugs and kisses.

Rise Together. Build People Power.

Democracy needs you in it — not on the sidelines.

Join us! Every day, we provide ways for you to plug in, speak out, show up, and build power at the local, state, and national levels.

Subscribe for free and stay informed, stay activated, and stay connected to a movement that advocates every day for freedom over fascism, progress, and power to the people. Or go further: upgrade to a paid subscription — not as a transaction, but as an investment in people-powered journalism and activism that answers to no one but you. Or gift a subscription to someone who believes in liberty and justice for all-not just the wealthy or powerful.

Together we rise. Subscribe for free or power up today — because freedom over fascism, progress, and power to the people isn’t a slogan. It’s our mission.

Subscribe now

People Power United stands in fierce opposition to the Trump administration’s decision to bomb Iran without a declaration of war, without congressional authorization, and without the consent of the American people. The Constitution is unambiguous: the power to declare war belongs to Congress — not to one man, not to a cabinet of unelected loyalists, and not to a president who has mistaken the Oval Office for a throne.

We mourn every American life placed in harm’s way and grieve for the innocent civilians who will bear the cost of decisions they had no voice in making. “Power to the people does not mean power to a strongman,” said Laurie Woodward Garcia, founder of People Power United. “In a free democracy, no president gets to unilaterally send our sons and daughters to die without answering to Congress and to the American people. The rule of law is not optional — not now, not ever.”

We call on every member of Congress — Republican and Democrat alike — to invoke the War Powers Resolution immediately, defund this unauthorized military action, and remember who they were elected to serve.

We will not stand silent while this administration wages an illegal war on behalf of no one but itself. We affirm our unshakeable commitment to organizing, mobilizing, and rising together until the promise of this democracy is honored in deed, not just in word. No illegal wars. No unchecked power. No exceptions. Power to the people.

People Power United: Who We Are & What We Stand For

Hatred has no home here. Not now. Not ever.

People Power United stands unwaveringly against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and every form of bigotry. That is not a disclaimer — it is our foundation. It is who we are, every single day.

We are 300,000+ strong — everyday people from every corner of this country who refuse to sit down, stay quiet, or give up on democracy. We are not funded by corporations. We are not beholden to PACs or billionaires or special interests. We are powered entirely by you — by the people who show up, speak out, and refuse to let freedom die on our watch.

People Power United is organized by Laurie Woodward Garcia — an activist who has marched, organized, and fought on the front lines, from the Free the Children March at Homestead Air Force Base to the steps of Congress. Paid with hugs and kisses.

Rise Together. Build People Power.

Democracy needs you in it — not on the sidelines.

Join us! Every day, we provide ways for you to plug in, speak out, show up, and build power at the local, state, and national levels.

Subscribe for free and stay informed, stay activated, and stay connected to a movement that advocates every day for freedom over fascism, progress, and power to the people. Or go further: upgrade to a paid subscription — not as a transaction, but as an investment in people-powered journalism and activism that answers to no one but you. Or gift a subscription to someone who believes in liberty and justice for all-not just the wealthy or powerful.

Together we rise. Subscribe for free or power up today — because freedom over fascism, progress, and power to the people isn’t a slogan. It’s our mission.

Subscribe now

Statement from People Power United Condemning Racist Post

People Power United unequivocally condemns the racist social media post shared by Donald Trump depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as primates. We will not share it but know this imagery draws on one of the oldest and most dehumanizing racist tropes in American history and has been widely denounced by civil rights leaders and lawmakers across the political spectrum.

Reports confirm the post showed the Obamas’ faces superimposed on animated primates within a conspiracy-theory video about the 2020 election—claims repeatedly rejected by courts and officials. The post sparked bipartisan outrage and was ultimately deleted by the White House after intense backlash, even as officials initially dismissed criticism as “fake outrage.”

As one leader described it, the video was “blatantly racist,” underscoring the continuing danger of rhetoric that dehumanizes Black Americans and threatens the dignity of our democracy.

People Power United stands firmly for a multiracial democracy rooted in dignity, equality, and truth. Racism—especially when amplified from the highest levels of power—harms communities, divides the nation, and undermines the very freedoms our Constitution promises to protect.

We call on all leaders, regardless of party, to reject racism in every form, demand accountability, and recommit to the values of justice and equality for all people. Silence is not neutrality; silence is complicity.

Together, we rise for dignity.
Together, we rise for democracy.
Power to the People

Take action today:

• Tell Democratic Leaders: Don’t Cave on ICE Accountability

• Stop Republicans’ New Attack on Voting Rights

• Investigate DOJ Attacks on Don Lemon & Other Journalists

• Click here to Tell your member of Congress to co-sponsor and support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

• Click here to Tell Lawmakers: Now is the time to declare racism a public health crisis

• Click here to upgrade your subscription or gift to someone you know

• Put the Minneapolis Killers on Trial

• Tell Congress: Demand Stephen Miller’s Resignation

• Join People Power United

People power expands when ordinary people step in, speak up, and demand accountability from those in power. Every day, we’re proving that the future belongs to people who refuse to be silent or sidelined.

That’s why it’s so important to join the National Day of Action for No Kings. If you’ve heard anyone say nothing is happening, know this: action is happening everywhere. Communities across the country are organizing right now—and you can too. Bring together friends, family, and coworkers to stand against fascism and to champion progress and power to the people.

The Complete Guide to the No Kings Day of Action is now available.

Thanks for taking action!

People Power United Updates

Our group is growing by leaps and bounds! Folks understand that with love in our hearts and hard work, we will reclaim our nation from cruelty, chaos, and confusion. We are having fun making impactful changes in our community! In case you missed it, this past week was busy:

• People Power United joins coalition efforts to push for free and fair elections for all eligible voters

• People Power United joins coalition efforts to push for a halt to handing blank checks to ICE

• People Power United joined an Amicus brief for an upcoming case at the Supreme Court

• People Power United members signed on to several petitions and letters to Members of Congress advocating for progress and Power to the People

• We sent out several updates and news briefs via our newsletters.

✨ Together we can inspire change!

People Power United is a grassroots group of over 300,000+ members in all 50 states-powered by people like YOU. We champion progress and power to the people.

We believe in change because we make change happen.

Here’s what makes us special:
💡 Grassroots energy: No fundraising, no constant emails asking for donations.
📢 Impact through action: We believe in the possibility of change and do the work to make it happen. We don’t just complain, we make change happen!

In this community, we will never stay silent in the face of hate or bigotry. We stand up and speak out against racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and every form of discrimination that seeks to divide and harm.

We believe:

• Everyone deserves dignity —with access to housing, healthcare, and education.

• Everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive — regardless of age, race, sex, sexual preference, preferred pronouns, religion, or employment status.

• Everyone deserves safety—clean air and water, and communities free from gun violence.

Join us to build People Power! Together, we can protect and empower those we love, champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people’s will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.

The power is in your hands. Let’s fight for freedom over fascism—because our future depends on it.

What You Can Do

• People Power United doesn’t fundraise, but your support can make all the difference. Hearts ❤️, comments🗣️, shares 📢, and follows 📌are always appreciated. Follow us on BlueSky and/or other social media

• Click here to support our efforts by becoming a paid subscriber or gifting to someone you know.

Join us to build People Power! Together, we can champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people’s will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.

Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)

Leader, People Power United

Representing America’s largest grassroots organization with over 300,000+ members, driven entirely by the energy and commitment of everyday people. We are proudly 100% independent, powered by people—not special interests.

People Power United | In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry!

People Power United is a group of community members that champions freedom over fascism, progress, and power to the people.

When you become a paid subscriber to People Power United’s newsletter, you’re investing in real, grassroots change. You’re backing a fearless community that shows up, speaks out, and organizes for justice—not for clicks, not for profit, but for people. Your support helps power the daily actions, urgent campaigns, and bold strategies that challenge the status quo and put democracy back in the hands of the many—not the wealthy few. This isn’t just a newsletter—it’s your front-row seat to the fight for progress. And your subscription? That’s your stake in a future we build together.

Subscribe now

People Power United joined other groups as a proud endorser of the Experts Protect Effective Rules, Transparency, and Stability (EXPERTS) Act. You can find more information about the EXPERTS Act in the press release below from U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA). People Power United is also a proud member of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, and their press release can be found here.

November 19,2025

Original copy can be found here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) are introducing the Experts Protect Effective Rules, Transparency, and Stability (EXPERTS) Act to re-establish public trust in the federal regulatory process by prioritizing transparency and elevating the voices of subject matter experts over those of corporations with profit-driven interests.

“Many Americans are taught in civics classes that Congress passes a law and that’s it, but the reality is that any major legislation enacted must also be implemented and enforced by the executive branch to become a reality,” said Jayapal. “We are seeing the Trump administration dismantle systems created to ensure that federal regulation prioritizes public safety. At a time when corporations and CEOs have outsized power, it is critical that we ensure that public interest is protected. This bill will level the playing field to ensure that laws passed actually work for the American people.

“Giant corporations and their armies of lobbyists shouldn’t get to manipulate how our laws are implemented,” said Senator Warren. “While Donald Trump keeps selling away influence over our government, we’re fighting to ensure the rules are being written to help working Americans, not corporate interests.”

The federal rulemaking process is how governmental agencies implement and enforce the law. Rulemaking creates essential regulations that carry out the goals of legislation addressing issues ranging from health care to workers’ rights. It requires agencies to give the public notice of proposed regulations and the opportunity to comment or provide feedback. But presently, industry-backed lobbyists hold more negotiating power in the regulatory process than the general public. They are able to schedule private meetings with regulators, fund sham scientific studies to submit with public comments, and misrepresent the negative impact of stricter regulatory oversight.

Last year, in their Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo ruling, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference doctrine that required courts to respect the expertise of federal agencies in implementing laws passed by Congress. This doctrine has led to a broad range of protections for Americans, including reducing worker exposure to hazardous substances, limiting predatory credit card fees, and promoting clean air and water. The Loper Bright ruling gives courts greater leeway to overturn expertise-based policies for the benefit of the Trump Administration and corporations.

The EXPERTS Act would:

• Codify Chevron Deference: Require courts to defer to agencies’ reasonable interpretations of their rules that Congress empowered them to issue in order to implement statutes.

• Establish Rulemaking Transparency: Require a full disclosure of who is funding the scientific, economic, and technical studies submitted to agencies during the rulemaking process, mandate a public explanation for the withdrawal of rules, and require the public disclosure of any changes made to a regulatory proposal during the rulemaking process.

• Eliminate Industry-Backed Delays to Rulemaking: Accelerate the rulemaking review process by excluding private parties from using the negotiated rulemaking process.

• Restore the Time Limit for Legal Challenges: Reinstate a 6-year time limit for legal challenges to agency actions, with the clock starting when the action is finalized.

• Empower the Public in the Rulemaking Process: Fine corporations that lie to the government about whether a public interest rule would cost their shareholders, establish an Office of the Public Advocate to serve as an advocate for public interests, and require the government to respond to citizen petitions.

“The EXPERTS Act is urgently needed to respond to the rampant deregulatory efforts happening now. The bill is a comprehensive blueprint for modernizing, improving, and strengthening the regulatory system to better protect the public. The EXPERTS Act would enhance our government’s ability to deliver results for workers, consumers, public health, and our environment. And it would increase participation so that people – not just big corporations – can weigh in on potential rules that affect them,” said Rachel Weintraub, Executive Director, Coalition for Sensible Safeguards (CSS). “For most of the last century, policy, scientific, and technical experts were in charge of writing the rules that protect American workers, consumers, families, and our environment – and it made all of us better off. Expert regulators brought us cleaner air and water, safer food and consumer products, fairer workplaces and markets, and much more. Every year going back decades, studies showed the benefits to the public of new and existing regulations outweighing the costs to industry by a factor of 10-to-1 or more. This is what trusting the experts got us, and it’s what the EXPERTS Act will restore.”

“The EXPERTS Act is the marquee legislation to improve our regulatory system,” said Lisa Gilbert, Co-President, Public Citizen and CSS Co-Chair. “The bill aims directly at the corporate capture of our rulemaking process, brings transparency to the regulatory review process and imposes a $250,000 fine on corporations that submit false information, among other things. The bill is essential law for the future of our health, safety, environment, and workers. Public Citizen urges swift passage in both chambers.”

Please send a message to your member of Congress to support and endorse the Experts Act.

House sponsors can be found here.

Senate sponsors can be found here.

***

People Power United is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Friends, today marks the final day of our series on political violence. If you missed Parts 1–4, you can catch up on them here.

People Power United’s Statement Denouncing All Forms of Political Violence

People Power United stands in fierce, unshakable opposition to all forms of political violence—no matter the target or motive. Violence is not debate. Violence is not democracy. Violence is a direct assault on the freedoms we hold sacred.

We condemn, by name, a wave of hate, terror, and assassination meant to silence communities and erode democracy:

– the Charleston church massacre (2015), where a white supremacist murdered nine Black parishioners at Mother Emanuel AME Church.

– the Planned Parenthood attack in Colorado Springs (2015), where an anti-abortion extremist killed three and injured nine.

– the Charlottesville car-ramming (2017) that murdered Heather Heyer and injured dozens.

– the antisemitic slaughter at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue (2018), the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.

– the racist massacre at the El Paso Walmart (2019), targeting Latino shoppers.

– the attempted kidnapping of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (2020) by a far-right militia.

– the armed assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, where a pro-Trump mob tried to overturn a free and fair election.

– the racist massacre at the Buffalo Tops supermarket (2022), where 10 Black shoppers were murdered.

– the hate-driven killings at a Jacksonville Dollar General (2023) targeting Black Floridians.

– the hammer assault on Paul Pelosi (2022) husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

– the tragic shootings of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and the wounding of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife (2025).

– the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber in Kenosha (2020) during a racial-justice protest by Kyle Rittenhouse

– the arson attack on Governor Josh Shapiro’s home

–the shooting of Israeli Embassy Staffers in D.C.

– the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk (2025).

– the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump (2024), a shocking act of political violence that, like all others, must be condemned without reservation.

– the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan (1981), proof that political violence spares no party or ideology.

– and the decades of deadly attacks on abortion providers, including Dr. George Tiller (2009), Dr. Barnett Slepian (1998), Dr. John Britton (1994), and Dr. David Gunn (1993).

These acts of violence do not belong to any single ideology—they are the work of hate itself.

Political violence is not limited to bullets and bombs.

We condemn President Trump's own assaults on the First Amendment:

– Barring the Associated Press from Air Force One and the Oval Office until it obeyed his chosen words, turning press access into a loyalty test.

– Signing Executive Order 14290 to defund NPR and PBS, claiming they do not provide "fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage."

– Pressuring broadcasters and threatening critics such as Jimmy Kimmel, and celebrating the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's Late Show.

– Launching massive defamation suits against outlets like The New York Times to intimidate journalists.

We also condemn President Trump’s assaults on the rule of law, using threats and the power of his office to intimidate and attack political opponents instead of working across party lines to pass laws that serve the American people.

Political violence also attacks the machinery of democracy.

Election workers are doxxed and threatened with death. Armed vigilantes stalk ballot drop boxes. False claims of "stolen elections" fuel harassment campaigns against secretaries of state and local officials. These acts are an assault on the principle that government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed.

And political violence seeks to destroy the rule of law itself.

People Power United unequivocally rejects that path.

We call on every American—of every party, belief, or background—to rise.

Political violence wants us to be silent. Our response must be action—together, and on our terms. Political violence thrives when people stay home, keep their heads down, and surrender their voices. Democracies rarely fall in one dramatic coup—they wither through millions of quiet surrenders.

Our differences must be settled at the ballot box, through the courts, and through people-powered advocacy. Progress means progress—advancing justice and equality without harming those who disagree. The Constitution provides the framework; the people give the power.

The answer is not to retreat but to get louder with organizing and fearless solidarity.

Today’s Call to Action

• Click here to Investigate Trump FCC Chair's Role in Kimmel's Suspension

• Click here to Tell ABC: Resist Censorship. Don't Let Trump Silence Kimmel

• Click here to Tell Congress: Protect our Elections from 2020 Deniers

• Click here to Tell Congress to Pass the Billionaires Income Tax

• Click here to Unequivocally Denounce All Political Violence

• Restacks and comments are appreciated!

On October 18th, we rise together. From coast to coast, millions will send one message loud and clear: No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings. This is more than a slogan—it’s a declaration of defiance and a promise to defend democracy. When Trump sends troops to silence dissent, threatens to erase our votes, or bargains away our lives for his billionaire donors, we will not be silent. We will not surrender our future. Power belongs to the people.

Find an event near you by clicking here. Don’t see your city? Check back soon—new events are added all the time. Or click here to sign up and host your own. And for anyone wondering, if your city isn’t listed yet, just keep checking or start your own event today!

Find a NO KINGS event near you

A core principle of all No Kings events is nonviolent action. Participants are expected to de-escalate conflicts, act lawfully, and never bring weapons—legal or otherwise.

Thanks for taking action!

People Power United Updates

Our group is growing by leaps and bounds! Folks understand that with love in our hearts ❤️ and hard work, we will reclaim our nation from cruelty, chaos, and confusion. In case you missed it, this past week was busy:

• In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been making updates to the website. My deepest apologies if you recently landed on a page with a broken link. We’re working hard to catch up with all the changes—thank you so much for your patience!

To meet the moment we are in, we have expanded our outreach so our members can go deeper in their advocacy on issues:

• 📢 Resist Project 2025 is dedicated to stand strong against those who seek to impose Project 2025, threaten our democracy, and strip away our rights and freedoms.

• As our communities face escalating raids, detentions, and fear, 🧊ICEbreaker News keeps watch. We shine a light on the cruelty, demand accountability, and organize to end the injustice.

• 🌎Protect Our Planet is dedicated to protecting our planet, exposing environmental injustice, and powering grassroots action for a sustainable future.

✨ Together we can inspire change!

People Power United is a grassroots group with members in all 50 states-powered by people like YOU. We champion progress and power to the people.

We believe in change because we make change happen.

Here’s what makes us special:
💡 Grassroots energy: No fundraising, no constant emails asking for donations.
📢 Impact through action: We believe in the possibility of change and do the work to make it happen. We don’t just complain, we make change happen!

In this community, we will never stay silent in the face of hate or bigotry. We stand up and speak out against racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and every form of discrimination that seeks to divide and harm.

We believe:

• Everyone deserves dignity —with access to housing, healthcare, and education.

• Everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive — regardless of age, race, sex, sexual preference, preferred pronouns, religion, or employment status.

• Everyone deserves safety—clean air and water, and communities free from gun violence.

The power is in your hands. Let’s champion freedom over fascism—because our future depends on it.

FYI

Please note that when People Power United uses the word “fight” in writing, online, or in speech, we mean to advocate fiercely, never to incite or support violence. We do not condone violence in any form, nor do we promote breaking the law.

Our work is rooted in peaceful advocacy through exercising our constitutional rights: voting, free speech, peaceful assembly, rallies, protests, and acts of civil disobedience. We use these tools to defend our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and our democracy. And together, we will win.

Join us to build People Power! Together, we can champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people's will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.

Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests), People Power United

People Power United is a group of community members that champions progress and power for the people.

People Power United is community-powered, heart-driven, and people-led. You make that possible.

🔥 Join us on the front lines:
➡️ Speak Out – Check out our latest calls to action
➡️ Show Up – Find events near you
➡️ Join People Power United – Join the grassroots movement for progress and power to the people.

We are powered by people. Not billionaires. Not PACs. Just us.

When you become a paid subscriber to People Power United’s newsletter, you’re investing in real, grassroots change. You’re backing a fearless community that shows up, speaks out, and organizes for justice—not for clicks, not for profit, but for people. Your support helps power the daily actions, urgent campaigns, and bold strategies that challenge the status quo and put democracy back in the hands of the many—not the wealthy few. This isn’t just a newsletter—it’s your front-row seat to the champion progress and power to the people. And your subscription? It’s your stake in the future we build together.

Subscribe now

People Power United stands in fierce opposition to the Supreme Court’s decision to allow racial profiling in our communities. This ruling is not justice—it is an open invitation to terrorize our immigrant brothers and sisters, neighbors, coworkers, and friends who call America home.

When masked agents are empowered to stop, harass, and detain people based on nothing more than the color of their skin or the language they speak—often without warrants—our Constitution is shredded in real time. There is no “liberty and justice for all” under a Court that compromises its own legitimacy by giving a green light to racial profiling and state-sponsored fear.

America is not a land where families should live in daily terror of government agents. America is a land where every person—regardless of race, heritage, or immigration status—deserves dignity, safety, and equal protection under the law.

We will not stand silent while hardworking, peaceful people are scapegoated and criminalized for political gain. We denounce this dangerous ruling and affirm our commitment to organizing, mobilizing, and rising together to ensure that the promise of liberty and justice is real for all people—not just the privileged few.

No profiling. No terror. No exceptions. Power to the people.

Together, we can champion progress, protect our rights and freedoms, and hold our leaders accountable to the people’s will. By speaking out, showing up, and building power, we’ll defend democracy, uphold the rule of law, and inspire voters to take meaningful action—so that everyone in our community can thrive.

Join us to build People Power! Together, we can champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people's will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.

Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests), People Power United

People Power United is a group of community members that champions progress and power for the people.

Other Ways to Plug Into Our Work

People Power United is community-powered, heart-driven, and people-led. You make that possible.

🔥 Join us on the front lines:
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People Power United joined coalition efforts to Congress to eliminate the Hyde Amendment during the appropriations process. Shout out to All* Above All for leading this effort.

July 30, 2025

Dear Chairs Collins and Cole, Vice Chair Murray, and Ranking Member DeLauro:

As organizations committed to ensuring all people can access reproductive health care, including abortion, however much money they make, no matter where they’re from, or whatever their race or gender, we believe that each of us should be able to make decisions about pregnancy and parenting that are best for our families without political interference. However, policymakers have enacted bans on insurance coverage of abortion that push this decision out of reach for many, particularly those working to make ends meet. To this end, we urge you to put forth appropriations legislation for Fiscal Year 2026 that does not include bans or restrictions on insurance coverage for abortion.

Since the first passage of the Hyde Amendment in 1976, the appropriations process has been used as a vehicle to systematically deny insurance coverage of abortion. Studies show that when policymakers place restrictions on Medicaid coverage of abortion, it forces one in four poor women to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term.¹Additionally, a woman who seeks an abortion, but is denied, is more likely to fall into poverty than one who is able to get an abortion.²

Since the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization erroneously held that there is no constitutional right to abortion, 19 states have outright banned the procedure or imposed a ban at an arbitrary point in pregnancy. More than 25 million women aged 15-44 live in states where there are more restrictions imposed than prior to the Dobbs decision. This is nearly 1 in 5 women.³ As of 2024, 35% or 5.5 million women aged 15-49 who are enrolled in

This is a crucial moment for Black, Indigenous, and people of color, for women, LGBTQI folks, immigrants, and young people. As the Medicaid program faces deep cuts and reproductive health clinics across the country face potential closures due to the recent passage of H.R. 1,⁵these individuals are the most harmed by the Hyde Amendment and other coverage bans. We are fighting for a future in which abortion is affordable, available, and supported for anyone who seeks care — without barriers based on who you are, where you are from, or how much you earn. We are reimagining a world in which each of us makes a living wage and everyone has access to the full-spectrum of reproductive health care, including abortion.

We urge you, as leaders of the Appropriations Committees, to draft and pass federal spending bills that end the shameful legacy of the Hyde Amendment and related abortion coverage restrictions. Now is the time to take action for people working to make ends meet and stop the relentless attacks on abortion coverage.

We ask that FY 2026 appropriations legislation be free of abortion coverage restrictions, including those that impact the following populations: (i) Medicaid, Medicare, and Children’s Health Insurance Program beneficiaries; (ii) federal employees and their dependents; (iii) Peace Corps volunteers; (iv) Native American people (iv) women in federal prisons and detention centers, including those detained for immigration purposes; and (v) low-income people in the District of Columbia through the use of local funds. This includes the Weldon Amendment, which has been attached to Hyde and used to threaten states that seek to ensure abortion coverage. Additionally, we urge you to reject any efforts to add new policy riders that seek to undermine access to health care.

Each of us should be able to make decisions about our health and our futures with dignity and have control over our own economic security. Yet these policies have harmed our families, our communities, and our health for far too long. We implore the 119th Congress to lift abortion coverage bans and end the Hyde Amendment.

Sincerely,

Abortion Forward

ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE

Advocates for Youth

AIDS United

All* Above All

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

American Atheists

American Humanist Association

Arkansas Black Gay Mens Forum

Black Women's Health Imperative

Center for Biological Diversity

Clearinghouse on Women's Issues

Community Catalyst

Doctors for America

End Rape On Campus

Equal Rights Advocates

Feminist Majority Foundation

Guttmacher Institute

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America Ibis Reproductive Health

Institute for Women's Policy Research

International Center for Research on Women

Ipas US

League of Women Voters of the United States

Legal Momentum, the Women's Legal Defense & Education Fund me too. International

NAPAWF

National Abortion Federation

National Council of Jewish Women

National Network of Abortion Funds

National Organization for Women

National Organization for Women

National Partnership Women & Families

National Women's Law Center Action Fund

Partners in Abortion Care

People Power United

Physicians for Reproductive Health

Planned Parenthood Federation of America Positive Women's Network-USA

Power to Decide

Public Justice Center

Reproductive Freedom for All

SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change

SiX Action

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Supermajority

True North Research

UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health

URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity

Women's March

¹ Henshaw SK et al., Restrictions on Medicaid Funding for Abortions: A Literature Review, Guttmacher Institute, 2009. https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/pubs/MedicaidLitReview.pdf

² Foster, D. G. (2020). The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having--or Being Denied--an Abortion. Scribner.

³ Santhanam, L. (2023, June 24). A year after fall of Roe v. Wade, 25 million women live in states with abortion bans or restrictions. PBS NewsHour.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/a-year-after-fall-of-roe-v-wade-25-million-women-live-in-states-with-abortio n-bans-or-restrictions

Medicaid live in states where abortion is legal but not covered by the program except in Hyde-allowable circumstances.⁴

⁴ Kaiser Family Foundation. (2023). Medicaid coverage for women.

https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/medicaid-coverage-for-women/

⁵ Planned Parenthood. (2025, July 4). Planned Parenthood defunded—but we’re still here. Planned Parenthood. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/blog/planned-parenthood-defunded-but-were-still-here

***

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People Power United joins coalition to Urge Senators to Oppose Means’ Nomination. Shout out to Public Citizen for leading this effort. Here is the letter sent on behalf of our membership.

July 25, 2025

Dear Senator,

The undersigned organizations urge you to vote against confirming Dr. Casey Means as Surgeon General. Means is not a serious nominee and is wholly unqualified to serve as a lead U.S. public health official.

Means does not have an active medical license and dropped out of her surgical residency before completing it. She states that it was after leaving traditional medical practice that she began to “understand the real reasons why people get sick” and properly treat them. Colleagues from her residency have criticized her for wrongly perpetuating the idea that modern medicine is a conspiracy to keep people sick.

Indeed, in her blog posts and interviews as a wellness influencer, Means has expressed misinformed and conspiratorial thinking on matters of public health. She has called birth control pills a “disrespect of life.” She has declined to distance herself from anti-vaccine positions espoused by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., refused to say if she thinks vaccines are effective, and has even expressed skepticism about the hepatitis B vaccination for babies. She wrote, “There is growing evidence that the total burden of the current extreme and growing vaccine schedule is causing health declines in vulnerable children.”

Means also has potential conflicts of interest. She founded and is the chief medical officer of Levels, a membership-based continuous glucose monitoring technology company. If she does not step down from this role and divest from the company, she will likely be engaging directly on matters as Surgeon General from which she stands to personally profit.

The Surgeon General of the United States has two fundamental responsibilities. One is to lead the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS) – over 6,000 civil servants dedicated to improving public health in the United States. Many of these civil servants are subject matter experts who have already been wrongfully terminated by the Trump Administration and by directives from Secretary Kennedy. Means may have experience as an influencer, but she has little to no managerial experience in the context of government agencies or scientific research. This lack of experience means she may be out of her depth leading a critical agency in these uncertain times.

Second, the Surgeon General plays a critical role as the nation’s chief health communicator. That role requires the Surgeon General to educate the American public about the best available science and, when needed, to issue authoritative public health advisories. They should not be merely promoting their personal beliefs or making decisions based on anything but scientific evidence. The range of unscientific ideas, wellness products and conspiratorial claims that Means is associated with makes her a less than ideal candidate to serve in a role that requires being a credible health communicator for the country and upholding sound science.

These are seriously disqualifying characteristics for the Surgeon General of the US and the Trump administration should immediately rescind Means’ nomination for this position. If they do not, and her confirmation proceeds to the Senate floor, senators must vote no.

Sincerely,

AFL-CIO
AIDS Foundation Chicago
Americans for Democratic Action Southern California
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Balanced
Beta Cell Action
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Community Catalyst
Consilium Scientific
Defend Public Health
Doctors for America
Healthy Schools Campaign
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health
Labor Campaign for Single Payer
MomsRising
National Consumers League
National Council of Jewish Women
National Nurses United
National Women’s Law Center
People Power United
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA)
Progressive Democrats of America, Maryland
Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)
Public Citizen
Rise Up WV
SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change
T1International
The Insulin Initiative
Unity Fellowship of Christ Church-NYC
VOCAL-NY
Voices of Health Care Action

***

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People Power United joins coalition efforts to urge Congress to defend the National Education Association’s Right to Advocate. Shout out to The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for leading this effort.

📄 Here is a copy of the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

July 22, 2025

Dear Member of Congress:

Whether we’re from cities, suburbs, or rural communities, we all depend on public schools and the educators in these schools who support our children and their learning. Teachers, parents, and students rely on nonprofits, including unions, as vehicles to express their views, petition the government, and advocate for their families. Every community benefits when educators can advocate for strong public schools, when our children have access to the resources they need to learn and thrive, and when civil society can serve as a check on power.

Yet recent actions from Congress and the administration have been devastating for students, parents, and teachers. Instead of fixing the problem, some in Congress are attempting to destroy one of the leading organizations advocating for public education, for good jobs, and for children — the National Education Association (NEA). This is part of a broader assault on any independent voice that may oppose the actions of this administration — including law firms, media, universities, nonprofits, charities, and labor unions — by stripping federal funding, launching investigations, and threatening tax-exempt status.

Attacks on educators and their union, including the authoritarian attacks we’re seeing from the Trump administration’s efforts to destroy public education, will only serve to hurt students across this country. The administration is working to tear down those who push back brick-by-brick. Today, they are focused on the NEA. Who will it be tomorrow?

The administration and their allies in Congress have a track record of targeting unions and advocates in an attempt to silence our collective voices. If we let that happen, the children in our communities will suffer. We all must unite together against attacks on our schools, on our children, and on the free exchange of ideas.

When the government uses its power to punish organizations for their advocacy, it attacks freedom of speech and freedom of association, threatening any person or group who wishes to educate the public and make demands of elected leaders.

The NEA represents more than 3 million educators in more than 14,000 communities across every state in America. These are the teachers who help your child learn to read, the counselors who support struggling students, and the support staff who keep schools running safely. When you attack their right to advocate for students, educators, and public education, you are attacking the voices of millions of working families who depend on strong public schools.

This assault doesn’t start or stop with the NEA. It impacts any organization that challenges the administration’s agenda of concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few while dismantling the public institutions that serve everyone. While the NEA fights for smaller class sizes, adequate school funding, and support for teachers, this administration has:

• Withheld $6.9 billion in federal education funding that pays for reading specialists, mental health counselors, and support for English learners

• Systematically dismantled the Department of Education, eliminating programs that help recruit teachers to high-need schools

• Shuttered civil rights enforcement offices that protect students from discrimination and ensure schools serve all children of all races, religions, backgrounds, and abilities

• Attacked collective bargaining rights that help ensure quality educators can afford to stay in the profession and serve students long term

For these reasons, we call on Congress to reject government retaliation against advocacy groups and oppose efforts to silence organizations advocating for the people they serve. This protects the constitutional principles that guarantee all Americans’ right to organize, advocate, and petition the government.

The American people deserve a government that serves all of us, not one that silences those who dare to speak up. We urge you to join us in defending these fundamental principles. If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact Kanya Bennett, managing director of government affairs at The Leadership Conference, at Bennett@civilrights.org.

Sincerely,

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
A. Philip Randolph Institute
Action Center on Race and the Economy
Advancement Project
The Advocacy Institute
The Advocates for Human Rights
AFL-CIO
African American Policy Forum
AFT | Education, Healthcare, Public Services
Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice
Alliance for Justice
Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools
American Association of University Professors
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Atheists
American Civil Liberties Union
American Constitution Society
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers
American Friends Service Committee
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
American Pride Rises
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
Americans for Financial Reform
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Amnesty International USA
Arab American Institute
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Black Youth Vote
Branch4
BWI Global Union
Care in Action
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Center for Law and Social Policy
The Chamberlain Network
Child Labor Coalition
Choose Democracy
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
Color Of Change
Common Cause
CommonDefense.us
Community Change Action
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
Economic Policy Institute
EdTrust
Education Law Center
End Citizens United
Equal Rights Advocates
Fair Count Inc
Fair Share America
Faithful America
Family Values @ Work
Family Values @ Work Action
Feminist Majority Foundation
First Focus Campaign for Children
For Our Future
Freedom From Religion Foundation
Higher Ed Labor United
Hispanic Federation
HREA
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights First
In the Public Interest
Indivisible
Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)
International Union of Painters & Allied Trades
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Jewish Labor Committee
Just Solutions
Kids Can’t Wait
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
League of Conservation Voters
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
League of Women Voters of the United States
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund)
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Mi Familia Vota
Mi Vecino
MoveOn
Muslim Advocates
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
National Action Network
National Action Network LV
National African American Clergy Network
National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement (NAFSCE)
National Association of Social Workers
National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI)
National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest)
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
National Consumers League
The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Education Association Retirees Organization (NEARO)
National Employment Law Project
National Immigration Law Center
National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for New Americans
National Partnership for Women & Families
National PLACE
National Women’s Law Center
NBJC
NCNW
NEA Arab American Caucus
NEA Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus
NEA Aspiring Educators
NEA Black Caucus
NEA Hispanic Caucus
Network for Public Education Action
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
The Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), AFL-CIO
Our Schools USA
Parent Coalition for Student Privacy
Partnership for the Future of Learning
Pastors for Children
People For the American Way
People Power United
People’s Action Institute
Poder Latinx
Popular Democracy
Pride At Work, AFL-CIO
Public Citizen
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Reproductive Freedom for All
SAGE
Saphron Initiative
Secure Elections Network
SEIU
The Sikh Coalition
Sisters Lead Sisters Vote
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
SPAN Parent Advocacy Network
Stand Up America
State Voices
Stop AAPI Hate
Sunrise Movement
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
UnidosUS
UnidosUS Action Fund
Unite Here
United Auto Workers (UAW)
United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE)
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Vladimir & Araxia Buckhantz Foundation
Voices for Progress
Voto Latino
Western States Center
Win With Black Women
The Workers Circle
Working America
Working Families Party
WorkLife Law
Young Democratic Socialists of America

STATE, LOCAL, AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

ALASKA
Alaska Nurses Association

ARIZONA
Arizona AFL-CIO
Arizona American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees
Arizona Center for Women’s Advancement
Arizona Education Association
Arizona Justice Alliance
Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind Education Association
Arizona Students’ Association
Balsz Education Association
Chandler Education Association
Chino Valley Education Association
Chispa Arizona
Deer Valley Education Association
Educational Support Professionals of Chandler
Flowing Wells Education Association
Fuerte Arts Movement
Gilbert Education Association
Glendale Education Association
Higley Education Association
Isaac District Education Association
LUCHA
Marana Education Association
National Council of Jewish Women Arizona
One Arizona
Opportunity Arizona
Peoria Education Association
Phoenix Elementary ESPA
Pima Community College Education Association
Progress Arizona
Save Our Schools Arizona
Secular AZ
Sunnyside Education Association
Tempe Secondary Education Association
Tolleson Union Education Association
UFCW Local 99

ARKANSAS
Arkansas Citizens First Congress
Arkansas Education Association
Arkansas Public Policy Panel

CALIFORNIA
California Faculty Association (CFA)
CSU-AAUP
CSUEU
Equality California
Evolve California
Old Adobe Teachers Association
Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco
Turlock Teachers Association
Workers United, Western States Regional Joint Board

COLORADO
Black Parent Network
Colorado Education Association
PEAK Parent Center

CONNECTICUT
4Cs SEIU 1973
Connecticut Education Association
Connecticut For All
CT Association of School Librarians (CASL)
New Haven Federation of Teachers Local 933
SEIU 1199NE

DELAWARE
Delaware State Education Association Aspiring Educators

FLORIDA
Alachua County Education Association
American Association of University Women of Florida
Brevard Federation of Teachers
Broward Teachers Union
Citizens for Truth and Justice in Education
Collier County Education Association
Communications Workers of America Local 3102
Desoto County Educators Association
Duval Teachers United
The Education Association of St. Lucie
Escambia Education Association
Families for Strong Public Schools
Florida Council of Churches
Florida Education Association
Florida State University Chapter of United Faculty of Florida-Graduate Assistants United
Gadsden Educational Staff Professional Association
Hendry Educational Support Personnel Association
Hernando Classroom Teachers’ Association
Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association
Hillsborough School Employees Federation
Husw4730
IBEW Local 756
Jacksonville Chapter of the National Organization for Women
Levy County Education Association
Manatee Education Association
Marion Education Association
Marion Educational Support Professional
Martin County Education Association
Nassau Educational Support Personnel Association
Nassau Teachers’ Association
NC-UFF
Orange County Classroom Teachers Association
Pastors For Florida Children
PCTA
Pinellas Educational Support Professionals Association
Pinellas Parents Advocating for Public Schools
Putnam Federation of Teachers/United
Santa Rosa Education Association
SEIU Florida State Council
Seminole Education Association
St Johns Education Association
St Lucie County TIGER PAC
State Voices Florida
Sumter County Education Association
Support Our Schools
Support Personnel Association of Lee County
UA Plumbers 295
UFF-UCF
UFF-FAU
UFF-FGCU
UFF-SPC
Union of Escambia Education Staff Professionals
United Faculty of Florida
United Faculty of Florida – Florida International University
United Faculty of Florida – USF Chapter
United Faculty of Florida – University of Florida
United Faculty of Miami Dade College
University of Florida Graduate Assistants United
University of South Florida Graduate Assistants United
Volusia United Educators
Volusia/Flagler CLC, AFL-CIO
Voters for Strong Public Schools
Walton County Education Association (FL)

GEORGIA
CWA District 3
Fair Fight Action
Georgia Association of Educators

HAWAI’I
Hawai’i State Teachers Association
University of Hawaii Professional Assembly

ILLINOIS
Bloomington Education Association
CFT – A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals
Chicago Jewish Labor Committee
Chicago Teachers Union
Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Education Association
Illinois Education Association Aspiring Educators
Illinois Families for Public Schools
Illinois Federation of Teachers
Network 49

INDIANA
CHMT Chapter of Indiana State Teachers Association, Inc.
Crawfordsville Education Association
Evansville Teachers Association
Fort Wayne Education Association
Indiana State Teachers Association
Indianapolis Education Association (IEA)
Jay Classroom Teachers Association, Portland, IN
Logansport Education Association
Madison Teachers’ Association
Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education
Pastors for Indiana Children
Pike County Teachers Association
Spencer-Owen Education Association

IOWA
Iowa State Education Association
Iowans for Public Education

KANSAS
Families Together, Inc.
Game On for Kansas Schools
Kansas NEA
Lawrence Education Association

KENTUCKY
Kentucky Education Association Aspiring Educators

LOUISIANA
East Baton Rouge Parish Association of Educators
Louisiana Association of Educators
St. Landry Association of Educators

MAINE
Androscoggin Retired Educators Association
Bangor Education Association
Educators for a Multilingual Maine
Maine Education Association
Maine People’s Alliance
MSEA SEIU Local 1989

MARYLAND
Maryland State Education Association (MSEA)
Public Justice Center
SEIU Local 500
The Parents’ Place of MD

MASSACHUSETTS
AFT Massachusetts
Malden Education Association
Massachusetts Action for Justice
North Attleboro Federation of Teachers

MICHIGAN
Aspiring Educators of Michigan
Aspiring Educators of Michigan State
Local 223 UWUA AFL-CIO
MEA-NEA Local 1
Michigan League for Public Policy
Support Forest Hills Public Schools

MINNESOTA
Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers #1 MN/ND/SD
AFSCME 65
Education Minnesota
Minnesota AFL-CIO
Minnesota Alliance for Retired Americans
Minnesota Nurses Association
Minnesota State Retiree Council, AFL-CIO
SEIU Local 284
St. Paul Regional Labor Federation Retiree Council
UA Local 15 Minneapolis and St. Cloud MN
UFCW Local 663
Unite Here Local 17
Workers Confluence
West Red River Valley ALC Minnesota, North Dakota AFL CIO

MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi Association of Educators
Parents for Public Schools of Greenwood & Leflore County, Inc

MISSOURI
Missouri National Education Association Aspiring Educators
Missouri NEA

MONTANA
Big Sky 55+
Catalyst MT
Montana AFL-CIO
Montana Budget & Policy Center
Montana Federation of Public Employees
Montana Nurses Association
Montana Public Interest Research Group
Montanans Organized for Education

NEVADA
Battle Born Progress
Native Voters Alliance Nevada
Nevada Chapter of the National Organization of Women
New Day Nevada
One APIA Nevada
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
Silver State Equality
UNITE HERE Culinary Workers Union, Local 226

NEW HAMPSHIRE
American Friends Service Committee-New Hampshire Program
New Hampshire Conference United Church of Christ Economic Justice Ministry
New Hampshire Faith & Labor Alliance
New Hampshire Voices of Faith
Occupy NH Seacoast

NEW JERSEY
AFT New Jersey
Hudson County Central Labor Council, Retirees Comm.
New Jersey Jewish Labor Committee
NJ21United
Save Our Schools New Jersey

NEW MEXICO
AFT New Mexico

NEW YORK STATE
Class Size Matters
New York State United Teachers
NYS Public Employees Federation
NYSUT Retiree Council 22
Rochester Coalition for Public Education
Sun River Health
United Hebrew Trades – New York Jewish Labor Committee
United University Professions/AFT 2190
Win With Black Women New York

NORTH CAROLINA
FIRST
North Carolina Justice Center

OHIO
OHIO – Public Education Partners
Ohio Education Association- Aspiring Educators
Ohio Federation of Teachers
Westlake Teachers Association

OKLAHOMA
AFT Oklahoma
Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition

OREGON
Community and Parents for Public Schools Portland Chapter
Oregon Education Association Aspiring Educators
SEIU Local 49

PENNSYLVANIA
AFT Pennsylvania
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers

RHODE ISLAND
AFSCME Rhode Island Retirees Chapter 94
FUERZA LABORAL
IBEW 2323
Rhode Island AFL-CIO
RI Employment Security Alliance Local 401 SEIU
RI Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals

SOUTH CAROLINA
The South Carolina Education Association

TENNESSEE
Tennessee BATs

TEXAS
Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative
Texas Kids Can’t Wait
Texas State Teachers Association-Aspiring Educators

VIRGIN ISLANDS
St. Thomas/St. John Federation of Teachers

VIRGINIA
Shenandoah University SVEA AE

WASHINGTON STATE
Bethel Education Association
Clover Park Education Association
Franklin Pierce Education Association
PAVE
Soundview Uniserv Council
United School Employees of Pasco
Washington District Education Association
UFCW 3000

WISCONSIN
A Better Wisconsin Together
Aspiring Educators of Wisconsin
Aspiring Educators UW-Madison
Citizen Action of Wisconsin
Schools & Communities United, Milwaukee-WI
WI Working Families Party
Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools
Wisconsin Education Association Council
Wisconsin Public Education Network

GLOBAL

ACT Philippines
AIFTO
AIPTF
All Ceylon Union of Teachers
Armenian Constitutional Right – Protective Centre NGO
Asociación de docentes de la Universidad de la República (Uruguay)
Australian Education Union
Bahrain Teachers’ Association (BTA)
Canadian Teachers’ Federation
CNTE – Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores em Educação do Brasil
CONADU
Confederación de Educadores Argentinos-CEA
CTERA
Education International Asia Pacific Region
EI
FECCOO
Federação Nacional dos Professores (FENPROF)
FENAPES
FGESRS
German Education Union (GEW)
GUPT
Himachal pradesh school lecturer association (HPSLA) Affiliated to All india federation of teachers organisation(AIFTO)
International Trade Union Confederation
KPSTA ( affiliated to AIPTF)
Kurdistan Teachers Union – Iraq
NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union
National Education Union (United Kingdom)
National Teacher’s Association, NTA Taiwan
Nepal Teachers Association, NTA
NUTP
Organización de Trabajadores de la Educación Auténtica
OTEP AUTENTICA SINDICATO NACIONAL
PPSTLL
Queensland Teachers’ Union
Secretaria General de CTERA
Sindicato de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores de la Educación Costarricense SEC
SindProifes
SNE/CDT MAROC
SNESUP Maroc
South African Democratic Teachers Union
Sutep
Syndicat national de l’enseignement membre de la fédération démocratique du travail
Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine
UEPC/CTERA
UNE
UNE-SN
Unión de trabajadores de la educación – U.TR.E
USLTS
UTE CTERA
UTELPa La Pampa Argentina***

***

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People Power United joins coalition efforts to oppose cuts to NOAA. Shout out to American Rivers Action Fund for leading this effort.

📄 Here is a copy of the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

July 23, 2025

RE: Oppose Proposed NOAA Cuts

Dear Chair Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro, Chair Rogers, Ranking Member Meng, and Distinguished Members of the House Committee on Appropriations:

On behalf of our millions of supporters, members, and volunteers, we write to urge you to oppose proposed cuts to programs within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As you prepare to finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we strongly support full funding for essential operations, research, and initiatives including NOAA’s Habitat Conservation and Restoration line, the Community-Based Restoration Program, the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, the Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants, and the National Sea Grant College Program. We offer additional comments below on funding for specific activities to minimize the risks of sidelining key NOAA partnerships and economic contributions.

Habitat Conservation and Restoration: The Office of Habitat Conservation, under this activity, is responsible for promoting thriving economies and ecosystems. Dedicated funding is needed to support coastal development while balancing conservation objectives such as restoring fish habitat for salmon and river herring as well as improving fish passage at hydropower facilities. With the number of hydropower facilities facing relicensing being set to double by 2030¹, Congress must ensure efficient and predictable permitting timelines prevent disruptions to energy services. Any attempt to eviscerate these essential activities would have devastating effects on fisheries and the energy sector.²

Community Based Restoration Program: Coastal economies depend on healthy habitats to rebuild sustainable fisheries. Congress needs to ensure NOAA prioritizes the three Rs approach: retrofits, rehabilitation, and removal (where necessary) to modify many outdated dams, levees, weirs, and other flood control infrastructure in a state of disrepair and decommission them when no longer in use or serving an intended purpose. Since its start in 1996, this program has contributed well over $600 million to more than 2,800 restoration projects. These projects have reconnected more than 130,000 acres of habitat and opened more than 6,100 stream miles for fish migration. The program ensures sportfishing industry contributions continue to grow which now generate more than $230.5 billion annually for the U.S. economy.³ Anglers across America count on these critical NOAA services focused on resilience.

National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund: Coastal states and territories are at a considerable risk of experiencing property damage, loss of life, and infrastructure failure due to flooding. Funding from this activity supports innovative natural infrastructure projects to help local governments prepare for and respond to a variety of extreme weather events. A recent study by Joint Economic Committee estimates flooding costs the U.S. between $179.8 billion and $496 billion each year.⁴ Congress must do more to strengthen state-federal partnerships and help communities and businesses, go beyond being “storm ready” by responding to new threats to vulnerable infrastructure. To accelerate resilience projects outside installations and ranges, the partnership with the Department of Defense proves more vital than ever – promoting conservation while enhancing realistic training conditions to increase military readiness.⁵

Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund: Once home to the world’s largest salmon runs, the Columbia River Basin today hosts only a fraction of its historic populations. Since 2000, the PCSRF has awarded nearly $80 million on average every year to 16,000 state and tribal salmon recovery projects – targeting local economies reliant on Pacific anadromous salmonids (i.e., Chinook, coho, chum, sockeye, pink salmon, and steelhead). Projects include instream habitat, fish passage, and hatchery fish enhancement. The importance of NOAA funding for the West Coast salmon cannot be overstated. Tribes leverage funding to increase capacity for the development and implementation of restoration efforts – enabling salmon to reach spawning grounds with success.

Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants: Federal, state, Tribal, and nonprofit partners have made important strides restoring habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon. Despite this progress, thousands of miles of rivers and streams across the Northeast remain fragmented by outdated dams and culverts. Many also require habitat restoration due to historic land use. On-the-ground work remains essential to prevent extinction of the Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon population, the last wild population in the U.S. Congress should restore dedicated funding for the restoration grants and staff capacity critical to species recovery and healthy river systems.

National Sea Grant College Program: Across the country, Sea Grant plays a key role in sustaining working waterfronts, preparing for extreme weather, and fostering sustainable aquaculture. But its impact is truly national—supporting thousands of jobs, students, and projects from Alaska to Florida. All 33 state-based programs would severely impact coastal resilience, marine research, aquaculture development, and workforce training nationwide. Sea Grant is a trusted partner to communities, universities, and industry, supporting science-based solutions for fisheries, habitat restoration, and climate adaptation. Congress has rightly recognized the value of Sea Grant in the past and has the opportunity to do so again to ensure its continued success.

NOAA touches the lives of every day Americans and affects every cornerstone of our economy. Its mission is vast, yet an important one that cannot be taken for granted. We are increasingly concerned that the agency’s institutional knowledge, staff capacity, and resources remain constrained with the recent layoff announcements. We implore you to reject any current or proposed plans to reduce NOAA’s federal workforce, which appear aimed at privatizing essential functions rather than at strengthening the agency’s ability to serve the American people effectively.

We respectfully request that your committee support these vital programs and appreciate your consideration of these recommendations as you finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

Sincerely,

198 methods

350.org

A2/Anthropocene Alliance

Alabama Rivers Alliance

Alaska Wilderness League

American Bird Conservancy

American Coastal Coalition

American Friends Service Committee

American Rivers Action Fund

American Whitewater

Association of State Floodplain Managers Azul

BlueGreen Generation

Born Free USA

Cacapon Institute

California Coastal Protection Network

California Coastkeeper Alliance

California Sportfishing Protection Alliance

Californians for Western Wilderness

Campaign for Environmental Literacy

Cape Fear River Watch

Carnegie Mellon University

CREATE Lab

Carolina Wetlands Association

Catawba Riverkeeper

Center for Biological Diversity

Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund

Climate + Energy Project

Climate Justice Alliance

Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life

Coastal Carolina Riverwatch

Coastal Plains Institute

Columbia Snake River Campaign

Concerned Health Professionals of Pennsylvania

Coosa River Basin Initiative

Creation Justice Ministries

Earth Ethics, Inc.

EarthEcho International

Endangered Habitats League

Endangered Species Coalition

Environmental Defenders of McHenry County

Environmental Defense Center

Environmental Protection Information Center Fish On

Float Fishermen of Virginia

FoCo Trash Mob

FOUR PAWS USA

Friends Of Blackwater, Inc.

Friends of Merrymeeting Bay

Friends of the River

Friends of the Rivers of Virginia

Futureswell

Georgia Aquatic Connectivity Team (GA ACT)

Georgia Interfaith Power and Light

Great Old Broads for Wilderness

Green Sanctuary Committee

First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta

GreenLatinos

Gulf Reach Institute

Hawaii Fishing & Boating Association

Healthy Ocean Coalition

Heartwood

Hydropower Reform Coalition

Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)

International Marine

Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute

Kettle Range Conservation Group Kids for Saving Earth

Kris Bass Engineering

L9 Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development

Lake Hartwell Partners for Clean Water Levees.org

Los Angeles Audubon Society

Los Angeles Audubon Society

Low Impact Hydropower Institute

lowernine.org

Maine Audubon

Mountain Lion Foundation

MountainTrue

Move Past Plastic (MPP)

Natel Energy

National Federation of Federal Employees

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

New Hampshire Audubon

New Hampshire Audubon

New Mexico & El Paso Interfaith Power and Light

New Mexico Wildlife Federation

Next 100 Coalition

North Clackamas Watersheds Council

Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project

NW Guides and Anglers Association Ocean Conservation Research

Ocean Defense Initiative

Oceana

OneUpAction International

ORLEANS AUDUBON SOCIETY

Parymon Corp

People Power United

Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania

Pilchuck Audubon Society (WA State)

Plastic Pollution Coalition

Potomac Valley Audubon Society

Prairie Hills Audubon Society (of Western S.D.)

Predator Defense

Project Eleven Hundred

Public Citizen

QUEER SURF

Rachel Carson Council

Repair the Sea - Tikkun HaYam

Resource Renewal Institute

Riverkeeper

Rivers Without Borders

Rockbridge Conservation

Rogue River Watershed Council Salted Roots

Save Our Shores

Save Our Sky Blue Waters

Save Our wild Salmon Coalition Science for Georgia

Sea Turtle Conservancy

Society for Conservation Biology North America

South Yuba River Citizens League

Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives

Species Unite

Surfrider Foundation

Sustainable Conservation

Sustainable Ocean Alliance

The CLEO Institute

The International Wildlife Coexistence Network

The Last Plastic Straw

The Ocean Project

The Urban Wildlands Group

Together for Brothers

Tuleyome

Tuolumne River Trust

Turtle Island Restoration Network

U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice

United Church of Christ

VIISION, Inc.

Western Watersheds Project

Wetlands Watch

WILDCOAST

WildEarth Guardians

Womxn From The Mountain World Ocean Day

Wyoming Untrapped

Yaak Valley Forest Council

¹ Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (n.d.). Impacts on hydropower licensing timelines in the U.S. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.ornl.gov/project/impacts-hydropower-licensing-timelines-us ² National Fisherman. (2025, February 24). NOAA Fisheries facing budget cuts, restrictions. National Fisherman. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.nationalfisherman.com/noaa-fisheries-facing-budget-cuts-restrictions

³ American Sportfishing Association. (2025, March 12). New report highlights sportfishing industry’s expanding economic impact. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.asafishing.org/industry/sportfishing-economic-impact/

⁴ U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. (2024, June). Report on economic cost of flooding (update) [PDF]. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/0b144b39-b127-4033-

bfdf-c1bdffd31ed2/jec-report-on-economic-cost-of-flooding-update.pdf ⁵ U.S. Department of Defense, Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. (2024, November 25). 2024 National Coastal Resilience Fund fact sheet [PDF]. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from

https://www.repi.mil/Portals/44/REPI_NCRF_FactSheet_112524_v2.pdf

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People Power United supports Fair Representation Act to Reform Congressional Elections. Shout out to U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) for leading these efforts.

📄 Here is a copy of a press announcement sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

House Delegation Reintroduces Fair Representation Act to Reform Congressional Elections

July 23, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) today led a House delegation in reintroducing the Fair Representation Act, an election reform bill to address structural gerrymandering issues and extreme partisanship in federal elections. The bill would implement measures to elect U.S. House Representatives through ranked choice voting in multi-member districts drawn by independent redistricting commissions and would require ranked choice voting to elect U.S. Senators.

“Hyperpartisan gerrymandering has suppressed meaningful electoral competition, which in turn has allowed extremist ideologies to hijack our political discourse and sown public distrust of our political system,” said Rep. Don Beyer. “Our Fair Representation Act would provide necessary solutions by implementing critical reforms to strengthen our electoral system, ensure every voter has their voice represented, and restore public trust. This is how we create a Congress made up of Members who prioritize pragmatic legislative results and solutions for the benefit of the American people.”

“Every day brings more bad news of gerrymandering, extreme gerrymandering and straight-up disenfranchisement,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin. “The Fair Representation Act is the opposite of all that: it brings democracy up to date in the 21^st century instead of turning the clock back to the white primaries, grandfather clauses, literacy tests and poll taxes of the 20^th century.”

“Nearly 9 in 10 Americans say elected officials don’t care what people like them think. We need ranked choice voting and proportional representation to make our government work for the American people,” said Meredith Sumpter, President and CEO of FairVote. “The Fair Representation Act gives voters more choice and more power. It would make our elections fairer and more competitive and offer a path away from gerrymandering and polarization. It would reward candidates and elected officials who build coalitions and work across the aisle to get things done for voters, rather than those who succeed by attacking and turning Americans against one another.”

Reps. Scott Peters (D-CA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Ro Khanna (D-CA) are co-sponsors of the Fair Representation Act.

The legislation is supported by organizations including FairVote Action, RepresentUs, RepresentWomen, Rank the Vote, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, National Council of Jewish Women, Bridge Alliance Education Fund, People Power United, Divided We Fall, 7th Generation Labs, DemCast USA, National Black Justice Coalition, More Equitable Democracy Action, Voices for Progress, United Church of Christ, Voter Choice Massachusetts, N.C. For The People Action, League of Women Voters Rogue Valley, Ocean State RCV, Vote Nevada, FairVote Minnesota, Ranked Choice Voting Maryland, Rank The Vote Ohio, Voter Choice Arizona, Better Ballot NC, NH Ranked Choice Voting, Better Ballot SC.

Full text of the Fair Representation Act is available here with a one-pager available here. Additional resources are available here.

###

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People Power United joined coalition efforts to urge Congress to prioritize essential, life-saving funding for the housing needs of survivors in the FY 26 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) bill and reject any proposals to cut this critical funding. Shout out to National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) for leading this effort.

📄 Here is a copy of the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

July 23, 2025

Dear Chair Collins, Vice Chair Murray and Senators Hyde-Smith and Gillibrand:

The undersigned national, state, local organizations urge Congress to prioritize essential, life-saving funding for the housing needs of survivors in the FY 26 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) bill and reject any proposals to cut this critical funding.

Domestic violence and sexual assault are consistently identified as significant factors in homelessness, especially for women, children, families, and particularly for LGBTQ+ communities and communities of color. Abusers commonly sabotage a victim’s economic stability, making them more vulnerable to homelessness. A 2024 report on the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and homelessness in California found that 95% of survivors reported the high cost of housing as a barrier to exiting homelessness, and 61% indicated that poor credit or eviction history, often a consequence of IPV, was a barrier to regaining housing.

Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault often flee life-threatening circumstances and seek refuge through emergency shelter, transitional housing, and rapid-rehousing programs to avoid homelessness. However, despite the critical need, many survivors are unable to find housing. According to NNEDV’s 19th Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report, in just one day in 2024, 48,541 adults and children were housed in domestic violence housing and shelter programs. On the same day, however, 8,111 requests for emergency shelter, transitional housing, hotels, motels, or other housing were denied due to a lack of resources. It is unconscionable that victims cannot find safety for themselves and their children due to a lack of adequate investment in housing services.

We urge Congress to allocate $75 million for the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Bonus (DV/SA) Funds in the Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance program at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help survivors access safe, affordable housing and rebuild their lives. Since FY18, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Committee has included a $50-$52 million set-aside for housing for survivors in DV/SA Bonus Funds in the HUD CoC homelessness assistance program. These dedicated funds for survivor-specific housing resources, including rapid rehousing, are a vital funding source for victim service providers to address the unique safety needs of survivors. Funds from the DV/SA Bonus project significantly improve a survivor’s access to safe housing and build the capacity of the victim services field to provide survivor-centered housing. The Administration’s proposed FY26 budget would eliminate dedicated funding for the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) Homelessness Assistance Program by consolidating it with the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program into a single block grant—and by reducing overall funding levels for the new block grant. This change could jeopardize, or even eliminate, the DV/SA Bonus Funds. We urge you to reject this proposal—or any proposal—that would cut or undermine this critical funding.

Additionally, we support inclusion of funds in FY26 for training and technical assistance on the implementation of housing protections for survivors created in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2022 Reauthorization. We urge Congress to provide $15 million in FY26 for domestic violence and sexual assault training and technical assistance and to implement VAWA.

We call on you to support funding for these vital programs.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Melina Milazzo, Director of Public at Mmilazzo@nnedv.org.

Sincerely,

(list in formation)

National, International and Tribal Organizations

Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence

Autistic People of Color Fund

A Window Between Worlds

Coalition on Human Needs

Esperanza United

Freedom Network USA

Futures Without Violence

Integrated Community Solutions, Inc.

Jewish Women International

Joyful Heart Foundation

Just Solutions

Legal Momentum, The Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund

National Alliance to End Sexual Violence

National Council of Jewish Women

National Domestic Violence Hotline

National Indigenous Women's Resource Center

National LGBTQ Institute on IPV

National Network To End Domestic Violence

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

People Power United

Pretrial Justice Institute

Respect Together

The Freedom Train Project Incorporated

Union for Reform Judaism

YWCA USA

Alaska

Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

AWARE

Cordova Family Resource Center

Helping Ourselves Prevent Emergencies

Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living

STAR, INC

The LeeShore Center

Tundra Women's Coalition

Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault & Family Violence (USAFV)

Arizona
Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence

Arkansas

Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence

California

Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI)

Black Women Revolt Against Domestic Violence

Brilliant Corners

Building Futures

California Partnership to End Domestic Violence

Catalyst

Center for Community Solutions

Center for Domestic Peace

Center for the Pacific Asian Family

Child & Family Center

Coalition for Family Harmony

Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (Cast)

Community Beyond Violence

Community Resource Center

Community Solutions

DeafHope

Domestic Violence Solutions for Santa Barbara County

Downtown Women's Center

East Los Angeles Women's Center

Empower Yolo, Inc.

Family Assistance Program

Family Services of Tulare County

Family Violence Appellate Project

Fish On Ministries

Genesis Shelters

Good Shepherd Shelter

Gray’s Trauma-Informed Care Services Corp.

Haven Hills, Inc.

HOPICS - Homeless Outreach Program, Integrated Care System

House of Ruth

Humboldt Domestic Violence Services

Jenesse Center, Inc.

Jewish Family Service Los Angeles

LACBA Counsel for Justice

Larae Cantley

Little Tokyo Service Center

Los Angeles LGBT Center

Lumina Alliance

Monarch Services

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

New Star Family Center

NEWS, Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Services

Peace Over Violence

Praxis Health Empowerment

Project Sanctuary, Inc.

Ramelle Carter Media LLC

Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments, Inc.

South Asian Network

St Joseph Center

Stopping Domestic Violence

StrengthUnited

Su Casa ~ Ending Domestic Violence

Survivalist House

Survivor Justice Center

THE COMMUNITY ACTION LEAGUE

The People Concern

The Salvation Army Alegria

Union Station Homeless Services

Valley Crisis Center

Victims Empowerment Support Team VEST

Voices Beyond Assault

WCCS Whittier

Wild Iris Family Counseling and Crisis Center

Women's Center-High Desert, Inc.

YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley

YWCA of Glendale and Pasadena

YWCA of San Diego County

YWCA San Gabriel Valley

Colorado

Violence Free Colorado

Connecticut

Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Delaware

Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence

District of Columbia

DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Georgia

Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Illinois

Illinois Accountability Initiative

Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Lake County Crisis Center

The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence

Indiana

Coburn Place

Family Support Services of West Central Indiana

Haven House, Inc.

Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc.

New Directions of Decatur County

Safe at Home

YWCA Greater Lafayette

Iowa

Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Kansas

Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence

Kentucky

Baren River Area Safe Space, Inc.

Cumberland Valley Domestic Violence Services

DOVES Of Gateway, Inc

GreenHouse17

Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center

OASIS Inc

Safe Harbor of Northeast Ky Inc.

Sanctuary, Inc.

SpringHaven Inc.

The Ion Center for Violence Prevention

The Center for Women and Families, Inc

Turning Point Domestic Violence Services

ZeroV

Louisiana

Faith House Inc.

Family Violence Program of St Bernard

Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Metro Centers For Community Advocacy

Southeast Advocates for Family Empowerment

Maine

Caring Unlimited

Hope and Justice Project

Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

New Hope for Women, Inc. dba New Hope Midcoast

Next Step domestic violence project

Through These Doors

Maryland

Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence

Massachusetts

Casa Myrna Vazquez, Inc.

Michigan

Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence

Minnesota

MICAH - Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable House

Violence Free Minnesota

Missouri

Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

Montana

Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

Nebraska

Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence

Nevada

Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence

New Jersey

New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence

New Mexico

New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence

New York State

Advocacy Center of Tompkins County

BrighterTomorrows, Inc.

Domestic Violence Project | Urban Justice Center

Fearless! Hudson Valley, Inc.

Hope’s Door

New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Safe Harbors of the Finger Lakes, Inc.

Violence Intervention Program

Wellspring

YWCA Binghamton and Broome County, NY

North Carolina

Compass Center

Families First, Inc.

Families Living Violence-Free

Family Crisis Council of Rowan, Inc.

Friend to Friend

Hyde County Hotline, Inc.

My Sister's House, Inc.

North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Opposing Abuse with Service, Information and Shelter, Inc.

Outer Banks Hotline

Reach of Cherokee County

Ruth's House, Inc.

Safe Alliance

SAFE in Lenoir County, Inc

Safelight, Inc.

Second Bloom of Chatham

Southeastern Family Violence Center

Women Veterans Support Services, Inc.

Ohio

Alliance Area Domestic Violence Shelter

Appleseed CMHC/Safe Haven

Artemis Center

Auglaize County Crisis Center

Bethany House

Casa de Paz

Christina House Domestic Violence Shelter

Crisis Care Line

Crime Victim Services

Crossroads Crisis Center, Inc.

Domestic Violence Project, Inc.

Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS)

Eve, Inc.

Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County

First Step

Foundations for Families, Inc.

Haven House of Pickaway County Inc.

Homesafe, Inc.

Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center

Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland

Journey Center for Safety and Healing

Lorain County Safe Harbor

New Choices, Inc.

Ohio Domestic Violence Network

Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services

OneEighty

Ross County Community Action - The ROSE House DV Shelter

Safer Futures and Someplace Safe programs of Axess Family Services

Safe Harbour Domestic Violence Shelter, Inc.

Sarah's Friends

Southern Ohio Task Force on Domestic Violence

Square One GJM

Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program

The Center for Child and Family Advocacy/House of Ruth

The Cocoon

The Domestic Violence Shelter

The Lighthouse, Inc.

Transitions, Inc.

Tri-County Help Center, Inc.

Violence Free Futures

Women Helping Women

WomenSafe

YWCA Hamilton

YWCA of Northwest Ohio

Oregon

Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

Pennsylvania

Dinah

Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Women Against Abuse

YWCA Lancaster

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence

YWCA Rhode Island

South Carolina

Sistercare, Inc.

South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

South Dakota

South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault

White Buffalo Calf Women's Society

Texas

Texas Council on Family Violence

Utah

Bateman Public Health

Canyon Creek Services

Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake

New Hope Crisis Center

New Horizons Crisis Center

Northeastern Utah Friends Against Family Violence

Peace House, Inc.

Raven, Lotus & Grey

Safe Harbor Crisis Center

Seekhaven Family Crisis and Resource Center

The Refuge Utah

Utah Domestic Violence Coalition

YCC Family Crisis Center

Vermont

Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

Virginia

Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance

Washington State

CNTR

Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence

West Virginia

Branches Domestic Violence Shelter

Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center

SAFE, Inc.

West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Wisconsin

End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin

***

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People Power United joined coalition efforts supporting election grants in 2026. Shout out to Southern Poverty Law Center for leading this effort.

📄 Here is the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

July 15, 2025

Dear Chair Collins, Vice Chair Murray, Chair Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro, Chair Hagerty, Ranking Member Reed, Chair Joyce, and Ranking Member Hoyer,

On behalf of the 102 undersigned organizations, we write to strongly urge you to allocate desperately needed funding for Election Security Grants in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget. Specifically, we urge you to support the state and local election officials who keep our democracy safe and secure with an appropriation of $825 million in FY26. This much-needed appropriation would match the investment made during the most robust year of election appropriations in the first Trump Administration and will help meet the dire current need.¹

Elections are the heart of American democracy, yet today our elections and election workers alike are facing unprecedented challenges: cyber attacks and influence campaigns led by foreign

adversaries;²rampant mis- and disinformation aimed at confusing voters, especially voters of color;³declining trust in the democratic process and institutions;⁴increasing threats to and attacks, both cyber and physical, on elections infrastructure and election workers;⁵new election laws that create additional responsibilities for, and in some cases complicate, election administration and make it harder for some communities to vote;⁶and the rise of generative AI and its potential to upend campaigns and elections;⁷to name a few. At the same time, the decades-old infrastructure through which we conduct our elections is aging, and much-needed repairs and modernizations can’t keep up.⁸ All at a moment when federal cybersecurity resources and technical assistance for election workers are disappearing.⁹

State and local election administrators need robust, reliable funding to effectively confront these challenges and ensure all eligible voters can cast a ballot that counts. Serving as a reliable partner in adequately funding our elections is one of the best ways the federal government can fulfill its duty to promote the exercise of the fundamental right to vote and protect our democracy.¹⁰

This letter details why a renewed commitment to robust federal funding is especially urgent right now, how additional funding would protect voting access and election workers alike, the need to pass significant funding through to localities who administer elections, why federal funding is essential in the face of private funding bans, and the strong bipartisan precedent and public support for significant federal funding for election administration.

Renewed Congressional Investment in Elections is Essential After Years of Declining Federal Funds and as Other Federal Resources Disappear

Federal funding for election administration has varied considerably over the last two decades. After a significant initial investment in 2003 alongside the enactment of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), federal funding to states for election infrastructure and security has been a patchwork, including several years with no federal funding at all. In FY18 and FY20, Congress stepped back into its responsibility to help fund elections by sending $380 million and $425 million, respectively, in HAVA Election Security Grants to states. In 2020, Congress sent an additional $400 million in CARES Act funding to support election officials to run safe, secure, accessible elections during COVID-19. That cumulative $825 million investment in 2020, the final year of the first Trump Administration, represented the largest federal investment in elections in nearly two decades and was a lifeline to local election officials and voters alike. However, federal funding since then has been severely limited: $0 in FY21, $75 million in FY22 and FY23, $55 million in FY24,¹¹ and just $15 million for all 50 states and territories in the March 2025 Continuing Resolution.¹²

A robust appropriation of HAVA funds is even more essential as the federal government withdraws support for election security in other areas. Recently, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) froze all election security activities and fired or furloughed critical election security employees, pending an internal review.¹³ That review was completed on March 6, but CISA and DHS have refused to make the report public or comment on whether any of the frozen election security activities or furloughed employees will be reactivated, creating significant concern and uncertainty among election officials.¹⁴ Among those CISA employees furloughed or terminated were 10 Regional Election Security Advisors, experts in election security and cyber readiness who served as the primary point of contact for election officials during cyber incidents and for training purposes. Staff were also cut from CISA's Election Security Resilience Team and Cybersecurity Advisory Committee.¹⁵

At the same time that CISA froze election security activities, it terminated funding for the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), which, through the non-profit Center for Internet Security, provided many of the free election cybersecurity services that election officials received from the federal government.¹⁶ In particular, the advanced threat monitoring that the EI-ISAC provided state and local officials will be expensive or impossible to replace for many cash-strapped jurisdictions and will leave our election infrastructure more vulnerable to cyber-attack. CISA has provided critical technical support and information sharing to state and local election officials in a successful effort to fill this gap since 2018. State and local officials lack the funds and expertise necessary to replace these programs.

Further, there are concerns about the fate of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Election Threats Task Force, which has played an important role in protecting both voters and election security experts alike since 2020.¹⁷ Already, the DOJ has disbanded its Foreign Influence Task Force, which since 2017 helped protect American elections from foreign interference, and was an important partner for state and local officials in defending against attacks on elections.¹⁸

To improve the security and accessibility of elections, especially as critical federal resources from CISA and DOJ have disappeared, Congress should return to the level of investment that Congress and President Trump provided for election administration in 2020 – $875 million.

Robust Federal Funding is Critical to Ensure Voters Can Access the Ballot Box and to Protect Election Workers on the Frontline of our Democracy

Absent significant dollars from state governments or Congress, elections are generally financed using general fund revenue, which is largely derived from local property and sales tax revenue.¹⁹ This means affluent communities often have greater resources available for election administration than low-income communities. This reality leads to significant disparities in local spending on elections and can, in turn, impact voting access. The dearth of resources in low income communities—including many rural communities and jurisdictions with large populations of color—has diminished voter access, particularly through closed polling places and scaled back voter outreach and education programs.²⁰ Officials cite the inability to pay for the sites, as well as staffing shortages, also a budget issue, as leading reasons for the closures.²¹

Voting access is further endangered by new election laws passed in several states in recent years that create both new barriers to voting and additional responsibilities for local election administrators with no accompanying funding for implementation.²² Further, Congress is currently contemplating a bill that would dramatically limit the voting access and significantly complicate election administration. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would make it harder for millions of Americans to vote by requiring would-be-voters to prove their citizenship using a small set of documents, in person, every time they register or update their registration.²³ Millions of Americans do not have ready access to such citizenship documents,²⁴ and tens of millions of others registered via methods like online and mail-in

registration that would be functionally eliminated under the bill.²⁵ The SAVE Act would introduce tremendous new administrative burdens on election officials, leading a bipartisan group of nearly 60 election officials to express their opposition to the bill. As these election officials note: “This legislation places unfunded, operationally unrealistic, and legally precarious burdens on election offices across the country.” ²⁶

In addition to the growing administrative burdens they face, election officials are increasingly subject to hostile threats and, at times, serious risks to their safety and that of their staff and families. According to a recent survey, more than one in three local election officials (38%) have personally experienced threats, harassment, or abuse because of their job. More than half (54%) are concerned about the safety of their colleagues and staff, and 28% are concerned about their family or loved ones being harassed. One-fifth of all election officials surveyed said they are unlikely to continue to serve through the 2026 elections.²⁷

These fears—and the role they play in driving long-time election administrators to leave their jobs—are illustrated by the case of Shasta County, California election administrator Cathy Darling Allen, who left her post in 2024 after 20 years. Asked about her decision to leave, Allen said “Being concerned on a daily basis about your own physical safety and the safety of the folks who work for us and the voters who come in to cast their ballots takes a toll.”²⁸

Among local election officials surveyed in 2024, even before the recent reductions in federal cybersecurity resources, well over three-quarters (83%) already said their annual budgets needed to grow in the next five years to meet election administration and security needs. The same share (83%) cited additional funding as helpful for increasing the sense of safety for themselves and among their staff.²⁹

Rather than pursuing legislation that would introduce additional barriers to voting and burdens on election officials, Congress should send significant funding to these frontline democracy workers so they can provide a safe and secure working environment and ensure all eligible Americans can vote.

Congress Can Help Remedy Challenges with the Existing Funding Landscape by Sending Funding Directly to Localities

By and large, elections are run by local election officials and administrators.³⁰ Yet even though these local officials are responsible for successfully conducting all of our elections—local, state, and federal—their work is financed primarily with local funding.³¹ These general fund dollars support a range of government functions, from schools, libraries, and parks to emergency services and law enforcement – meaning election funding must compete with a host of critical government services for limited dollars.³² The reality, more often than not, is that there simply are not enough local dollars available to cover the cost of administering elections year after year.³³

States also allocate resources in support of local election administration, though in most places, state contributions make up a very small share of local election budgets.³⁴ State spending on elections also varies greatly, and requests from local election officials for state funding to support effective election administration sometimes go unanswered.³⁵ Moreover, because HAVA grants are transferred to the chief election official of each state and territory, many local officials who administer elections have been left out of these appropriations. While some states regularly subgrant HAVA funding to local jurisdictions, in others, that federal funding never makes its way to the people who need it most – local election workers running our elections.³⁶

For example, Isaac Cramer, Executive Director of the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, testified to Congress that “Numerous counties in South Carolina are unable to upgrade election infrastructure, including the security of their elections buildings, provide 24/7 camera surveillance, or have adequate space to prepare and test election equipment,” yet “South Carolina is one of several states that does not distribute HAVA funds to the local county level.”³⁷ In urging Congress to appropriate more election funding, Cramer flagged that “those funds also must get down to the people who run the elections day to day. All federal funding should be administered in coordination with or made available directly to counties.”³⁸

Given the local nature of election administration in nearly every state, Congress should institute a pass-through requirement such that two-thirds of allocated funds are sent directly to local election officials responsible for administering elections.

Restrictions on Private Funding Exacerbate Problems and Highlight the Need for Robust Federal Funding

The problems created by insufficient funding at all levels of government are exacerbated by a growing trend among states to prohibit local election administrators from accessing funding from private sources to fill the gaps. Since 2021, at least 29 states have enacted laws prohibiting, limiting, or regulating private funding for election administration,³⁹ largely in response to mis and disinformation about the 2020 election.⁴⁰ Most recently, Wyoming lawmakers passed a ban on private funding over objections that the ban would hinder the ability of local service clubs to assist county clerks and prevent election officials from using private buildings as polling places. Such a ban further complicates election administration especially in rural areas where volunteers and public buildings are limited.⁴¹

In a well-functioning democracy, elections should be fully and robustly publicly funded. Yet year after year, we underfund our elections and leave local election administrators scrambling to keep our democracy afloat. Funding from nonpartisan third-party sources has played an essential role in filling the gaps and shoring up our elections. The only appropriate conditions under which to limit private funding of elections is full replacement of those displaced dollars with state and federal funding; the absence of such replacement funding in virtually every state that has passed such a ban only underscores the need for robust, regular funding from the federal government.

Bipartisan Precedent and Strong Public Support for Robust Federal Election Funding Provides a Roadmap for Congress in FY26

There is a strong, bipartisan precedent for robust federal funding to support state and local election infrastructure. Federal grants to support election security and administration were originally authorized by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, landmark legislation passed to support states to replace aging voting machines after problems emerged during the 2000 election and, more generally, to improve the administration of federal elections.⁴² Through that law, which enjoyed significant bipartisan support, Congress sent $3 billion to the states over three years for a major overhaul of their election infrastructure and made additional funding available for improving accessibility, encouraging civic participation, and recruiting poll workers.⁴³ More recently, bipartisan majorities in Congress appropriated $380 and $425 million for election security grants in FY18 and FY20, respectively.

There is also bipartisan agreement among the public that the federal government should play a greater role in funding our elections. According to a 2023 poll from the bipartisan election reform organization Issue One, 69% of Americans—74% of Democrats and 66% of Republicans—believe the federal government should be equally, or more, responsible for election funding than local and state authorities.⁴⁴ Just one in ten (11%) Americans believe that local municipalities and states should be solely responsible for funding elections.⁴⁵ When it comes to funding for elections, there is cross-partisan consensus that the federal government should take more responsibility than it currently does.

* * *

There are few government responsibilities more vital in a democracy than the protection of the fundamental right to vote. And that right is under assault today, especially in communities of color. Just as each level of government in our federated system bears responsibility for protecting the right to vote, so, too, must each level of government contribute to financing the election infrastructure that makes that right real. As the House and the Senate negotiate the FY26 government funding bill, we strongly urge you to send $825 million in HAVA Election Security Grants to state and localities. Because the bulk of election administration happens at the local level in nearly every state, we further urge you to direct two-thirds of the grant funding to local election administrators.

With questions or for additional information, please contact Laura Williamson, Senior Policy Advisor for Voting Rights at the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, at laura.williamson@splcenter.org or 301.875.1631.

Sincerely,

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Advancement Project

A. Philip Randolph Institute

AFT

Alabama Coalition on Black Civic Participation

All Voting is Local Action

American Civil Liberties Union

ACLU of Alabama

ACLU of Maryland

ACLU of Mississippi

American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

Arab American Institute (AAI)

Asbury United Methodist Church, DC

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC

Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Black Voters Matter Fund

Brady

Business Forward

Campaign Legal Center

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Clearinghouse on Women's Issues

Common Cause

Common Cause Maryland

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Declaration for American Democracy Coalition

Defend The Vote Action Fund

Democracy 21

Democracy SENTRY

Dēmos

Everybody Votes Campaign

Fair Elections Center

Fair Fight Action

FairVote

Faith in Public Life Action

Feminist Majority Foundation

Florida Rising

Florida Student Power

Funders' Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP)

GALEO Impact Fund

Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda

Georgia Equality

Georgia Muslim Voter Project

Impact Fund

Indivisible Georgia Coalition

Indivisible Howard County

Interfaith Alliance

Japanese American Citizens League

Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA)

LatinoJustice PRLDEF

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

League of Conservation Voters

League of Women Voters of the United States

Maryland Justice Project

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

Mississippi Black Women's Roundtable

Missouri Voter Protection Coalition

NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. NAPAWF

Nathaniel R. Jones Foundation

National Association of Social Workers

National Council of Jewish Women

National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)

National Partnership for Women & Families Action Fund

National Urban League

National Women's Law Center Action Fund

Native American Rights Fund

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

New Disabled South

Nonprofit VOTE

Palm Beach County Voting Rights Coalition

People For the American Way

People Power United

Popular Democracy in Action

Public Citizen

Represent GA Action Network

Return My Vote

Rock the Vote

Selma Democracy Center

Service Employees International Union

Sojourners

Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Stand Up America

State Democracy Defenders Action

State Voices

State Voices Florida

T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

The Faithful Democracy Coalition

The Workers Circle

Transformative Justice Coalition

UnidosUS

Union for Reform Judaism

Union of Concerned Scientists

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice

United Church of Christ

Verified Voting

Voices For Progress

Vote.org

Voter Participation Center

VoteRiders

Voto Latino

¹ Election Administration: Federal Grant Funding for States and Localities, Congressional Research Service, May 8, 2023, Table 2, https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46646.

² Combatting Foreign Influence, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations,

https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/foreign-influence.

³ Christine Fernando, “Election disinformation campaigns targeted voters of color in 2020. Experts expect 2024 to be worse,” Associated Press, July 29, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/elections-voting-misinformation-race immigration-712a5c5a9b72c1668b8c9b1eb6e0038a.

⁴Jeffrey M. Jones, “Confidence in U.S. Institutions Down; Average at New Low,” Gallup, July 5, 2022, https://news.gallup.com/poll/394283/confidence-institutions-down-average-new-low.aspx. ⁵“Election workers brace for a torrent of threats: ‘I Know Where You Sleep’,” Washington Post, November 8, 2022,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/08/election-workers-online

threats/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/08/election-workers-online-threats/. “Local Election Officials Survey — May 2024,” Brennan Center for Justice, May 1, 2024, https://www.brennancenter.org/our work/research-reports/local-election-officials-survey-may-2024.

⁶ Natalia Galicza, “New election law adds new financial costs for some Florida counties,” WUSF, October 15, 2021, https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2021-10-15/new-election-law-adds-new-financial-costs-for-some-florida counties. See also Emma Hurt, “Why Local Election Officials in Georgia Take Issue With Many Parts of New Law,” NPR, April 16, 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/04/16/987825440/why-local-election-officials-in-georgia take-issue-with-many-parts-of-new-law.

⁷ Risk in Focus: Generative A.I. and the 2024 Election Cycle, U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/risk-focus-generative-ai-and-2024-election-cycle. ⁸“50 States of Need,” Election Infrastructure Initiative,

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6083502fc0f6531f14d6e929/t/61f836e405feca3722d63b9d/1643656990641/5 0-States-Of-Need.pdf.

⁹ Maggie Miller, “The Trump admin cut election security funds. Now officials fear future elections may be ‘less secure,’” Politico, March 31, 2025, https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/31/trump-admin-cut-election-security funds-00258787.

¹⁰ 52 U.S.C §20501

¹¹ Election Administration: Federal Grant Funding for States and Localities, Congressional Research Service, May 8, 2023, Table 2, https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46646.

¹² Public Law No: 119-4, Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025, https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1968/text.

¹³ Supra note 9.

¹⁴ Derek B. Johnson and Colin Wood, “CISA completed its election security review. It won’t make the results public,” Cyberscoop, March 7, 2025, https://cyberscoop.com/cisa-election-security-review-lacks-transparency/. ¹⁵ Christina A. Cassidy, “US cyber agency puts election security staffers who worked with the states on leave,” AP, February 10, 2025, https://apnews.com/article/election-security-cisa-kristi-noem-cybersecurity 5bac8ce416c46b4fbe44c94ae5874b39.

¹⁶ Supra note 9. See also Center for Internet Security, https://www.cisecurity.org/ei-isac, noting as of April 4, 2025 that “Due to the termination of funding by the Department of Homeland Security, the Center for Internet Security no longer supports the EI-ISAC.”

¹⁷ Edward Graham, “Democrats push Justice Department to keep Election Threats Task Force amid rollbacks,” Next Gov, March 18, 2025, https://www.nextgov.com/policy/2025/03/democrats-push-justice-department-keep-election threats-task-force-amid-rollbacks/403858/?oref=ng-skybox-hp.

¹⁸ Derek B. Johnson, “DOJ disbands foreign influence task force, limits scope of FARA prosecutions, Cyberscoop, February 6, 2025, https://cyberscoop.com/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force/.

¹⁹ Urban Institute & Brookings Institution, Tax Policy Center, “Briefing Book,”

https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/what-are-sources-revenue-state-and-local-governments.

²⁰ Mark Nichols, “Closed voting sites hit minority counties harder for busy midterm elections,” USA Today, October 30, 2018, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/10/30/midterm-elections-closed-voting-sites-impact minority-voter-turnout/1774221002/.

²¹ Sudiksha Kochi, “Trump and the GOP Weaponized Mark Zuckerberg’s donations; what it means for the 2024 election,” USA Today, April 3, 2024,

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/04/03/republicans-banning-outside-groups-funding election-zuckerberg/73119478007/.

²² Supra note 6.

²³ H.R.22, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, introduced January 3, 2025,

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/04/03/republicans-banning-outside-groups-funding election-zuckerberg/73119478007/.

²⁴ 21.3 Million American Citizens of Voting Age Don’t Have Ready Access to Citizenship Documents, Brennan Center for Justice, June 11, 2024, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/213-million-american citizens-voting-age-dont-have-ready-access.

²⁵ Kevin Morris and Cora Henry, The SAVE Act Would Hurt Americans Who Actively Participate in Elections, Brennan Center for Justice, February 20, 2025, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/save-act would-hurt-americans-who-actively-participate-elections.

²⁶ “Nearly 60 bipartisan election officials express their opposition to the SAVE Act,” Issue One, April 1, 2025, https://issueone.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IO-SAVE-Act-Sign-on-Letter.pdf.

²⁷ “Local Election Officials Survey — May 2024,” Brennan Center for Justice, May 1, 2024, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/local-election-officials-survey-may-2024. ²⁸ Derek B. Johnson, “Picketed at work, confronted at church: Why election workers have left the job,” Cyberscoop, June 20, 2024, https://cyberscoop.com/picketed-at-work-confronted-at-church-why-election-workers-have-left-the job/.

²⁹ Supra note 27.

³⁰ “The State and Local Role in Election Administration: Duties and Structures,” Congressional Research Service March 4, 2019, 7, https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45549.

³¹ Supra note 19.

³² Tara Veazey, State and Local Spending on the Administration of Elections: Insights From a Review of 12 States and 93 Localities, Institute for Responsive Government, October 23, 2023, https://responsivegov.org/wp content/uploads/2023/10/State-and-Local-Spending-on-the-Administration-of-Elections-Insights-From-a-Review of-12-States-and-93-Localities.pdf. See also “State and Local Expenditures,” Urban Institute, https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-initiatives/state-and-local-finance-initiative/state-and-local backgrounders/state-and-local-expenditures.

³³ Testimony of Dr. Zachary Mohr, Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas, U.S. Committee on House Administration, full committee hearing, “Confronting Zuckerbucks, Private Funding of Election Administration,” February 7, 2024,

https://cha.house.gov/hearings?ID=CF598468-0C48-4DAC-9C0E-0287E733682A.

³⁴ “The Cost of Conducting Elections,” Charles Stewart III, MIT Election Data & Science Lab, at 4, https://electionlab.mit.edu/sites/default/files/2022-05/TheCostofConductingElections-2022.pdf. ³⁵ “Election Budgeting: A Deeper Dive Into the Cost of State Elections,” All Voting Is Local, 2023, 10, https://allvotingislocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-Election-Budgeting-01fLM.pdf.

³⁶ “ES Funds,” Election Assistance Commission, www.eac.gov/payments-and-grants/es-snapshot. ³⁷ Testimony of Mr. Isaac Cramer, Executive Director of the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, U.S. Senate Committee on Rules & Administration, full committee hearing: “Administration of Upcoming Elections,” March 12, 2024, https://www.rules.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/98abfbe5-9d21-90c4-9d9a 3fc640919655/Testimony_Cramer1.pdf.

³⁸ Id.

³⁹ “Prohibiting Private Funding of Elections,” National Conference of State Legislatures, December 6, 2023, https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/prohibiting-private-funding-of-elections. See also HB0228, enacted March 18, 2025 in Wyoming, https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2025/HB0228.

⁴⁰ Supra note 21.

⁴¹ “Wyoming lawmakers restrict private funding for election administration expenses,” Citizen Portal, February 28, 2025, https://citizenportal.ai/articles/2439907/Wyoming/Wyoming-lawmakers-restrict-private-funding-for-election administration-expenses.

⁴² 52 U.S.C. §21007

⁴³ Supra note 11, at 2.

⁴⁴ “Overwhelming public support for federal funding of elections,” Issue One and Citizen Data, April 19, 2023, https://issueone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IO-ElectionsPollingMemo2023.pdf.

⁴⁵ Id.

***

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People Power United joined coalition efforts to oppose passage of the Dangerous Crypto Deregulation Bill-the Clarity Act. Shout out to Americans for Financial Reform for leading this effort.

📄 Here is the letter signed on behalf of our People Power United members:

July 15, 2025

Dear Speaker of the House Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries:

The 82 investor, consumer, and other advocacy organizations undersigned below write to express our opposition to the CLARITY Act (H.R. 3633). This bill creates a weak regulatory structure for crypto assets, actors, and activities that effectively deregulates much of the crypto sector, either by totally exempting many elements of the industry from any oversight or by replacing existing

regulatory standards with weaker protections for customers and markets that could imperil investors and financial stability.

The bill creates loopholes or confusing legal questions that crypto and non-crypto firms will exploit in order to evade existing regulatory standards, causing more damage. The legislation gives the shady practices and endemic fraud in the crypto industry a government imprimatur without adequate guardrails to protect investors and the financial system and unleashes and rewards the administration’s crypto corruption. There are many problems with the bill, including the following issues:

CLARITY legitimizes risky and exploitative crypto industry practices. The bill allows crypto platforms to maintain and expand conflicted business models, where platforms act as exchanges, brokers, dealers, and custodians and can shunt customers to their affiliated businesses that can cost customers more and without the safeguards provided in traditional finance. These practices have already contributed to investor losses and crypto firms’ failures. Additionally, crypto firms’ integration can increase financial stability risks due to the interconnections between its own investments and its trading or custody affiliations. A federal seal of approval is likely to worsen these harms.

CLARITY sets up an anemic CFTC customer protection regime for crypto consumers. It establishes a new Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) digital commodities regulatory framework that allows issuers to fast track the introduction and trading of new crypto assets with minimal oversight, disclosure, or investor protection obligations that are far weaker than existing approaches at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The bill’s underfunded mandate worsens the CFTC’s already narrow investor protection remit, further limiting its ability to provide effective investor protection.

CLARITY creates a permissive exemption pathway for crypto securities issuers, while undermining the SEC’s mission and bedrock investor protection standards. It creates a broad SEC exemption from disclosure and registration obligations for those crypto issuers under the bill’s “mature blockchain” rules. The bill allows these crypto firms to sell to retail investors without any of

the guardrails present in the traditional securities market, despite higher risks. The bill also fundamentally distorts the SEC’s investor and market protection mandate by inserting the term “innovation” into law, which undermines the SEC’s statutory mission to promote investor protection, fair markets, and capital formation.

CLARITY undoes decades of investor protection law and invites regulatory evasion. Traditionally, courts and regulators use facts and circumstances tests to determine whether assets, arrangements, and actors should be subject to investor protection laws. But CLARITY exempts crypto from these tests by declaring that certain crypto offerings are not securities even when they explicitly meet the securities law tests. This broad exemption means that investors will have less information and be exposed to more risks from these crypto investments. It also creates a loophole for crypto and non-crypto firms alike who want to issue investment instruments without meeting the appropriately more rigorous securities registration and disclosure requirements, creating a deregulatory race to the bottom that could harm investors who never touch crypto.

CLARITY exempts many crypto assets and issuers from meaningful market oversight and consumer protections. The bill’s wide regulatory exemptions for DeFi (decentralized finance) platforms and intermediaries mean that major swathes of the crypto industry, including many of the more risky and exploitative parts of it, would not be subject to federal oversight under either securities or commodities law, save for narrow anti-fraud measures. Regulators would have limited ability to police the widespread theft, fraud, and market manipulation in DeFi spaces that can lead to broader market instability. Additionally, CLARITY’s loophole-ridden digital commodity definition means that many other crypto assets and issuers, such as memecoins or tokens that dub themselves “collectibles,” may not be regulated at all by either the SEC or CFTC. This will leave many crypto investors to fend for themselves against fraud artists and the wealthy tech firms that control these platforms and assets.

CLARITY undermines state regulators’ abilities to protect investors. The bill gives exclusive jurisdiction for regulating crypto commodity issuers and brokers to the CFTC, limiting state regulators from using their oversight and investor protection powers except in limited circumstances. State regulators have been at the forefront of many key crypto investor protection efforts. This bill weakens their ability to provide this protection.

CLARITY hinders efforts to apply consistent anti-money laundering (AML) rules to crypto platforms. The bill’s exemptions for DeFi platforms combined with its blanket AML exemptions for self-hosted wallets — without offering any meaningful alternative approach to oversight — will undermine AML measures across the crypto industry and mainstream finance, create major AML loopholes bad actors can exploit, and undermine existing efforts to combat crypto’s dominant role in facilitating illicit finance.

CLARITY fails to address conflicts of interest and corruption issues. It fails to address the unprecedented ethical concerns posed by the promotion of crypto ventures by high officials. These activities not only raise profound concerns about good government and corruption, but reduce the likelihood that regulators could effectively supervise the entire crypto industry that could directly harm consumers, investors, and the broader economy as well.

CLARITY’s many structural flaws cannot be remedied by simple amendments alone, and the current aggressive deregulatory efforts within financial regulators mean that even the bill’s weak provisions will get further watered down. Passage of CLARITY guarantees the crypto industry will be given kid-glove treatment by captured regulators, putting investors and the economy at significant risk. Financial deregulation in the late 1990s that was promoted as so-called financial innovation led directly to the 2008 financial crisis. The crypto industry has dusted off this innovation playbook, but the Congress should not be fooled again.

The government seal of approval will make it more likely that the crypto industry’s widespread fraud, precipitous volatility, and shady practices will become enmeshed in mainstream finance, posing substantial risks to the stability of the financial system and the economy all in the name of so called crypto innovation.

We strongly urge the Congress to vote against this bill.

Sincerely,

20/20 Vision

Accountable.us/Accountable.NOW

Action Center on Race and the Economy

Affordable Homeownership Foundation Inc

American Economic Liberties Project

Americans for Financial Reform

Animals Are Sentient Beings, Inc.

Arkansas Community Organizations

California Democracy Defenders

Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Economic Justice

Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR)

Center for Responsible Lending

Church Women United in New York State Civic Sundays

Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes

Consumer Federation of America

Consumer Federation of California

Consumer Reports

Demand Progress

Democracy for America Advocacy Fund

Don't Gas the Meadowlands Coalition

Economic Action Maryland Fund

Faith in Action

Flow Water Advocates

Food & Water Watch

Fossil Free Tompkins

FrackBustersNY

FreshWater Accountability Project

Georgia Coalition Against Cryptomining

HollywoodDemocrats PAC

Take On Wall Street

TakeItBack.Org

Terra Advocati

The Academy of Financial Education

The Tech Oversight Project

Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community

Woodstock Institute

***

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People Power United joined coalition efforts to Call on Congress to Protect the Independence and Integrity of the CPSC. Shout out to National Consumers League for leading this effort.

📄 Here is a copy of the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

For Immediate Release: July 21, 2025

Dear Chairs Collins, Cruz, Cole, and Guthrie, and Ranking Members Murray, Cantwell, DeLauro, and Pallone,

We write to urge you to preserve an independent, bipartisan Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and ensure the agency has the appropriate tools, resources, and personnel to carry out its lifesaving mission.

The CPSC is an independent federal agency commissioned by Congress to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from consumer products through education, safety standards, regulation, and enforcement.¹ This small agency with a big mission has had lifesaving effects. CPSC standards and enforcement activities have helped spur a 43 percent decline in residential fires, a 47 percent decrease in fire deaths, and a 41 percent reduction in fire injuries from 1980 to 2018.² Child poisonings have decreased by 80 percent between 1972 and 2020.³ Bicycle injuries dropped by 35 percent between 1973 and 2020.⁴ Deaths from refrigerator door entrapments and garage door incidents have been virtually eliminated.⁵ Crib deaths have plummeted by 80 percent from 1973 to 2018.⁶ Pool and pool equipment injury rates have decreased by 55 percent from 1975 to 2019.⁷

We strongly support the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 CPSC budget submitted on June 26, 2025, and urge you to provide the vital resources and support requested. The CPSC budget proposal requests $183.05 million in funding (a 21 percent funding increase) and 588 employees (a 9 percent staff increase), resources critical to preserving and strengthening the independence, workforce, and operations of the Commission.⁸ These resources and personnel will enable the CPSC to better stop hazardous products at U.S. ports of entry, vigorously enforce product safety laws, investigate product hazards, effectively convey safety information to the American public, and accelerate the modernization of mission-critical technology.⁹

We strongly oppose any attempt to dramatically restructure the CPSC, reduce the agency’s workforce, and decrease funding for consumer product safety. The FY 2026 Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) budget and a rescinded FY 2026 CPSC budget recommend that CPSC’s functions be transferred to HHS.¹⁰ The rescinded CPSC budget stated that “[u]ntil the enactment of authorizing legislation to reorganize, the CPSC will continue to carry out its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury from consumer products as a standalone agency.”¹¹ Further, the rescinded budget requests language in FY 2026 appropriations legislation that transfers the CPSC’s budget accounts to HHS.¹² It also recommended $135 million in funding (a 10 percent funding cut) and 459 employees (a 14 percent reduction of staff).¹³

Over its fifty-year existence, the CPSC has developed a body of safety standards, enforcement actions, consumer education campaigns, data collection initiatives, and recall processes, none of which can be “transferred” to a new agency by executive action. ¹⁴ If this proposal were unilaterally carried out, product safety standards—such as those preventing fires, lacerations, poisonings, suffocation, drowning, entrapment, and crushing—may no longer be in effect. Consumer products, including those imported from overseas, may no longer be inspected by federal regulators for safety threats. Sellers may no longer be obligated to recall dangerous or violative products. Critical product safety research may no longer be performed. Vital product safety information and data may no longer be public. That includes data essential for addressing hazardous household products, motor vehicle crashes, adverse drug effects, aviation incidents, and work-related injuries.

HHS lacks the statutory authority to establish product safety standards, implement enforcement actions and consumer education campaigns, conduct data collection, and oversee recalls and safety warnings for consumer products that would be necessary to continue carrying out CPSC’s mission. The CPSC, not HHS, has explicit jurisdiction over consumer product safety.¹⁵ Any effort to use HHS’s existing authorities to replicate CPSC activities would be vulnerable to legal challenge, potentially leaving a regulatory black hole through which dangerous consumer products can freely enter the stream of commerce. Replicating the CPSC’s activities would likely require several cumbersome rulemakings, which could take years to complete, if ever finalized.

Furthermore, HHS is not well-suited to oversee household product safety. HHS already has a vast mission, which includes food and drug regulation, communicable disease prevention, public health emergency preparation and response, medical research, and administration of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.¹⁶ Product safety will likely be deprioritized. Competition with other programs could result in less funding for consumer product safety. Competing agency priorities could result in a lack of vigorous standard setting, oversight, and enforcement.

The additional layers of bureaucracy will lead to less effective and efficient governance of household product safety. Rulemakings, enforcement actions, research initiatives, and education campaigns may be subject to review, modification, and approval by the Secretary of HHS and the Office of Management and Budget. Such processes could add months if not years to product safety actions, if the action is permitted at all. With approximately 49,000 product related deaths, 34 million product-related injuries, and consumer product incidents accounting for $1 trillion in societal costs each year, the American public can ill afford foreseeable delays and denials.¹⁷

Congress deliberately established an independent, nonpartisan agency with exclusive authority over the safety of consumer products. Such independence ensures that product safety issues are treated like the public safety imperative they so clearly are. The CPSC protects the health and safety of the American people – especially babies, children, and older Americans – and creates clear rules of the road for manufacturers, retailers, and distributors. It ensures that safety is ingrained in the design and manufacturing of each product, giving companies assurance that they can profit while fulfilling their obligation to protect their customers.

We thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.

Respectfully,

National Consumers League

Consumer Federation of America Consumer Reports

Access Ready Inc.

Action on Smoking and Health Aden Lamps Foundation

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

Aging Life Care Association

America Walks

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Academy of Pediatrics, Arizona Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Arkansas Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Delaware Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Florida Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Georgia Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Idaho Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, New York Chapter 2

American Academy of Pediatrics, New York Chapter 3

American Academy of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Virginia Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Washington D.C. Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, West Virginia Chapter

Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota

Bicycle Coalition of Greater

Philadelphia

Bicycle Colorado

Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute

Bike Cleveland

Bike LA

Bike Pittsburgh

BikeWalkKC

BikeWalkNC

BioInjury, LLC

California Bicycle Coalition

Center for Auto Safety

Center for Digital Democracy

Center for Economic Integrity

Center for Economic Justice

Center for Justice & Democracy

Center for Pet Safety

Child Care Aware of Virginia

Claire Bear Foundation

Consumer Action

Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety

Cribs for Kids

Derrick Stone Safe Sleep

Detroit Greenways Coalition

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

Earth Ethics, Inc.

Epilepsy Foundation of America Families for Safe Streets

First Candle

Food Empowerment Project

Government Information Watch

Green America

Hawai'i Bicycling League

Healthy Babies Bright Futures

HealthyWomen

Homestretch Nonprofit Housing Corp.

Housing and Economic Rights Advocates

Just Strategy

Keeping Babies Safe

Kids and Car Safety

League of American Bicyclists

Living Streets Alliance

Local Motion

Main Street Academies

Maine People's Alliance

Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition

Missourians for Responsible

Transportation

Napa County Bicycle Coalition

National Bicycle Dealers Association

National Center for Health Research

National Center for Healthy Housing

National Coalition for Safer Roads

National Drowning Prevention Alliance

National Safety Council

Oregon Consumer Justice

Oregon Consumer League

Parents Against Tip-Overs

PediMom LLC

People Power United

Pool and Hot Tub Alliance

Responsible Sourcing Network Ride Illinois

Safe Infant Sleep

Safe Kids Worldwide

Safety Research & Strategies

Sciencecorps

Shepard’s Watch

Stop Drowning Now

StopDistractions.org

That Water Bead Lady

The National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)

The Wisconsin Bike Federation Together We Thrive, Inc.

Trailnet

Truck Safety Coalition

U.S. Public Interest Research Group

U.S. Swim School Association

United States Swim School Association

Unleaded Kids

Virginia Citizens Consumer Council

Washington Area Bicyclist Association

West Virginia Citizen Action Group

Women in Fire

Justin Raphael, Product Safety Advocate

Kelli Schweigart, Product Safety Advocate

Kristina Knapp, Product Safety Advocate

Mary Jagim, Product Safety Advocate

Mayra Romero-Ferman, Product Safety Advocate

Melissa Wandall, Product Safety Advocate

Michael Haggard, Product Safety Advocate

Nina Batista, Product Safety Advocate

Pamela Gilbert, Product Safety Advocate

Paul Susca, Product Safety Advocate

Sandeep Khatua, Product Safety Advocate

Sara Thompson, Parent Advocate Sofia Diaz, Product Safety Advocate

Stephen Hargarten MD MPH, Product Safety Advocate

Taylor Bethard, Parent Advocate

¹ Consumer Product Safety Commission. “About Us.” www.cpsc.gov/About-CPSC. Accessed 14 March 2025.

² Consumer Product Safety Commission. “CPSC Celebrates 50 Years of Making Consumer Safety Our Mission.” 15 March 2022, www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2022/CPSC-Celebrates-50-Years-of-Making Consumer-Safety-our-Mission. ³ Id. ⁴ Id. ⁵ Id. ⁶ Id. ⁷ Id. ⁸ Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Performance Budget Request to Congress Fiscal Year 2026.” 25 June 2025. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/RCA

CPSC_Fiscal_Year_2026_Performance_Budget_Request_to_Congress-OS

0380.pdf?VersionId=ZMJjXl09MRGCTSUZuW9APLd2Ds2EisTn. ⁹ Id. ¹⁰ Department of Health & Human Services. “Fiscal Year 2026 Budget in Brief.” https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy-2026-budget-in-brief.pdf. Accessed 3 June 2025.; Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Performance Budget Request to Congress Fiscal Year 2026.” 30 May 2025. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/FY-2026-Budget

Request.pdf?VersionId=VduKUr.mXsklMpI_I8jEQLYNeL8g2Xwk#:~:text=Page%202- ,FY%202026%20Budget%20Overview,%24135.00%20million%20and%20459%20FTEs. ¹¹ Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Performance Budget Request to Congress Fiscal Year 2026.” 30 May 2025. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/FY-2026-Budget

Request.pdf?VersionId=VduKUr.mXsklMpI_I8jEQLYNeL8g2Xwk#:~:text=Page%202- ,FY%202026%20Budget%20Overview,%24135.00%20million%20and%20459%20FTEs. ¹² Id.
¹³ Id. ¹⁴ 15 U.S.C. Chapter 47; 16 CFR Chapter II. ¹⁵ 15 U.S.C. Chapter 47. ¹⁶ Congressional Research Service. “Department of Health and Human Services: FY 2025 Budget Request.” 23 May 2024. www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48060.

¹⁷ Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Consumer Product-Related Injuries and Deaths in the United States: Estimated Injuries Occurring in 2020 and Estimated Deaths Occurring in 2019.” September 2021. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs

public/ConsumerProductRelatedInjuriesandDeathsintheUnitedStates.pdf?VersionId=bPIYVZJhOwvBRyFm2vlm0O 36tN7P0AKm; Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Strategic Plan 2018-2022.” https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs public/CPSC_2018-2022_Strategic_Plan.pdf. Accessed 15 March 2025.

***

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People Power United joined coalition efforts calling on the administration to cease its illegal attempt to fire the three Democratic CPSC Commissioners. Shout out to National Consumers League for leading this effort.

📄 Here is a copy of the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

July 22, 2025

Dear President Trump,

On behalf of the undersigned organizations and advocates, we write to implore you to rescind the unlawful attempted removal of the Democratic Commissioners at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). On May 8, 2025, Commissioners Richard Trumka and Mary T. Boyle received an email from the White House purporting to terminate their positions at the CPSC.¹ While Commissioner Alexander Hoehn-Saric did not receive such an email, he is being prevented from executing his duties.² This unprecedented action against our nation’s longstanding watchdog of household product safety is in direct contravention of the letter and spirit of the law, runs afoul of decades of Supreme Court precedent, and threatens to cripple the CPSC’s ability to protect the American public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with consumer products.

During the Nixon administration, Congress established the CPSC as an independent federal agency led by five bipartisan Commissioners exclusively charged with overseeing the safety of household consumer products. Since then, members of Congress from both parties have supported the role of an independent, bipartisan CPSC. By law, CPSC Commissioners must be mission-driven and subject matter experts with a “background and expertise in areas related to consumer products and protection of the public from risks to safety.”³ No more than three of the Commissioners can be affiliated with the same political party and Commissioners may only be removed by the President “for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office but for no other cause.”⁴

The statutory threshold for removal has not been satisfied. All three fired Commissioners have faithfully fulfilled their lawful duties to save lives and prevent injuries. During the Biden administration, the CPSC finalized over fifty vital product safety rules and standards, including banning crib bumpers and establishing standards for adult portable bed rails, mattress flammability, and infant sleep products.⁵ In Fiscal Year 2024, the Commission actively facilitated the establishment of 26 voluntary safety standards and negotiated and implemented 333 recalls involving 41 million products.⁶ Further, the CPSC screened millions of e-commerce listings, facilitated the removal of over 53,000 recalled or banned products, and conducted approximately 1,000 inspections, surveillance efforts, and recall effectiveness checks to ensure compliance with product safety laws.⁷

The attempted firings are not for cause. The emails received by Commissioners Trumka and Boyle merely state that “[o]n the behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position on the Consumer Product Safety Commission is terminated effective immediately.” No neglect of duty was cited. No malfeasance was alleged.

Ninety years ago, the Supreme Court affirmed that the Constitution does not grant the President the power to ignore congressionally established guardrails and fire expert commissioners of independent agencies. In Humphrey's Executor v. United States, the Court ruled that it is “plain under the Constitution that illimitable power of removal is not possessed by the President in respect of officers” of independent agencies.⁸ Congress does indeed have the power to establish fixed terms by which CPSC Commissioners will serve and “forbid their removal except for cause.”⁹

This unlawful effort to dismantle the leadership and bipartisanship of the CPSC will significantly undermine the Agency’s ability to protect the health and safety of the American people through the creation of strong safety standards, recalls of hazardous products, and educational campaigns. Diverse perspectives improve safety. Silencing the voices of subject matter experts with whom you politically disagree would have a chilling effect on the CPSC’s functions. The Agency’s safety standards, enforcement actions, consumer education campaigns, data collection initiatives, and recall processes could all suffer. Further, the remaining CPSC Commissioners may only be able to perform the “transaction of business” for six months.¹⁰ Under current law, if only two members are serving on the CPSC because of vacancies, those two Commissioners constitute a quorum for six months.¹¹

We urge you to reverse course and ensure that Commissioners Hoehn-Saric, Trumka, and Boyle are reinstated to serve the remainder of their statutorily granted terms. Your administration’s prioritization of consumer and product safety can protect American families against preventable deaths and injuries.

Respectfully,

National Consumers League

Consumer Federation of America

Consumer Reports

Access Ready Inc.

Aden Lamps Foundation

Aging Life Care Association

America Walks

American Academy of Pediatrics, Arizona Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Florida Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Georgia Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Idaho Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Virginia Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, Washington D.C. Chapter

American Academy of Pediatrics, West Virginia Chapter

Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota

Bicycle Coalition of Greater

Philadelphia

Bicycle Colorado

Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute

Bike Cleveland

Bike LA

Bike Pittsburgh

BioInjury, LLC

California Bicycle Coalition

Center for Auto Safety

Center for Digital Democracy

Center for Economic Integrity

Center for Economic Justice

Center for Justice & Democracy

Center for Pet Safety

Child Care Aware of Virginia

Claire Bear Foundation

Consumer Action

Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety

Cribs for Kids

Derrick Stone Safe Sleep

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

Earth Ethics, Inc.

Families for Safe Streets

First Candle

Food Empowerment Project

Government Information Watch

Green America

Hawai'i Bicycling League

Healthy Babies Bright Futures

Homestretch Nonprofit Housing Corp.

Housing and Economic Rights Advocates

Just Strategy

Keeping Babies Safe

Kids and Car Safety

League of American Bicyclists

Living Streets Alliance

Local Motion

Main Street Academies

Maine People's Alliance

Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition

Missourians for Responsible

Transportation

Napa County Bicycle Coalition

National Bicycle Dealers Association

National Coalition for Safer Roads

National Drowning Prevention Alliance Oregon Consumer Justice

Oregon Consumer League

PediMom LLC

People Power United

Responsible Sourcing Network Ride Illinois

Safe Infant Sleep

Safety Research & Strategies

Sciencecorps

Shepard’s Watch

Stop Drowning Now

StopDistractions.org

The National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)

The Wisconsin Bike Federation

Together We Thrive, Inc.

Trailnet

Truck Safety Coalition

United States Swim School Association

Unleaded Kids

US Swim School Association

Virginia Citizens Consumer Council

Washington Area Bicyclist Association

West Virginia Citizen Action Group

Women in Fire

Justin Raphael, Product Safety Advocate

Kelli Schweigart, Product Safety Advocate

Kristina Knapp, Product Safety Advocate

Mary Jagim, Product Safety Advocate

Mayra Romero-Ferman, Product Safety Advocate

Melissa Wandall, Product Safety Advocate

Michael Haggard, Product Safety Advocate

Nina Batista, Product Safety Advocate

Pamela Gilbert, Product Safety Advocate

Paul Susca, Product Safety Advocate

Sandeep Khatua, Product Safety Advocate

Sara Thompson, Parent Advocate Sofia Diaz, Product Safety Advocate

Stephen Hargarten MD MPH, Product Safety Advocate

Taylor Bethard, Parent Advocate

¹ Trumka, Richard @TrumkaCPSC. “See you in court, Mr. President.” Twitter, 9 May 2025, https://x.com/TrumkaCPSC/status/1920829190208655645.; Hoehn-Saric, Alexander @HoehnSaricCPSC. “President Trump is attempting to illegally remove me from the CPSC. See my statement.” Twitter, 9 May 2025,

https://x.com/hoehnsariccpsc/status/1920838496039666092?s=46&t=fFGtPEY2EjySsBua6HhwPg. ² Hoehn-Saric, Alexander @HoehnSaricCPSC. “President Trump is attempting to illegally remove me from the CPSC. See my statement.” Twitter, 9 May 2025,

https://x.com/hoehnsariccpsc/status/1920838496039666092?s=46&t=fFGtPEY2EjySsBua6HhwPg. ³ 15 U.S. Code § 2053(a).

⁴ Id.

⁵ National Archives. “Federal Register”

www.federalregister.gov/documents/search?conditions%5Bagencies%5D%5B%5D=consumer-product safety

commission&conditions%5Bpublication_date%5D%5Bgte%5D=01%2F1%2F2021&conditions%5Bpubl ication_date%5D%5Blte%5D=01%2F20%2F2025&conditions%5Btype%5D%5B%5D=RULE&order=re levant. Accessed 14 March 2025.

⁶ Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Annual Performance Report.” 17 January 2025, www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/FY-2024-APR-508-

compliant.pdf?VersionId=7tC4.3apuIg7z.nc2fS7fzEJHSsYOPcz. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Operating Plan.” 25 February 2025, www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/FY-2025-Op-Plan-revised-02-25- 25.pdf?VersionId=eoC76aLTUB8Bq.If8WV6gezkjm9klj.1. ⁷ Id. ⁸ U.S. Reports: Humphrey's Executor v. U.S., 295 U.S. 602 (1935).

⁹ Id. ¹⁰ 15 U.S.C. § 2053(d).

¹¹ Id.

###

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People Power United is a proud member of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards which released a report: Trump Administration Aims to Shut Down Public Participation in Federal Rulemaking.

📄 Here is a copy of the press release sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

Trump Admin Aims to Shut Down Public Participation in Federal Rulemaking

For Immediate Release: July 17, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Trump administration is trying to shut down public participation in the federal rulemaking process, documented in a report released today from the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards. The Trump administration is arguing that agencies can ignore Administrative Procedure Act (APA) requirements when the president directs them to do so – a position that has no support in law – to fast track his agenda.

The APA requires agencies to provide notice of a proposed rule (regardless of whether that rule regulates or deregulates), allow public comments on the proposal, and respond to significant comments. The Trump administration is seeking to evade these requirements by directing agencies to broadly apply a narrow emergency exception to the APA’s notice and comment requirements – in effect eliminating public input on regulatory and deregulatory proposals alike.

“In its unlawful and unprecedented push to cut the public out of the regulatory process, the Trump administration’s goal is ensure that the public will have no say when it rolls back regulations that protect them,” said Sam Berger, author of the report and consultant to the coalition. “In Trump’s first term, courts routinely overturned rules that did not follow the proper procedure.”

“Public participation in rulemaking provides an important form of democratic accountability by requiring agencies to justify their actions and respond to public input,” said Rachel Weintraub, executive director of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards. “Notice and comment empowers people, regulated industries, and affected communities to share their perspective and shape policy. Trump is unlawfully taking that away.”

***

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People Power United joined a group letter opposing bills that weaken the CFPB, and oppose all legislative attempts to change the CFPB’s independence, funding and structure. Shout out to Americans for Financial Reform for leading this effort.

📄 Here is the letter signed on behalf of our People Power United members:

The Honorable French Hill The Honorable Maxine Waters Chairman Ranking Member

House Committee on Financial Services House Committee on Financial Services 2129 Rayburn House Office Building 2129 Rayburn House Office Building Washington DC, 20515 Washington DC, 20515

July 15, 2025

Re: Oppose bills that weaken the CFPB, and oppose all legislative attempts to change the CFPB’s independence, funding and structure

Dear Chairman Hill and Ranking Member Waters:

The 68 undersigned community, civil rights, consumer, civic and other organizations urge you to oppose the bills, listed below, which would undermine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and threaten its statutorily mandated consumer protection mission. The Bureau was intentionally designed by Congress to function independently, to be led by an independent director, and with a secure funding stream in order to insulate the agency from political and economic pressures and fully protect the public. This past May, the Supreme Court further reaffirmed the constitutionality of the Bureau’s funding mechanism in CFPB v. Community Financial Services Association.¹ More recently, two Texas courts in separate cases reiterated the legitimacy of the agency’s funding mechanism.²

In the fourteen years since its creation, the CFPB has helped everyday people when they are hit with junk fees, scammed, misled, and preyed upon by financial companies. The Bureau has obtained $21 billion in relief for over 200 million people through restitution or cancelled debts³ and has saved families tens of billions of dollars more through its supervisory and enforcement actions. As the primary agency charged with enforcing the Military Lending Act, the CFPB also returned $363 million to servicemembers and veterans through 39 enforcement actions (including 6 Military Lending Act violations).⁴

As a result of its important work, the general public, along with industry stakeholders, servicemember and veterans’ organizations, and consumer advocacy groups all agree that Congress and the administration must not undermine the Bureau’s independence, weaken its structure, or defund the CFPB. For these reasons, Congress must oppose the bills highlighted below, which would make it harder for the CFPB to protect everyday people from financial harms, predatory lending practices, and other unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts and practices. The CFPB’s work and mission are currently under attack through dropped enforcement cases, mass illegal firings, and stop work orders.⁵ Instead of pushing for bills to further dismantle the Bureau and protect lawbreakers,

¹ Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau v. Cmty. Fin. Servs. Ass'n of Am., Ltd., 601 U.S. 416, 416, 144 S. Ct. 1474, 1475, 218 L. Ed. 2d 455 (2024).

² See Texas v. Colony Ridge, Inc., No. CV H-24-0941, 2024 WL 4553111, at *4 (S.D. Tex. Oct. 11, 2024) and Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau v. Active Network, LLC, No. 4:22-CV-00898, 2024 WL 4437639, at *1 (E.D. Tex. Oct. 7, 2024). ³ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFBP). About the Bureau. Accessed July 14, 2025. ⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Wamsley, Laurel. “Judge blocks mass layoffs at CFPB in the latest twist over the fate of the agency.” National Public Radio. April 18, 2025.

1

Congress must do everything possible to protect the CFPB’s structure, independence, and secure funding stream.

Congress must maintain the CFPB’s stable and constitutional funding stream and oppose the “TABS Act” (H.R. 654) and the “CFPB Budget Integrity Act” (H.R. 3141). When Congress created the CFPB in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, it transferred many of the consumer protection and civil rights enforcement powers from the prudential regulators such as the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to CFPB. Like other bank regulatory agencies, the CFPB was given a stable funding stream from a dedicated Federal Reserve transfer to make sure the financial sectors the Bureau regulates—including financial institutions, payday and other high-cost lenders, as well as debt collectors and credit bureaus—are consistently supervised and comply with statutory requirements.

 H.R. 654, “Taking Account of Bureaucrat’s Spending (TABS) Act of 2025”⁶ offered by Rep. Andy Barr (Ky.), would subject the CFPB to the deeply flawed annual appropriations process, which would leave the CFPB’s funding vulnerable to congressional shutdowns, budget paralysis, deregulatory appropriations riders, and constant threats to the funding it needs, unlike its partner bank regulators the Federal Reserve, the OCC, and the FDIC. It would also imperil the CFPB’s consumer protection mission and provide Wall Street and the worst members of the financial industry with endless lobbying opportunities to deny the CFPB stable funding to protect people.

 The “CFPB Budget Integrity Act” (H.R. 3141) offered by Rep. Downing (Mont.)⁷ limits the CFPB’s ability to save unused funds in any given fiscal year. Any unobligated balances over 5 percent in any fiscal year goes straight back to the Treasury, limiting the CFPB’s ability to fulfill its mission.

Congress must protect the CFPB’s single director structure and oppose bills such as the “Commission of the Consumer Financial Protection Commission Act,” which would turn the CFPB into a commission. The CFPB’s single director structure has allowed the Bureau to successfully fulfill its public interest mission similar to single directors leading the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and the Social Security Administration (SSA). The single director is also fully accountable to answer to the President and to Congress. Congress must oppose Rep. Bill Huizenga’s (Mich.) “Commission of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Act” (H.R. 3445),⁸ which would establish a five-member bipartisan commission to lead the CFPB, with at least two commissioners selected for their financial industry experience.

A commission structure would subject the CFPB to gridlock, infighting and inertia, and make it more difficult for the Bureau to act to protect consumers. The supposed benefits of a commission are also questionable as members of bipartisan commissions such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) have been illegally fired, leaving the commissions boards largely empty.

⁶ Taking Account of Bureaucrat’s Spending Act of 2025. TABS Act. H.R. 654. 119th Cong. (2025). ⁷ The CFPB Budget Integrity Act. H.R. 3141. 119^th Cong. (2025).

⁸ Commission of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Act. H.R. 3445. 119th Cong. (2025).

2

Congress must oppose the “CFPB–Inspector General (IG) Reform Act of 2025” (H.R. 2513),⁹ which would unnecessarily establish a new inspector general for the CFPB. The CFPB already reports to Congress twice a year and is accountable to the independent Inspector General for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and to the Government Accountability Office. H.R. 2513, offered by Rep. Meuser (Pa.) only hinders the Bureau’s mission and would force the CFPB to address wasteful, duplicative oversight demands, which is especially unnecessary as the CFPB already operates under more oversight than other financial regulators.

Congress must oppose the bills below, which add wasteful, duplicative and unnecessary hurdles to the CFPB’s enforcement and regulatory functions. The Bureau must be able to continue fulfilling its consumer protection mandate through robust enforcement, regulation, and supervision. The bills below only serve to create cumbersome requirements that would greatly slow down or even stop CFPB enforcement and rulemaking efforts.

● The “CFPB Dual Mandate and Economic Analysis Act” (H.R. 2183)¹⁰ offered by Rep. Tom Emmer (Minn.) frustrates the CFPB’s ability to fulfill its mission by subjecting all proposed guidance, rules, regulations, and orders to an additional layer of bureaucratic approval and unnecessary analysis through a newly created Office of Economic Analysis. The CFPB is already subject to numerous analytical and review requirements, including extra requirements not applied to other financial regulators, and this bill would add unnecessary and wasteful time and expense to the rulemaking process.

● The “Transparency in CFPB Cost-Benefit Analysis Act” (H.R. 2331)¹¹ offered by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (Ga.), creates extra requirements for proposed CFPB rules, including requiring quantitative and qualitative assessments on the costs of each proposed regulation, alternatives to the regulation, and effects of the regulation on “economic activity, efficiency, competition and capital formation” as well as “costs imposed on State, local and tribal entities.” This bill is wholly unnecessary as the Dodd-Frank Act and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) already require the CFPB to consider and explain benefits and costs, the potential reduction of access, the impact of proposed rules on companies, reasonable alternatives, and the basis and purpose of any proposed rules.

● The “Making the CFPB Accountable to Small Business Act of 2025” (H.R. 1606)¹² offered by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (Wis.), requires the CFPB to jump through additional hoops to minimize small business impacts. These steps are wholly unnecessary as the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA) already requires the CFPB to assess the impact on small businesses, to consult early with representatives of small business entities likely to be impacted by CFPB regulations, and to consider their feedback. Under SBREFA, the CFPB also must report on the feedback received on likely impacts to small entities.

⁹ Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection-Inspector General Reform Act of 2025. CFPB-IG Reform Act of 2025. 119th Cong. (2025).

¹⁰ CFPB Dual Mandate and Economic Analysis Act. H.R. 2183. 119th Cong. (2025).

¹¹ Transparency in CFPB Cost-Benefit Analysis Act. H.R. 2331. 119th Cong. (2025).

¹² Making the CFPB Accountable to Small Business Act of 2025. H.R. 1606. 119th Cong. (2025).

3

● The “Rectifying UDAAP Act” (H.R. 1652)¹³ offered by Rep. Andy Barr (Ky.), would significantly limit the CFPB’s UDAAP (unfair, deceptive, abusive acts and practices) authority and heighten standards of proof required for the CFPB to successfully bring enforcement actions. For example, to demonstrate “abusiveness,” the CFPB would be required to show an act or practice “intentionally” interferes with a consumer’s ability to understand a material term or condition, which may be nearly impossible to show despite documented harm.¹⁴ Institutions that have engaged in misconduct would also be given a free pass to “cure” misconduct rather than face accountability for harmful practices.¹⁵

● The “Civil Investigative Demand Reform Act of 2025” (H.R. 1653)¹⁶ offered by Rep. Andy Barr (Ky.) adds burdensome steps that will slow down and make it more difficult for the CFPB to obtain civil investigative demands (CIDs) that are needed to begin timely investigations into wrongdoing. The CFPB already provides a detailed description of potential violations when it issues a CID and has a robust meet and confer process. Companies already use challenges to the CIDs to hinder and slow investigations into lawbreaking, and this bill would give them more tools to block compliance.

● The draft “Business of Insurance Regulatory Reform Act of 2025”¹⁷ offered by Rep. Bryan Steil (Wis.) would not meaningfully change or reduce the actual federal oversight of the insurance industry. Currently, the CFPB conducts extremely minimal insurance-related work that is focused on consumer financial education¹⁸ and ensuring that credit cards and other loan products do not tack on costs for credit insurance that consumers do not want or need. The draft legislation is unnecessary given the CFPB’s essentially non-existent oversight of the insurance industry and is solely intended to chill any regulatory efforts by any federal agency over the insurance industry, including consumer protection.

● The discussion draft to require federal financial institutions to jointly review the cumulative impact of regulations (currently without a sponsor)¹⁹ creates unnecessary and duplicative mandates. Federal statutes that govern federal agency rulemaking such as the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and the Paperwork Reduction Act already require agencies to consider the impact of their regulations.

 The discussion draft to amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act to provide procedures for guidance (currently without a sponsor)²⁰ would create additional bureaucratic and unnecessary hurdles when the agency issues guidance documents. This bill would also create an unnecessary procedural barrier for assessing civil money penalties and limit the CFPB’s flexibility in handling civil money penalties.

¹³ Rectifying UDAAP Act. H.R. 1652. H.R. 1652. 119th Cong. (2025).

¹⁴ Rectifying UDAAP Act. H.R. 1652. H.R. 1652. 119th Cong. §5(d)(1)(A). (2025).

¹⁵ Rectifying UDAAP Act. H.R. 1652. H.R. 1652. 119th Cong. §6.

¹⁶ Civil Investigative Demand Reform Act of 2025. H.R. 1653. 119th Cong. (2025).

¹⁷ Business of Insurance Regulatory Reform Act of 2025. Draft bill. 119^th Cong. (2025).

¹⁸ CFPB. “Learning about insurance.” August 25, 2022.

¹⁹ To require the Federal financial institutions regulatory agencies to jointly review the cumulative impact of regulations issued by such agencies, and for other purposes. [Discussion draft]. 119^th Cong. (2025).

²⁰ To amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to provide procedures for guidance issued by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, and for other purposes. [Discussion draft]. 119^th Cong. (2025).

● The “Restoring Court Authority Over Litigation Act of 2025 (H.R. 3213)” offered by Rep. Fitzgerald (Wis.)²¹ limits the ability of the CFPB and other agencies to enforce the law, and hold financial institutions accountable for unfair, deceptive, and abusive conduct. Agencies are within their full authority to sanction misconduct, regardless of the bad actor. Limiting an agency’s ability to enforce the law would have unintended downstream impacts and hurt the effort to hold repeat offenders accountable for misconduct.

Congress must oppose any legislation that would repeal or weaken Dodd-Frank authorities that help the CFPB keep the financial marketplace stable, transparent, and safe.

 The “Small Lenders Exempt from New Data and Excessive Reporting (LENDER) Act” (H.R. 941) offered by Rep. Hill significantly weakens Dodd-Frank Section 1071 by exempting financial institutions from Section 1071 requirements and making them voluntary. Such an extreme measure would only hurt small businesses and farms, both of which are important engines for economic growth and household wealth building. Dodd-Frank Section 1071 and the CFPB’s final 1071 rule make it possible to identify community development, small business, and farm capital needs, to improve transparency in small business and farm credit and lending markets, and to assess and enforce compliance with fair lending and anti-discrimination statutes. Further undermining and delaying the collection of data will make it harder to address the credit needs of communities and to see patterns of discrimination in small business and farm credit markets — discrimination which ultimately disadvantages certain small businesses and farms, which results in a less competitive marketplace that hurts all small business owners and farmers and the communities they serve.

 The Bank Loan Privacy Act (H.R. 2885) offered by Rep. Ross (N. Car.) would delay or ultimately prevent the collection and disclosure of the critical small business and farm loan data under Section 1071. The legislation would require the CFPB to re-promulgate rules on whether to delete or modify data collected under 1071, a statutory requirement that has already been delayed for 15 years, purportedly to protect privacy, although the data mirrors the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data disclosure and, like HMDA, does not disclose any information that identifies loan applicants or borrowers.

● The discussion draft to eliminate the market monitoring functions of the CFPB (currently without a sponsor)²² would gut the CFPB’s market monitoring authority, which critically helps the CFPB identify and address emerging and novel consumer risks including new technologies in non-traditional markets. This authority helps the CFPB monitor key risk areas, such as risks in credit card markets and scams targeted toward servicemembers.

 The discussion draft to limit the civil penalty fund (currently without a sponsor)²³ would undermine the CFPB’s ability to fully and flexibly use the civil penalty fund to address consumer harms. This bill significantly limits who is entitled to collect from the civil penalty fund and pushes non-disbursed money straight back to the Treasury instead of setting the money aside for future victims of financial malfeasance. This would mean that consumers

²¹ The Restoring Court Authority Over Litigation Act of 2025. H.R. 3213. 119^th Cong. (2025). ²² To amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to eliminate the market monitoring functions of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, and for other purposes. [Discussion draft]. 119^th Cong. (2025). ²³ To amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct civil penalties to victims and transfer excess funds to the Treasury, and for other purposes. [Discussion draft]. 119^th Cong. (2025).

5

who have been unlawfully financially harmed by firms that enter bankruptcy would be unlikely to receive compensation for their losses.

 The discussion draft to amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act to revise the structure and maximum amounts of civil money penalties, and to provide incentives for the self-reporting of violations (without a sponsor)²⁴ would let financial wrongdoers off the hook simply because they admitted to wrongdoing and stop the CFPB from being able to break up abusive contract terms.

 The discussion draft that requires the Secretary of the Treasury to submit a list of unused Dodd-Frank authorities (without a sponsor)²⁵ may inaccurately identify authorities that may not have had a final rulemaking, but are still nonetheless critical to avoid a repeat of another 2008 financial crisis.

Congress should not support legislation that further undermines consumer protections and consumer rights. Several pieces of legislation noticed for today’s hearing will further chip away at important consumer protections for some of the most preyed upon communities, including older adults and military families.

 The Credit Access and Inclusion Act offered by Rep. Kim (Cal.)²⁶ would preempt stronger state privacy protections for utility customers and tenants, which could potentially lower their credit scores or harm their ability to get jobs or future rental housing. This is a bill that consumer, utility rights, and housing groups have opposed for over a decade.

 The Small Dollar Loan Certainty Act offered by Rep. Kim (Cal.)²⁷ only offers certainty for consumers to get ripped off by exempting small-dollar loans from Truth in Lending Act protections such as APR disclosures. The bill also undermines the CFPB’s ability to order civil money penalties for TILA violations and would strip individuals of their right to hold small dollar lenders accountable in court for TILA violations.

 The discussion draft to amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act to require the attestation of certain information as part of the consumer complaint submission process (currently without a sponsor)²⁸ would greatly decrease transparency and accountability for financial bad actors. This bill would allow financial institutions to unilaterally close filed complaints and seal currently publicly available complaint narratives on the consumer complaints database. The bill threatens people who file complaints with possible perjury charges. Not only does the bill seek to intimidate people to discourage them from filing complaints, sealing the narratives will protect repeat offenders and hide patterns of wrongdoing.

²⁴ To amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to revise the structure and maximum amounts of civil monetary penalties, and to provide incentives for the self-reporting of violations. [Discussion draft]. 119^th Cong. (2025). ²⁵ To require the Secretary of the Treasury to submit a report that contains a list of unused authorities in the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and in the amendments made by such Act, and for other purposes. [Discussion draft]. 119th Cong. (2025).

²⁶ The Credit Access and Inclusion Act. [Discussion draft]. 119^th Cong. (2025).

²⁷ The Small Dollar Loan Certainty Act. [Discussion draft]. 119^th Cong. (2025).

²⁸ To amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to require the attestation of certain information as part of the consumer complaint submission process, and for other purposes. [Discussion draft]. 119^th Cong. (2025).

6

 The FCRA Liability Harmonization Act offered by Rep. Loudermilk (Ga.)²⁹ is an anti consumer bill that would dramatically reduce accountability for credit reporting agencies when they violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by eliminating punitive damages, no matter how egregious the violation. The bill also caps both statutory damages and actual damages for class actions to $500,000, no matter how many thousands or millions of consumers have been harmed or the extent of their losses. This bill has been opposed by consumer advocates since it was first introduced around the time of the 2017 Equifax data breach that compromised the data of 147 million individuals.

 The discussion draft to amend FCRA to limit liability for data resellers offered by Rep. Lawler (New York)³⁰ unnecessarily lets these companies off the hook for errors. Data resellers are already covered under the FCRA’s accuracy requirements. What the bill does is limit the reseller’s liability if the company from which it purchased the data made the same error, even if the reseller knew or should have known that the information was inaccurate.

 The discussion draft to undo current SEC authority to regulate forced arbitration³¹ (currently without a sponsor) would strip away any ability for the SEC to consider how and when to regulate forced arbitration, a practice that funnels investor cases into a private and non-transparent proceeding rather than allowing an investor to file their case in court.

At a time when the CFPB is facing waves of attacks in order to stop its important work to serve the public, Congress must vigorously oppose all of the above-mentioned bills and work instead to keep the CFPB intact, independent, strong, and with a secure funding stream, exactly as envisioned in the

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. As Congress works through both budget reconciliation and the appropriations process, once again, Congress must vigorously oppose any legislative efforts to weaken or change the structure of the CFPB.

Sincerely,

20/20 Vision

Accountable.US/Accountable.NOW

Action Center on Race and the Economy

American Association of People with Disabilities

American Economic Liberties Project

American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP)

Americans for Financial Reform

Arkansas Community Organizations

Association for Housing and Neighborhood Development.

Center for Digital Democracy

²⁹ The FCRA Liability Harmonization Act. [Discussion draft]. 119th Cong. (2025). See also Warmbrodt, Zachary. “Finance industry's deregulation drive faces new threat with Equifax.” Politico. September 13, 2017. (“The congressman instructed the committee that ‘he would like to see no further action on H.R. 2359, pending a full and complete investigation into the Equifax breach,’ according to Loudermilk spokeswoman Shawna Mercer”). ³⁰ To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require resellers of information contained in consumer reports to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of such information before transmitting such information, and for other purposes. [Discussion draft]. 119th Cong. (2025).

³¹ To repeal unused authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission related to restricting certain mandatory predispute arbitration, and for other purposes. [Discussion draft]. 119th Cong. (2025).

7

Center for Economic Justice

Center for Elder Law & Justice

Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR) Center for Responsible Lending

Center for Survivor Agency and Justice

Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy, and Research Organization (CLLARO) Community Change Action

Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) Consumer Action

Consumer Federation of America

Consumer Reports

Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety

Economic Action Maryland Fund

Economic Empowerment Center DBA Lending Link

Faith in Action

Faith in New Jersey

Forward Justice Action Network

Government Information Watch

Hawaiian Community Assets

HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance Health Care for America Now (HCAN)

Hispanic Brotherhood, Inc.

Impact Fund

Indivisible Bellingham

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility

Just Solutions

JustUS Coordinating Council

KGACLC

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

Mommieactivist and sons

National Association of Consumer Advocates

National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC)

National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients) National Consumers League

National Disability Institute

National Employment Law Project

National Black Justice Collective (NBJC)

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center

New Yorkers for Responsible Lending

Open Markets Institute

Oregon Consumer Justice

Oregon Consumer League

People Power United

Popular Democracy

Public Citizen

Public Good Law Center

Public Justice

8

Public Justice Center

Rise Economy

South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center Student Borrower Protection Center Texas Appleseed

The Neighborhood Developers

TURN-The Utility Reform Network UnidosUS

William E. Morris Institute for Justice Woodstock Institute

***

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People Power United joined a group statement denouncing the racist Entry Ban announced by the Trump administration. Shout out to Muslims for Just Futures for leading this effort.

📄 Here is the statement made on behalf of our People Power United members:

June 9, 2025

The below statement, led by Muslims for Just Futures and UndocuBlack Network with support from Building Movement Project, is an expression of the deep solidarity between organizations, movements, and coalitions to oppose the racist Entry Ban announced by the Trump Administration in June 2025.

Today (June 9, 2025), as the Trump Administration implements the entry ban, over 260 groups raise our voices in solidarity to oppose it. Our groups represent a wide swath of communities, issues, and movements across the United States including immigrant rights, economic, gender, LGBTQ and racial justice. We support all the communities targeted by the ban, which is the latest in a series of harmful policies affecting Black and Brown immigrants and their families both in the United States and in the Global South. We call upon elected, faith, and institutional leaders, and all people of conscience to join us in solidarity and to support vulnerable communities through the calls to action at the end of the statement.

Our organizations work closely with communities nationwide, representing diverse faiths, nationalities, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. We oppose the targeting of our communities through anti-immigrant and racist policies, including the Trump Administration’s Entry Ban issued on June 4, 2025. The Trump Administration has revived a policy that disproportionately targets Black and Brown immigrants, particularly those from the Global South, and those from majority-Muslim countries and African states with a particular nod to the global nature of anti-Black racism, anti-Asian hate, and propaganda against Latinx-majority and Caribbean countries.

The Entry Ban suspends entry of people seeking to enter the U.S. from the following twelve (12) countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Furthermore, an additional (7) countries would be subjected to extreme visa restrictions, including Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. (Proclamation, “Restricting the Entry Of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats”).

The 2025 Entry Ban echoes the same sentiments as the previous Muslim and African bans, relying on fear-mongering and scapegoating rather than legitimate security concerns. Despite the Administration’s stated goal of reducing waste and governmental overspending, many countries targeted by the ban already experience disproportionately high U.S. visa denial rates and face extensive additional vetting, raising serious questions about the necessity, efficiency, and intent behind the policy. It raises significant constitutional concerns, undermines the credibility of U.S. immigration policy, and threatens to further damage the country’s international reputation, particularly with key allies across Africa and Muslim countries.

The 2025 Entry Ban is not an isolated policy, but merely the latest in a series of cruel and anti-immigrant policies implemented by the Trump Administration. Over the past six months, our organizations have witnessed an appalling disregard for human rights as mass deportations, increased surveillance, attacks on free speech, and the dismantlement of refugee and asylum pathways all wreak havoc on our communities.

The 2025 Entry Ban will have a range of harmful consequences on the lives of people, on institutions, and on global relations. It will prevent people from coming to the United States to reunite with their families, to study or work, or to seek vital medical care. U.S. citizens will be separated from their spouses, parents, or children who reside in targeted countries. The Entry Ban will also disrupt research, workplaces, and educational institutions relying on collaborations with individuals from banned countries. Additionally, the Entry Ban will further strain global relations between the U.S. and the targeted countries and will betray long-standing relationships with allies (in particular, Afghanistan). The Entry Ban will also impact Black and Brown community members here in the U.S. who may face increased surveillance, discrimination and targeting.

The 2025 Entry Ban is a part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to expand immigration enforcement and counterterrorism policies. It is rooted in the Administration’s national security executive order (EO 14161) which expanded the use of extreme vetting policies; set the stage for the use of ideological screenings to suppress dissent and activism; called for funding denaturalization programs; and broadened terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds for migrants and asylum seekers. The 2025 Entry Ban goes further by requiring countries to enter into information sharing agreements and agree to other extreme screening and vetting procedures as may be mandated by the Administration. It places suspicion on people from certain countries as national security risks, opening them up to further surveillance, monitoring and vetting, and potential detention and deportation.

The 2025 Entry Ban resembles the destructive Muslim and African bans from the last Trump presidency and will lead to discriminatory practices, chaotic implementation, and the harmful consequences of separating and terrorizing families. It will place needless obstacles before ordinary people seeking to enter the United States in order to reunite with family members, start jobs, begin a course of study, or access life-saving medical care. In fact, communities are still bearing the burdens of the bans that targeted Muslim-majority and African countries during the first Trump Administration. Most individuals separated from their families have yet to reunite with their family members. Others, such as Mohammed Saleh, are mourning loved ones. Saleh’s 20-year-old son Ayman who resided in Yemen and needed treatment for a congenital heart condition was barred from the US due to the Muslim ban; he died in Yemen in 2021. Unimaginable stories like these could have been avoided had the bans not been in place then - and will undoubtedly occur again as a result of the 2025 Entry Ban.

For many communities, the Trump Administration’s executive orders and policies on immigration and national security represent authoritarianism and terror. Throughout our country’s history - from the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II to the special registration requirements after September 11th to the first Muslim ban in 2017 - the U.S. government has used national security as a basis to deny fundamental rights to certain groups of people. It was wrong then, and it is wrong today. We stand in solidarity with all communities affected by the Trump Administration’s racist 2025 Entry Ban.

Here are ways in which organizations and allies can be in solidarity with impacted communities.

1. Encourage public statements of solidarity from civil society. We call upon nonprofit, faith, business, and civic leaders, as well as elected officials at all levels, to join us in making statements of solidarity and support.

2. Provide direct legal resources, access and representation: We call upon the broader immigration and refugee organizations to support communities directly impacted by the ban and existing anti-immigrant and national security policies. This includes organizing know your rights workshops with community members in order to share critical information while setting realistic expectations about legal limitations in an authoritarian environment.

3. Build Cross-Movement Solidarity: At this time, it is vital to develop broader local immigration, refugee and community defense efforts that are inclusive of the targeted communities to ensure no one is left behind.

4. Support Community Grieving, Care & Processing Spaces: In the first iteration of the ban, cultivating community-led processing spaces that infused culture, food, and storytelling with impacted community members helped to build community and support individuals in processing grief, fear, and trauma, including the emotional and psychological toll of state terror.

5. Support Economic and Community Actions: In 2017, thousands of individuals showed up at airports to protest the Muslim ban. In New York City, the Yemeni bodega strike marked one of the largest protests led by impacted communities and demonstrated the economic power of immigrant and refugee communities. Actions like these can send the message that broad swaths of individuals oppose the 2025 Entry Ban.

6. Strengthen Sanctuary Movements: It is important to include the impact of the 2025 Entry Ban in efforts to strengthen and expand sanctuary movements at the local level.

Signatories:

Coordinated by Muslims for Just Futures and UndocuBlack Network, with support from Building Movement Project. See the full list of signatories below.

10Power

18 Million Rising

99 Coalition

A/PIDVRP

AAPI NJ

AAPIS for Justice (San Antonio, TX)

Acacia Center for Justice

Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE)

Adalah Justice Project

Adhikaar for Human Rights and Social Justice

Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE)

Afghan-American Foundation

Afghans For A Better Tomorrow

African Communities Together (ACT)

AfroResistance

Al Otro Lado

Alexandria for Palestine

Alliance of Baptists

American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

American Friends Service Committee

American Muslim Advisory Council

ANAR

Anethum Global

APIA Vote-Michigan

Arab American Association of New York

Arab Resource & Organizing Center Action (AROC Action)

Arlington for Palestine

Armenian-American Advancement Network

ASATA Power

Asian American Advocacy Fund

Asian American Association of New Mexico

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)

Asian American Liberation Network

Asian American Pacific Islander Civic Engagement Collaborative (ACE)

Asian American Psychological Association

Asian American Resource Workshop

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Asian Americans United

Asian Law Alliance

Asian Law Caucus

Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network

Asian Refugees United

Aurora Commons LLC

AVAN Immigrant Services

Ayuda

AZ AANHPI Advocates

Battle Born Progress

Beloved Community Incubator

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action

Black Lives Matter OKC

Black Pacific Alliance

Blasian March

Building Movement Project

CAIR Washington

CAIR-CA

CASA

Casa Carmelita

Catalyst Project

Center for Constitutional Rights

Center for Economic Democracy

Center for Gender & Refugee Studies

Center for Security, Race and Rights

Challenging Islamophobia Together Chicagoland

Chhaya Community Development Corporation

Chicory Wealth

Chinese for Affirmative Action

Church World Service

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP)

Congregation Action Network

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces

Decolonize Sudan

Defending Rights & Dissent

Detention Watch Network

Dignidad/The Right to Immigration Institute

DRUM - Desis Rising Up & Moving

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant

Education Justice Alliance

Elmahaba Center

Emgage Action

Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)

Envision Freedom Fund

EqualHealth

Fairmont United Methodist Church--Raleigh, NC

Feminist Generation

Florida Student Power

Free Speech For People

Freedom for Immigrants

Freedom Network USA

Freedom to Thrive

Frontera Federation

GALEO Impact Fund

Georgia AAPI Hub

Georgia Muslim Voter Project

Global Justice Clinic, NYU School of Law

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR)

Grassroots Asians Rising

Haitian Bridge Alliance

HANA Center

Harrisburg Palestine Coalition

HEART

Highlander Research and Education Center

Hindus for Human Rights

Hmong Innovating Politics

Jewish Voice for Peace

Human Rights First

IfNotNow Movement

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef)

Immigrant Justice Network

Immigrant Legal Resource Center

Immigration Equality

Immigration Hub

Immigration Law & Justice Network

Immigration Law & Justice New York

Inclusive Muslims of Central Virginia

International Refugee Assistance Project

Interrupting Criminalization

Jahajee: Indo-Caribbeans for Gender Justice

Japanese American Citizens League, San Jose Chapter

Jewish Community Action

Jewish Voice for Peace

Jews Say No!

Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice

Kataly Foundation

Kensington Corridor Trust

La ColectiVA

Lavender Phoenix

Leaders of Kenosha (LOK)

Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA)

Make the Road Nevada

Make the Road NY

Make the Road States

Mamas 4 A Free Palestine

May First Movement Technology

MediaJustice

Metrowest Interfaith Community

Miami Valley Immigration Coalition

Migrant Roots Media

Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue

MinKwon Center for Community Action

MontCo4P

Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network

Movement for Black Lives

MPower Change Action Fund

Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice

Muslim Advocates

Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC)

Muslims for Just Futures

NAKASEC

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)

National Asian Pacific American Families Allied for Substance Awareness and Harm Reduction

National Asian Pacific American’s Women Forum

National CAPACD

National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP)

National Employment Law Project

National Immigrant Justice Center

National Immigration Law Center

National Immigration Project

National Iranian American Council (NIAC)

National Korean American Service and Education Consortium

National Lawyers Guild-Bay Area Chapter

National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund

National Partnership for New Americans

National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance

National Religious Campaign Against Torture

Natural Investments

NCAAT in Action

NDN Collective

Never Again Action

Never Again Action DC

New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice

New Mexico Asian Family Center

New York Immigration Coalition

Nicaraguan American Legal Defense and Education Fund, NALDEF

North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT)

North Star Fund

NorthStar Asset Management

NY-09 for Palestine

Oasis Legal Services

Obran Capital Advisors

OCA South Florida Chapter

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, Greater Cleveland Chapter

Ohio Immigrant Alliance

One APIA Nevada

One APIA Nevada

OPAWL-Building AAPI Feminist Leadership

Oxfam America

PARCEO

Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)

Peace Catalyst International

People Power United

Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee

Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada

Progressive Technology Project

Progressive Technology Project

Project Hajra

Proyecto Faro

Quixote Center

Radical Elders

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Resource Generation

Revolutionary Love Project

Right To Be

Rising Majority

Rising Voices

Rivanna Area Queer Center

ROC-DC

Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network

Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus

Saint Paul Federation of Educators, Local 28

Sakhi for South Asian Survivors

San Jose Nikkei Resisters (SJNR)

Sanctuary Campus Network

SEAC Village

Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)

Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign

Showing Up for Racial Justice

Showing Up for Racial Justice NYC

Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)

South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO)

South Asian Network

South Asian Public Health Association

South Asian SOAR

South Brooklyn Sanctuary

South Dakota Voices for Peace

Southeast Dignity not Detention Coalition

Southwest Coalition for Palestine

St. James' Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission, Skaneateles, NY

Stop AAPI Hate

SURJ Northern Virginia

T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

The Advocates for Human Rights

The Center for Third World Organizing

The Festival Center

The Interfaith Center of New York

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

The MADE Institute

The May 13 Group

The Sikh Coalition

The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

The Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality

Together for Brothers

Transgender Law Center

UltraViolet Action

UndocuBlack Network

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

United Women in Faith

US Solidarity Economy Network

VECINA

Viet Place Collective (VPC)

VietLead

Voces de la Frontera

We Are All America (WAAA)

Western States Center

Win Without War

Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center

Witness at the Border

Women Cross DMZ

Women Watch Afrika

Women's March

Woodner Tenants' Union

Woori Juntos

Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights

Zevin Asset Management

***

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People Power United joined a coalition letter to Congress opposing any provisions in the reconciliation bill that would weaken or dismantle regulations that protect the American public. Shout out to Coalition for Sensible Safeguards for leading this effort.

📄 Here is the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

June 20, 2025

Dear Majority Leader Thune, Minority Leader Schumer, Chairman Paul, and Ranking Member Peters:

The undersigned allied organizations strongly oppose the inclusion in the reconciliation bill of any provisions designed to attack regulations that protect the American public. By definition, such provisions either have no budgetary effect or they only produce budgetary effects that are “merely incidental,” and thus cannot be legitimately included in a reconciliation bill under existing Senate rules. The Senate HSGAC title of the reconciliation bill includes deeply problematic language imposing a regulatory moratorium, as well as a provision proposing to give blanket congressional approval to White House plans to reorganize and dismantle government agencies.

The proposed moratorium, which also includes language similar to the destructive Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, violates the Byrd rule because its goal is to curb the promulgation of all major rules, and would be a radical and extreme anti-regulatory change to the rulemaking process, policy effects that dwarf the budgetary effects of the provision, if there even are any. Specifically, it would result in a complete moratorium for new regulations that protect the public until 2034, if those regulations result in a budgetary impact of more than $100 million dollars annually, and unless a statute has “explicitly directed the proposed rulemaking and the associated effect on Federal outlays or revenues, indicating a specific amount.”

The full scope of this regulatory moratorium is not immediately clear, but we believe that it would effectively prohibit most, if not all, new rulemaking. The provision does not define what would constitute a “non-negligible budgetary effect” that triggers the initial White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) review process. Similarly, we are uncertain if any regulation would be able to be issued under the extreme and prescriptive new rulemaking standard required by this section. The discretion it confers, leaves open the possibility for a future administration hostile to regulatory safeguards to define this concept expansively to encompass a broad range of rules, including those that provide essential protections for consumers, workers, the environment, the public’s health and safety, children, and much more. To illustrate, this provision could prevent new food safety protections if there is a budgetary impact regarding food safety inspectors. Or it could block new lead in drinking water protections due to potential budgetary impact of replacing lead pipes. Also, in creating this review process, this provision would confer new broad authority to OIRA over independent agencies that did not previously exist.

Finally, this provision limits Congress’ future discretion to enact laws, its constitutional role outlined in Article One, and instead turns that power over to the President. This provision would allow a President and their Administration to wholesale block the implementation of laws that Congress enacts by giving the executive the final decision on whether Congress has “explicitly directed” a rulemaking and the associated effect on Federal outlays or revenues, indicating a specific amount. This means, for example, that the President might refuse to issue regulations clearly mandated under landmark laws such as the Clean Water Act or the Occupational Safety and Health Act, by claiming that those laws did not specify a specific budgetary impact.

The Executive Reorganization Plans provision also poses an unacceptable danger to the effective functioning of agencies charged with protecting the public interest. It is imperative that Congress conduct robust and aggressive oversight in response to the damage caused by DOGE actions and the Trump Administration Executive Orders to radically overhaul and weaken essential

regulatory programs. This provision of the Senate HSGAC Reconciliation bill would make things worse by giving the Administration a “rubber stamp” to continue its dismantling of government agencies, mass firings of federal workers, and rollbacks of vital regulatory protections.

Compared to previous legislative efforts to provide Presidents with authority to put forth government reorganization plans, this provision is far more extensive and extreme. It creates a pathway for the President to eliminate entire government agencies, including independent agencies, gut essential government programs and services that the public relies upon, fire federal civil servants at will, and roll back regulations at the behest of corporate special interests. None of this will improve government nor make it more effective as has been the intent of all previous congressional grants of authority to Presidents regarding government reorganization plans.

This section, too, radically reduces the Constitutional lawmaking power of Congress to create the structure and practices of the executive branch, by handing it over to the President.

For these reasons, we strongly urge you to oppose the inclusion of the regulatory moratorium language and anything similar to it or similar to the REINS Act, the Executive Reorganization Plans provision, and all other anti-regulatory language with policy goals from the budget reconciliation bill.

Sincerely,

Accountable.US/Accountable.NOW

AFL-CIO

American Economic Liberties Project

American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

American Sustainable Business Council

Americans For Financial Reform

Center for Digital Democracy

Center for Economic Justice

Center for Justice & Democracy

Center for Progressive Reform

Coalition for Sensible Safeguards

Consumer Action

Consumer Federation of America

Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council

Earthjustice Action

Economic Policy Institute

EDF Action

Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Endangered Species Coalition

Government Information Watch

Greenpeace USA

Impact Fund

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility

League of Conservation Voters

National Association of Consumer Advocates

National Consumers League

National Employment Law Project

National Health Law Program

Natural Resources Defense Council

Oceana

Oregon Consumer Justice

People Power United

Physicians for Social Responsibility

Public Citizen

Public Knowledge

Rise Economy

Union of Concerned Scientists

United Steelworkers (USW)

CC: Senator Merkley

Senator Graham

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