Urgent Action This Wednesday
Sens. Schumer & Gillibrand Office Visits
Join IMV members for emergency office district office visits to Sen. Schumer and Sen. Gillibrand in Syracuse:
Wednesday, Feb. 5
1:00 pm -3:00 pm
James M. Hanley Federal Bldg
100 South Clinton St.
Syracuse, NY 13261
1:00 pm Sen. Schumer's Office Room 841
2:00 pm Sen. Gillibrand's Office Room 1470
IMV members are joining with a wide range of Central New York constituents in response to the "We Choose to Fight Back" effort to unite Democratic Senators and make Republican senators feel the heat for the acceleration of the Musk-Trump takeover if Russell Vought, the architect of Project 202t5, is confirmed as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. If you want to read more, here is the Toolkit with the background on why this action is so important.
I Can't Go Wednesday. How Can I Help?
The are many ways to get involved in this urgent action. Here are some things anyone can do:
1. Make phone calls to Sen. Schumer (315) 423-5471 and Sen. Gillibrand (315) 448-0470 today, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Just ask them to use every block and delay tactic in their power against Russell Vought's nomination. And vote no at every point of his confirmation process.
2. Write a Letter to the Editor. There is language in the toolkit to help you.
3. Get other people to make calls to our Senators or their Senators if they live in another state.
4. Post on social media. Make a selfie video to alert less political people about this immediate threat.
That's It. Let's show our people power! (Everything below is just background info for you).
Grab a friend and head to Syracuse Wednesday and keep calling Sen. Schumer & Gillibrand!
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
We are in crisis. The Trump administration is attempting to shut down the functions of the federal government while it hands unchecked power and access over to an unelected billionaire. We need to delay, fight, and defeat everything we can, and that starts with Congress standing up and saying “no.”
This week, that fight is focused on Russell Vought, the nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who is the human embodiment of the effort to freeze federal funding and the architect of Project 2025. As Trump and Musk are moving to raid the Treasury, it’s essential that Democrats (and Republicans) in Congress send a clear message: “We will fight. Vought will not glide through to join you in your efforts to take money from the American people.”
THE TRUMP-MUSK FUNDING GRAB: THE QUIET COUP
Since taking office, President Trump and Elon Musk have worked together to defund the federal government from the inside while consolidating power into the hands of a right-wing elite. Their goal is clear: gut federal agencies, strip public resources, and redirect power and money into their own hands.
Agencies Are Starved of Ability to Help People: Key federal agencies—including the Departments of Health, Education, and Transportation—have been forced into bare-bones operations, unable to implement vital programs we depend on.
FEMA and Disaster Relief Blocked: Funding for emergency relief programs is being deliberately slowed or denied, leaving communities vulnerable.
Social Security and Medicare Under Threat: Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” has gained full access to the U.S. Treasury's federal payment system, which processes Social Security, Medicare, and tax refunds. His team now has access to millions of Americans’ financial data and can manipulate payments.
DOGE is a Smokescreen for Dismantling the Federal Government: Under the guise of “efficiency,” Musk has proposed cutting $1 trillion in government spending, targeting social programs, education, healthcare, and regulatory agencies that protect consumers and workers.
At the same time, Trump and Senate Republicans are fast-tracking Russell Vought as OMB Director to oversee this attack on federal funding.
VOUGHT IS THE ARCHITECT OF PROJECT 2025
Vought wrote a chapter of Project 2025, which starts by outlining the role that OMB should play in implementing the massively unpopular playbook. If confirmed, Russell Vought will control federal spending. That means he will claim to have the power to:
Freeze funding for critical programs like Medicaid, public schools, environmental protections, and infrastructure.
Redirect federal dollars to right-wing priorities, including tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate handouts.
Defund regulatory agencies that keep corporations in check and protect workers and consumers.
THE PROCESS: HOW THE SENATE WILL PROCEED WITH THE VOUGHT CONFIRMATION VOTE
Monday: Motion to Proceed (MTP) passes, allowing debate on the nomination.
Immediately After: Republican Sen. John Thune can file cloture, starting the two legislative day clock before a cloture vote.
Wednesday: Cloture vote happens, kicking off 30 hours of debate.
Wednesday - Thursday: Senate Democrats must use the full 30 hours to expose this crisis and block the nomination at every turn.
Thursday (or Friday!): Final vote on Vought’s confirmation. If he is confirmed, the Trump-Musk takeover accelerates.
Senate Democrats must treat this as the constitutional crisis it is. They must use every tool to block and delay. But Republicans are fully complicit in this power grab. We need public outrage, attention, and accountability focused on every Senator who is backing this takeover.
Republican Senators must feel the heat. They need to know that their constituents see what they are doing and that there will be political consequences.
SIGN IDEAS FOR SENATE DEMOCRATS
You can download printable versions of some of these signs here.
VOUGHT NO!
NO ISN’T ENOUGH—FIGHT BACK!
STOP TRUMP & MUSK’S POWER GRAB
NO ONE VOTED FOR ELON MUSK
VOTE NO ON VOUGHT. STOP PROJECT 2025
DEMOCRACY IS ON THE LINE—ACT LIKE IT
ELON DOESN’T RUN THIS COUNTRY—WE DO
SENATE DEMS: BLOCK, DELAY, OBSTRUCT—NO EXCUSES
TRUMP & MUSK WANT TO RAID THE TREASURY—STOP THEM
FIGHT LIKE OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT
Trump and Musk are moving fast, and we need to stop them. While Republican senators will be in DC, our goal is to make them receive panicked phone calls from their state staff about backlash from constituents. We’re not letting Republicans get away with this power grab. We choose to fight. We say #VoughtNo.
Please grab a friend and head to Syracuse on Wednesday. And keep calling.***
*** IMV only sends these urgent action emails once or twice a year at most. So you know this is serious. Please call now.
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