update & legislative report 02/28/2025

You can make a difference

Join NWI Takes Action this Tuesday, March 4th, 4-6pm, at the old courthouse square in Crown Point as we say NO to billionaires rampaging through our democracy. This event will be held RAIN OR SHINE, so bring umbrellas and signs!
 
1st District Congressman Mrvan is hosting a virtual Community Forum on Wed., March 5 at 5:30 on his YouTube channel. Register and submit your questions for the Congressman here.
 
Our next public meeting will be Thursday, March 6 at 6pm at the Merrillville Library. Hear from our guest speaker, Buffy Adams of IYG, https://iyg.org IYG “creates safer spaces to foster community and provides programming that empowers LBGTQ+ young people and magnifies their voices.” They just opened a location in Crown Point on Rt 30 (almost in Schererville). As time permits, we will also break into our working groups. Please register here—and bring a friend!
 
Join a weekly discussion with Indivisible’s co-founders.. They will answer questions and help us take effective actions as we all join together to fight back. Register for What’s the Plan? A Weekly Discussion with Indivisible’s Co-Founders here.
 
Indivisible has endorsed Judge Susan Crawford for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. If you want to help elect this well-qualified candidate and keep Wisconsin’s liberal majority on their supreme court, go to Indivisible’s Action Hub here: https://indivisible.org/scowis2025. Elon Musk is backing her opponent with his millions; let’s fight back.
 
Get weekly email updates from Indivisible that include calls to action. Sign up here: https://act.indivisible.org/signup/get-updates-indivisible
 
Jeff Bezos announced in “gauzy language” that the Wahington Post will only publish opinion pieces he agrees with.
“The future of media is independent. That means smaller entities, but they will also be free of corporate influence. That doesn’t mean they will be unbiased. Everyone has biases – even the New York Times, but those biases — ideological or otherwise — will be more transparent.
I encourage everyone to support independent media with their attention and their dollars. That means non-profit entities like ProPublica, accountability journalism from More Perfect Union and Popular Information , independent news like Jessica Yellin’s News Not Noise, and Courier News and and progressive pro-democracy outlets like The Bulwark, The Contrarian, Zeteo, and so many others.” (Message Box)
Downtown Nasty Women has a list of trusted news sources here.
We have a list of sources of reliable information on our website here.

Congress

Congress must now prioritize the budget amid looming deadlines.
The budget, the debt ceiling and reconciliation from GovTrack.us:
The major policy question is what will emerge from the Budget Reconciliation process, an effort by Republicans to fast-track around Democrats and put their spending and taxation priorities into law. 

  • Senate Republicans advanced a budget resolution (S.Con.Res.7) out of the upper chamber on a 52-48 vote, but it doesn’t include everything that Trump has demanded. (They intend to move a second resolution with the rest of his priorities.)
  • House Republicans passed their own Budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 14) with almost all their priorities in one bill. The Senate held off on the more divisive stuff until later.
  • Another rapidly approaching crossroads is the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bills. FY 2025 started on October 1, but Republicans prevented the adoption of bills to appropriate (i.e. direct the spending of) funds. The government has been running on autopilot under a “continuing resolution,” which more or less kept funding levels at the FY 2024 level. But that continuing resolution ends on March 14th, and Congress must pass the appropriations bills to keep the government open.
    • To pass appropriations bills, they will need Democratic support in the Senate and perhaps in the House.
    • However, the Trump administration’s use of impoundment — when the White House illegally prevents the spending of funds already appropriated by Congress — is making it hard to strike an agreement over the spending levels.
    • Democrats are insisting that the Trump administration follow the law and spend money as Congress has directed.
    • Senior Republicans have indicated they want to give Trump a free hand, in other words, let him ignore the law. There is no incentive for Democrats to negotiate when any deal can be undone after it is enacted
  • Making all of this more fraught is the need to address the debt ceiling. Republican demagoguery on raising or eliminating the debt ceiling means that some Republicans are unwilling to vote for such a measure, necessitating Democratic votes.
    • The government already is using extraordinary measures to stay open, but at some point will run out of runway and will start missing payments to creditors.
    • Should this happen, the financial markets will seize up and we likely will experience an economic catastrophe. When is the X date everything goes blooey? Best guess is sometime in the spring or summer, depending on tax receipts

Passed the House

H.Con.Res. 14: Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034 GovTrack.us: Passed 217 – 215 with no Democratic support. View the vote.
H.Con.Res. 14 is a concurrent resolution in the United States Congress.
A concurrent resolution is often used for matters that affect the rules of Congress or to express the sentiment of Congress. It must be agreed to by both the House and Senate in identical form but is not signed by the President and does not carry the force of law. Read the summary at Congress.gov.
From American Journal of Managed Care:

  • “The budget resolution proposes $880 billion in Medicaid cuts over a decade, affecting nearly 80 million Americans, nearly a quarter of the American population.
  • The resolution is part of a GOP plan to enact $4.5 trillion in tax cuts while addressing the national debt limit.
  • Potential consequences include coverage losses, benefit reductions, and stricter eligibility requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries.
  • If the resolution becomes law, states could be forced to make up for the federal funding shortfall, likely leading coverage losses, benefit reductions, or stricter eligibility requirements.3 One of the most controversial provisions allows states to impose work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries, a move that could eliminate coverage for millions.
  • Hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers—many of which rely on Medicaid reimbursements—would also feel the impact. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 32% of Medicaid spending in 2023 was for hospital-based care. Cutting federal support could strain health care facilities that are already underfunded, particularly in rural areas If the resolution becomes law, states could be forced to make up for the federal funding shortfall, likely leading to coverage losses, benefit reductions, or stricter eligibility requirements.3 One of the most controversial provisions allows states to impose work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries, a move that could eliminate coverage for millions.
  • The proposal faces opposition from some Republicans and significant resistance in the Senate, with concerns about its impact on constituents.

H.R. 77: Midnight Rules Relief Act
This bill allows Congress to disapprove multiple regulations under one joint resolution of disapproval if the regulations were submitted for review during a portion of the final year of a President’s term.
Under current law, the Congressional Review Act generally provides for a period of additional review during the succeeding Congress for regulations that were submitted during the last 60 legislative days of the prior Congress. However, each joint resolution may disapprove of only one regulation. (Congress.gov) Passed 212-208 with all Indiana representatives voting yea except Reps Mrvan and Carson who voted nay. View the vote.

The House has 12 priority bills; several have passed and await a vote in the Senate. One has been signed into law.

These priority bills have not yet received a vote:
H.R. 31: POLICE Act of 2025, introduced Jan. 3.
H.R. 32: No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act, introduced Jan. 3.
H.R. 22: SAVE Act, introduced Jan. 3.

Senate

Confirmations
More information on each nominee / confirmed cabinet member from the AP.

  • Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence confirmed 52-48
  • Kennedy, Secretary of Health and Human Services confirmed 52-48
  • Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture confirmed 72-28
  • Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce passed 51-45
  • Loeffler, Administrator of the Small Business Administration passed 52-46
  • Patel, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation passed 51-49

Passed the Senate

S.Con.Res.7 – An original concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034.
This is the start of a budget reconciliation bill, and is not as broad as what passed in the House. See Congress.gov.

To find and contact your Members of Congress:  https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials 

In other news

A White House meeting that was intended to kick off negotiations on a deal over Ukraine’s rare earth minerals devolved this afternoon into a remarkable confrontation, with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance chastising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and telling him he wasn’t grateful enough to the United States. (NBC)

“European leaders jumped to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s defense after his contentious meeting with President Trump in Washington that started with a warm tone but derailed swiftly. The heads of Spain, Portugal, Norway, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Germany and other top diplomats stood behind Zelensky shortly after his huddle with Trump and Vice President Vance went off the rails, with both the scheduled joint press conference and signing of a key minerals deal being canceled afterward.” (The Hill) 

In the latest news of illegal terminations of federal employees and agencies, NOAA 800 employees have been fired. “The terminated NOAA workers’ letters said, “The Agency finds you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and/or skills do not fit the Agency’s current needs.” More firings are expected today. “The National Weather Service’s mission is to “protect lives and property.”
The terminations are a blow to an agency that has been understaffed for years, even as the climate crisis accelerates and extreme weather becomes more frequent. Critics of the administration’s plan to slash the agency — a directive that was outlined in Project 2025 — have said layoffs would further cripple America’s ability to accurately forecast hurricanes, tornadoes and other costly, deadly extreme weather.” (CNN) 

Government layoffs to date from Forbes

“A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Thursday to retract directives that prompted the firing of thousands of federal workers, saying that those directives were “illegal” and suggesting that the layoffs be stopped.
The ruling, by Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California, stopped short of ordering a halt in the firings and added to the confusion for federal employees, who have been rattled by the mass firings in recent days.
But Judge Alsup found that the government’s human resources division had exceeded its authority when it issued a pair of memos outlining steps to fire an estimated 200,000 probationary workers.” (NYT)

“A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting some temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration’s massive trimming of the federal workforce.
The ruling puts one of the most comprehensive pauses so far on the attempts of President Donald Trump’s administration to carry out mass firings across federal agencies.” (ABC)

“Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that President Donald Trump’s administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save the government any money, the administration’s own data shows…Some of the canceled contracts were intended to modernize and improve the way government works, which would seem to be at odds with DOGE’s cost-cutting mission.
One of the largest, for instance, went to a consulting firm to help carry out a reorganization at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, which led the agency’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The maximum $13.6 million had already been obligated to Deloitte Consulting LLP for help with the restructuring, which included closing several research offices.” (AP News)

Takeaways from first cabinet meeting from BBC

Corruption (CNN)

  • A businessman who pumped $75 million into the Trump family-backed crypto token finds himself in a fortunate position this week as federal securities regulators are hitting pause on their civil fraud case against him.
  • The president has paused all investigations into corporate foreign bribery.
  • He fired inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies.
  • His Justice Department has moved to suspend its case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, whom prosecutors had accused of soliciting bribes from Turkish nationals (allegations Adams denies). 
  • Trump pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who spent eight years in prison on multiple corruption charges, including scheming to sell a vacant Senate seat.
  • Earlier this month, Trump said that Elon Musk’s financial disclosures would be kept confidential even as Musk wields power over federal agencies and contracts that directly impact his own business empire.
  • Elon Musk said Thursday that Verizon’s efforts to provide a critically needed upgrade to the FAA’s air traffic control system is failing. And he said that it is important that Starlink, a unit of his SpaceX satellite and rocket company, take over. Verizon has a massive $2.4 billion contract to provide a long-sought upgrade to the FAA’s communications system, known as the FAA Enterprise Network Services, or FENS,

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) abruptly dropped cases on Thursday against multiple companies that had previously been accused of hurting consumers.
Court filings indicate that the consumer watchdog has decided to dismiss lawsuits previously filed against Capital One, Rocket Homes, a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and a student loan servicer. Just weeks earlier the CFPB accused Capital One of “cheating” millions of customers out of billions of dollars of interest payments.
The decision to abandon the cases demonstrates the hands-off approach to regulation from the Trump administration, which has scrambled to sideline the CFPB in recent weeks in an effort led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Neither Musk nor the administration has the legal authority to shutter CFPB. (CNN)

Economy
This month, consumer confidence suffered its largest drop since 2021, fueled in part by fears that tariffs will stoke inflation. (NPR)

Fed policymakers are expected to hold interest rates steady at their meeting next month as they await more clarity on the path of inflation and the impact of Trump administration policies, including on tariffs and immigration. (Reuters)

Lawsuits
For lawsuits filed and their status, see Litigation tracker from Lawfare

For an explanation of TROs(temporary restraining orders), some that have been imposed, sustained, some that have been lifted—read “Temporary Blocks: What You Need to Know About TROs and Preliminary Injunctions” from Lawfare.
“The Supreme Court on Wednesday night temporarily paused a lower court order that required the Trump administration to release frozen foreign aid funding by midnight.” (NBC)

A judge agreed Monday to temporarily bar two federal agencies from disclosing records containing sensitive personal information to representatives of billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, ruled that the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management likely violated the Privacy Act by disclosing people’s personal information to DOGE without their consent. (AP News)

Tariffs
Trump said on Thursday that tariffs on Canada and Mexico will go into effect next week — a day after he suggested that they would be postponed until April…Thus far, one tariff has gone into effect this term: a 10% tariff on Chinese goods. (On Thursday, Trump said he plans to add another 10% on March 4.)
Trump has proposed many more. He signed an executive order expanding steel and aluminum tariffs, to go into effect on March 12, though questions remain as to how broadly they’ll be applied.
(NPR)

President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs Thursday, continuing to make good on a campaign promise to enact tariffs on imported goods.
The president said sending merchandise through another country to avoid tariffs will not be allowed and provisions will be made for nonmonetary tariffs, like tests on cars. Those will include limitations on trade.
Trump said the system would bring fairness back when it comes to trade, though tariffs have historically raised prices for consumers and contributed to inflation… Trump said there will also be tariffs on cars and pharmaceuticals coming soon… Trump has already made tariffs a major element of his economic policy despite warnings from economists that tariffs will increase inflation and harm American consumers.
Trump has already levied a 10% tariff on China and put a 25% tariff on aluminum and steel, with some exemptions for trading partners. China, in response, put tariffs on an array of American goods, with impacts disproportionately targeted toward areas that voted for Trump in the election.
(NewsNation)