Updates & Legislative Report 01/05/2026

How to Get Involved

Bayard Rustin was an activist and prominent leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. He was one of the architects of the Civil Rights Movement and the principal organizer of the March on Washington in 1963.
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This month Indivisibles are supporting veterans with their donations. Please bring what you can as we continue to support our communities.

Rally With Us Every Saturday!

We’ve partnered with veterans groups to fight for democracy every week. We’ll be in Highland on the SE corner of Ridge and 41 at the Highway of Flags Veterans Memorial. Limited parking, along with handicapped spots, is available behind the memorial. If the lot is full, park at Wicker Park and rally on the NW corner of Ridge and 41. Bring your signs and your passion! And please bring nonperishable food items. We donate to a different pantry each week.
Please let us know you’re coming and register here.

Congress 
Signed into law:

All Indiana representatives voted yea except Rep. Carson who voted nay. View the vote.
Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said at a Tuesday Rules Committee meeting and again on the floor ahead of the passage vote Wednesday that the NDAA has a little something for almost everyone in Congress to both love and hate but that, on balance, it is a strong positive for U.S. national security. 
The fiscal 2026 compromise bill would OK $900.6 billion in spending for national defense at the Pentagon and other agencies, though the funds must be provided separately in appropriations bills. 
Included in the compromise package is a 3.8 percent pay raise for military personnel, plus endorsement of the bulk of the Pentagon’s weapons priorities and a sweeping overhaul of Defense Department acquisition processes. 
The compromise version also includes many provisions aimed at restricting U.S. exports of critical technologies to China and limiting Defense Department use of end products or supplies and components sourced from China.  (Roll Call) and (GovTrack.us)

 Passed the House, Senate next (from GovTrack.us unless otherwise noted)

In mid-December four House Republicans signed onto an otherwise entirely Democratic discharge petition to force the House to hold a vote on extending the subsidies for health insurance premiums for people who get their health insurance via the Obamacare Marketplace.
In response, Speaker Johnson adjourned the House a day early to ensure the vote would not take place before the subsidies end and premium costs would rise for millions of people.
Because it’s a discharge petition, the bill will get a vote. Just not until January. If it passes though, it will still have to get through the Senate. It’s very likely that the Senate would amend the bill in some way and send it back to the House. So whether the subsidies get extended after all remains very much up in the air.

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

In Other News…

For updates on court decisions, please see our webpage: Court decisions during the trump administration – Indivisible NWI. The most recent decisions are listed first.

Read a fact check of the invasion of Venezuela. This country has no legal right to compensation for oil; when oil was nationalized decades ago, U.S. companies were compensated and did not seek further relief; this was a military operation that required congressional approval; strikes on Venezuelan boats have NOT saved American lives.  And there’s more.

“On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention slashed the number of routine vaccines recommended for children in the US from 17 to 11 and shifted several shots into two additional categories: those recommended only for high-risk groups, and those available subject to “shared clinical decision-making.” Shots in the latter category, including those for Covid-19, flu, and rotavirus, would first require a conversation with a health care provider.
These changes will unquestionably make some childhood vaccines less available by creating new barriers to access. They also add more confusion to an already fractured US public health consensus.
The previous US vaccine schedule existed for a reason: It was the product of a rigorous, evidence-based process by experts at the CDC. This one was not: There was no public process leading up to Monday’s announcement.
Denmark, which the Trump administration has invoked as a rationale for the updated recommendations, does recommend fewer vaccines than the US. Experts, however, say that isn’t a good reason to change US policy, citing Denmark’s vastly smaller size and easier access to health care.” (Vox)

“Trump signed an executive order that blocks states from enforcing their own regulations around artificial intelligence and instead aims to create a “single national framework” for AI.” (CNN)

“Gregg Phillips — the far-right activist behind one of the earliest and most consequential election fraud hoaxes of the century — is set to lead FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery.
Phillips’ appointment in the federal government’s core disaster response agency represents a significant escalation in the integration of election deniers into high-level posts across the government… Phillips has no documented experience in emergency management. He has, however, publicly attacked the agency and pledged support for Trump’s push to overhaul or abolish federal disaster authority.” (Democracy Docket) 

State of Indiana
The 2026 session gets going full steam this week, with bill filing deadlines on Wednesday in the House and Friday in the Senate. Indiana legislative updates will be sent soon.
 
Madvoters has a bill tracker with a brief summary of each bill and calls to action with contact information here. They also have a more detailed spreadsheet of proposed legislation. Each bill has a brief summary along with committee and contact information.
 
The first of only a handful of education committee meetings will happen on Wed.
Chalkbeat Indiana’s bill tracker is updated as of Friday and includes some of the newest proposals to require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments and to make the naturalization exam part of graduation requirements. (Chalkbeat Indiana). See a list of the most significant educational bills along with a brief summary here.
 
The top law enforcement officer in Lake County is accused of misspending nearly $300,000 on pricey hotel rooms, golf outings, restaurants, alcohol and numerous other purchases not authorized by Indiana law. (NWI Times)
To find and contact your Indiana legislators: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/find-legislators/