update & legislative report 09/06/2025

You can make a difference

Our next public meeting will be on Thurs., Sept. 11, 6pm. at the East Chicago Public Library Main Branch, 2401 E Columbus Dr, East Chicago, IN 46312. Please register here—and bring a friend!

Join us for a forum with Indiana 1st Indiana 1st District Congressman Frank Mrvan. on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 6pm at the Merrillville Library, 1919 81st Ave. in Merrillville. Register here—and bring a friend!

Rally with us every Saturday, 12-1. We’ve partnered with veterans groups to fight for democracy and all our rights 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 sign up here.

Save the date for our 2nd No KINGS Day rally on Sat., Oct. 18, 3-4:30.. Indivisible NWI, veterans groups and other organizations are partnering to sponsor this event at the Highway of Flags Veterans Memorial on the SE corner of Ridge & 41 in Highland. More info and registration will be coming soon.

Indiana has not yet decided whether or not to call a special session to redistrict (gerrymander) the legislative maps to eliminate the two remaining democratic congressional seats. Your calls are making a difference! The governor may be leaving the decision to House Speaker Houston and Senate Pro Tempore Bray.
They need to continue hearing from you. Call today: 

  • Speaker Huston: Phone: 317-232-9677
  • Senator Bray: Phone: 317-232-9400
  • Contact your state rep and senator—and the governor:
    • State Rep: 317-232-9600
      State Senator: 317-232-9400
      Gov. Braun: 317-232-4567
  • Not sure who your state legislators are: MADVoters.org/contact-your-legislator
  • For a script and more info check out our web page.

Check out and recommend trusted vaccine guidance and health info from the American Academy of Pediatrics at healthychildren.org.

AI Death Panels
“The federal government plans to hire private companies to use artificial intelligence to determine whether patients would be covered for some procedures, like certain spine surgeries or steroid injections. Similar algorithms used by insurers have been the subject of several high-profile lawsuits, which have asserted that the technology allowed the companies to swiftly deny large batches of claims and cut patients off from care in rehabilitation facilities.
The six states participating in the program are Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington. That means health care decisions for Medicare patients in those states will now be made by AI algorithms from for-profit tech companies.
The A.I. companies selected to oversee the program would have a strong financial incentive to deny claims. Medicare plans to pay them a share of the savings generated from rejections…This move blatantly breaks [Trump’s] oft-repeated promise to protect Medicare.” (NYT) (Message Box)

Continue making your calls to your federal electeds. 5calls makes it easy: https://5calls.org/

Congress

“Congress will almost certainly not get all 12 regular appropriations bills passed through both chambers by September 30, the last day of the fiscal year. After that, government agencies cannot spend funds and will shut down
This Trump Administration has, since inauguration, been withholding appropriated funds whenever it feels like it. There are many court cases right now about whether the Administration is acting legally by doing so, but none have been resolved. Further, the Administration has already sent one rescission bill to Congress to undo appropriations that Trump signed into law earlier this year, which passed solely with Republican votes (House, Senate), and they may intend to rescind still more funds.
And this is why Democrats’ old attitudes about keeping the government open at all costs may be changing. What’s the point of negotiating spending levels if the Administration will just refuse to spend it later? Republicans need Democratic votes in the Senate to pass legislation, and if fewer Democrats go along with what Republicans propose for the next fiscal year a government shutdown may be inevitable.” (GovTrack.us)

“The federal government shuts down on Oct. 1, barring a bipartisan funding deal – even a short-term one – as the White House unilaterally slashes billions of dollars of previously approved spending.
Democrats were skeptical about negotiating a funding deal with Republicans after Trump and GOP leaders jammed through a $9 billion rescissions package in mid-July. Now, Trump is slashing billions of dollars in funding without Congress via legally questionable “pocket rescissions.”” (Punchbowl News)

“While the Justice Department has begun to turn over troves of Epstein-related documents to the House Oversight Committee, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are pushing to force a full public release of the files and held a Capitol Hill press conference with Epstein victims on Wednesday. Massie’s discharge petition was open for signatures this week.” (Punchbowl News) “A discharge petition is a procedural tool for bypassing House leadership. When the petition is signed by 218 Members, the House must vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. (House.gov) 215 have signed on so far. (NBC)
Senate
“Stephen Miran, a top White House economic adviser, testified in support of his nomination to serve until January as a Fed governor…
Miran stunned some Democrat senators when he testified that, should he be confirmed, he intended to take an unpaid leave of absence from his White House job — instead of resigning that role altogether.. Democrats argued that arrangement meant Miran was not independent, despite his assurances”. (DealBook}

RFK Jr. appeared for a contentious hearing before the Senate Judicial Committee. Read a breakdown from PolitiFact on RFK Jr.’s testimony about vaccines, the CDC and whether “everybody can get” a COVID shot.

Congress is not expected to vote to extend the federal takeover of Washington D.C. but is considering a number of other bills exerting control over the District. A nationwide crime bill is also under consideration. Read more at Politico.

Passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent, House next
S. 1038: TRACE Act
Passed the House, Senate next
H.R. 4553: Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 214 – 213. All Indiana representatives voted yea except Reps Mrvan and Carson who voted nay. View the vote. The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides a total discretionary allocation of $57.300 billion, which is $766.4 million below the Fiscal Year 2025 enacted level.  (House.gov)

Passed the House with little opposition, Senate next:
H.R. 4215: International Traffic in Arms Regulations Licensing Reform Act
H.R. 2643: Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2025
H.R. 2503: Undersea Cable Control Act
H.R. 4490: PARTNER Act
H.R. 4233: ARMOR Act
H.R. 2635: Uyghur Policy Act of 2025
H.R. 4216: Made-in-America Defense Act
H.R. 747: Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2025

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

In other news

“The Justice Department has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into Lisa Cook, the Fed governor whom Trump is trying to oust over allegations of mortgage fraud, according to The Wall Street Journal.” (DealBook)

“The updated form to apply for federal student aid will launch for all students by Oct. 1, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon told congressional leaders in a letter this week. 
The department began testing in early August for the 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid — better known as FAFSA — to address any bugs or technical issues before opening it up to everyone in the fall. 
The agency signaled earlier this year that the form would open up to the general public by Oct. 1, the typical opening date for the annual form that’s now congressionally mandated.” (Indiana Capital Chronicle) 
“Trump fired Susan Monarez, the CDC’s director, last week. Monarez is suing the administration, and four other top health officials resigned as a result. (Punchbowl News)

Trump is sending in troops to Chicago and Baltimore but hasn’t said when. This action comes despite a recent court decision that deemed the California deployment illegal and staunch opposition from elected officials and residents. Many cities, most in red states and including Indianapolis, have higher homicide rates than Chicago.
Chicago has been bracing for the expanded federal presence, with activists, pastors and schools prepared for the deluge of national attention.
Even without knowing exactly what is coming, the city’s organized activist network began circulating protest schedules, vowing to demonstrate within hours of troops or federal agents arriving.
Johnson said violence in the city stems from guns on the streets that are trafficked to Illinois from neighboring states, including Republican-led Indiana.
“Chicago will continue to have a violence problem as long as red states continue to have a gun problem,” Johnson said.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has said the city and state will sue once the federal intervention begins. (AP News)

“The Trump administration is suing Illinois for offering in-state tuition to undocumented students.” (Axios)

Trump fired former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), who spent less than two months as IRS commissioner. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is serving in the role as of now. (Punchbowl News)

“A Texas bill that would let people sue abortion pill prescribers and distributors involved in sending medications to the state has advanced to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk… It would allow residents unconnected to a pregnant woman to sue medical providers, pharmaceutical companies and courier services like FedEx and UPS, which may ship abortion medication to Texans, or intend to do so, for damages. Women who take such medications to end their pregnancies cannot be sued under the legislation. A suit can be brought even if no abortion has taken place.” (NYT)

Trump administration claims that its actions are raising pay for the working class when in reality the administration is using its executive authority to:

 Climate crisis

  • “The Transportation Department on Friday canceled $679 million in federal funding for a dozen offshore wind projects, the latest attack by the Trump administration on the reeling U.S. offshore wind industry…Trump has vowed to restore U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market and has pushed to increase U.S. reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas that emit planet-warming greenhouse gases.
  • Trump’s Energy Department said Friday it is withdrawing a $716 million loan guarantee approved by the Biden administration to upgrade and expand transmission infrastructure to accommodate a now-threatened offshore wind project in New Jersey.
  • The moves come as the administration abruptly halted construction last week of a nearly complete wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut.”
  • Energy prices have spiked to double that of inflation while Trump falsely blames renewable energy sources.
  • Energy analysts say renewable sources have little to do with recent price hikes, which are based on increased demand from artificial intelligence and energy-hungry data centers, along with aging infrastructure and increasingly extreme weather events such as wildfires that are exacerbated by climate change.” (AP News) Read more at Letters of an American from an Heather Cox Richardson.

The courts
“The Trump administration’s cancellation of Harvard funding is ruled illegal. Judge Allison Burroughs of the U.S. District Court in Boston agreed with the university’s claim that the government had compromised its First Amendment and due process rights when it sought to freeze billions of dollars in research funds in the name of fighting antisemitism.” (DealBook)

“Trump’s move to send National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to quell immigration protests in Los Angeles this summer violated a federal law against military members conducting domestic law enforcement, a federal judge in California ruled early Tuesday.” (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
A federal judge ruled that Trump’s use of National Guard troops in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act which prevents troops from being used for domestic matters. The ruling is on hold until September 12. (BBC)

A federal judge ruled that the administration could not deport Guatemalan children who came to the US unaccompanied.  The judge gave the children’s attorneys 14 days to present their case. (NPR)

A US District judge halts the use of a statute which allows for fast-track speedy deportation of undocumented migrants who have been in the US for less than two years.  The judge stated that the administration argued that the migrants do not have Fifth Amendment (due process) rights. (Reuters)

“A federal appeals court ruled that the president exceeded his authority by imposing unilateral tariffs on dozens of countries. The White House will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, with Trump’s tariffs remaining in place until mid-October.” (Punchbowl News)

A federal District Court judge struck down the Education Department’s Anti-DEI guidance.  The judge ruled that it discriminated against viewpoint based speech and used vague language.  [it is unconstitutional to ban speech based on viewpoint and the law, or guidance in this case, cannot be so vague as the individual has to guess what it means.] (Higher Ed Dive)

A  federal district court issued an injunction of a Texas law which required the Ten Commandments be displayed in elementary and high schools.  The judge stated it likely violated the Establishment and Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment.  “‘[T]he displays are likely to pressure the child-Plaintiffs into religious observance, meditation on, veneration, and adoption of the State’s favored religious scripture, and into suppressing expression of their own religious or nonreligious background and beliefs while at school,’ Biery stated.” (CBS)

A federal judge ruled that Kari Lake, who was appointed as a special advisor to the organization in charge of Voice of America, cannot fire its director.  The administration plans to appeal. (NPR)

The Ninth Circuit Court ended temporary protected status for migrants from Nepal, Nicaragua and Honduras.  The Trump administration is now able to remove these migrants as the case plays out.  (NPR)  

Alina Habba, Trump’s personal attorney, appointed as a US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, has been ruled illegal.  She was appointed on an interim basis (can only hold the office for 120 days) and then reappointed when judges of the US District of New Jersey appointed her Deputy as the US Attorney.  Bondi fired the Deputy and appointed Habba as the Special Attorney.  The judge, finding her appointment illegal, wrote that all these maneuvers were illegal, especially as the Senate has not weighed in on her appointment. (NBC)

A New York appeals court threw out the $527M fine lodged against Trump for fraudulent business practices.  The five judge panel did not agree on much other than that the fine was “excessive.”  They also agreed on barring Trump from serving on any corporation for 3 years in the state of New York and barred his sons for 2 years. (CBS)

The far right Fifth Circuit ruled that the structure of the National Labor Relations Board was “likely” unconstitutional (the members of the NLRB could only be removed for “cause.”  The Court found this was a limitation on executive power.)  The NLRB
“protects the rights of private-sector employees and employers by investigating and prosecuting unfair labor practices, conducting union representation elections, and enforcing the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).” (National Law Review)

A federal district judge threw out a lawsuit against the entire Maryland federal bench.  The lawsuit was filed because the chief judge of the Maryland district court halted deportations of migrants until they could have their habeas corpus petitions heard. (a habeas corpus petition is a challenge to the legality of the migrant’s detention.) (PBS)

“Trump is trying to oust Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor appointed by former President Joe Biden, over allegations of mortgage fraud. A federal judge heard a legal challenge to the firing on Friday but didn’t issue a ruling, meaning Cook remains in place for now.” (Punchbowl News)

A district judge ruled that the Trump administration cannot withhold funds to so called sanctuary cities.  These cities limit their local law enforcement from aiding the Department of Homeland Security.  They argue immigration enforcement is a federal issue, and the state cannot be compelled to do the federal government’s work.  (NPR)

A federal district judge in Miami ruled that “Alligator Alcatraz” can remain open but cannot be expanded and can take no new detainees.  The judge ruled that an environmental study was not performed which was required before construction.  The detention camp has 60 days to remove “‘all generators, gas, sewage, and other waste and waste receptacles that were installed to support this project.’” (NBC)

SCOTUS
The Supreme Court overruled, on their shadow docket (emergency docket), a lower court order which stayed research funding cuts the administration put into effect at the National Institutes of Health (the Administration stated the research funds were related to DEI).  The Court ruled the cuts could begin but suits to stay further cuts had to go to the Federal Claims Court.  The decision was 5-4, with the Chief Justice siding with the liberal justices.  Kentanji Brown Jackson wrote a scathing dissent, saying that this was “Calvinball jurisprudence.”  ( Calvinball is a game from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip where you make up the rules as you go along.)  (The Guardian)

Economy
“The latest employment snapshot from the Bureau of Labor Statistics paints a bleak picture of the current state of the economy under President Donald Trump.
• Labor market deterioration: Just 22,000 jobs were added in August, dramatically lower than economists’ expectations for 76,500 new roles.
• Negative job growth: For the first time in nearly four years, the economy lost jobs, with a decline of 13,000 positions in June.
• Rising unemployment: The jobless rate rose to 4.3%, the highest level since 2021.
• Stagnation: The data underscores the extent to which consumers and businesses are struggling to accommodate the weight of tariffs, stubborn inflation, the decline in America’s crucial immigrant workforce and overall economic uncertainty.” (CNN)

“President Trump’s executive order eliminating the so-called “de minimis exemption,” which had admitted duty-free shipments of goods worth $800 or less into the US, went into effect. Chinese e-commerce giants like Shein and Temu used the loophole when shipping hundreds of millions of packages to US consumers.” (CNN)

Health
Read a breakdown from PBS:

Indiana

Redrawing congressional districts (Indy Politics):
“The Indiana General Assembly’s leaders on Wednesday broke their weekslong silence on the push to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries, a day after visiting the White House.
But neither House Speaker Todd Huston nor Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray took a position.
Meanwhile, voting rights advocates delivered two thick stacks of signatures opposing the move to their Statehouse offices.” (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
 
A new statewide survey finds a majority of Indiana voters opposed to the idea of redrawing legislative maps this year.
Additional findings include:

  • 74 percent of voters agree gerrymandering should be illegal.
  • 81 percent say redistricting should focus on fairness, while 19 percent believe the Republican majority should be able to draw maps as they see fit.
  • 84 percent found convincing the argument that lawmakers should focus less on redistricting and more on improving quality of life.
  • 75 percent said they were concerned about out-of-state politicians trying to influence Indiana politics.
  • 45 percent of voters said they would be less likely to support a legislator who voted to redraw maps mid-decade, compared to 23 percent who said they would be more likely.
  • Many Hoosiers are focused on financial challenges and expect state legislators to prioritize those issues over redistricting.

(Indiana Capital Chronicle)
 
“The Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, parent of The Indiana Citizen, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Office of the Indiana Secretary of State and the Office of the Indiana Attorney General, seeking access to the list of nearly 600,000 Hoosier voters state officials sent to the federal government last October… The Indiana Citizen has been fighting for access to the list ever since Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced on Oct. 17, 2024, that they had sent a list of 585,774 registered Hoosier voters to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Morales and Rokita said they wanted the federal agency to verify the citizenship status of each individual listed.” (Statehouse File)
 
“Gary Mayor Eddie Melton talked up the Steel City, defended its reputation from rapper Joe Budden’s criticism and announced a new down payment program on iHeartRadio’s nationally syndicated “The Breakfast Club” show.
Melton appeared last week on the popular New York City-based radio show hosted by DJ Envy, Charlamagne tha God, Jess Hilarious and Loren Lorosa as part of a wave of national publicity Gary received for its 2300 Jackson Street Block Party…
Melton also talked up the city initiatives that include tripling the investment in infrastructure and a new program that will give police, firefighters and teachers $30,000 to buy a home. He cited upcoming developments like the Lake County Convention Center and a new 300,000-square-foot FedEx warehouse.” (NWI Times)

To find and contact your Indiana legislators: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/find-legislators/