Calls to action-updates 3/13/2026

Join us for Indivisible NWI Events:

  • On Thursday, March 19, at 6pm at the Merrillville Library we will host a forum for the Democratic candidates for Sheriff. Please register here–& bring a friend!
  • Vounteer at the St Joseph Soup Kitchen, 5304 Hohman Ave in Hammond on Fri., March 20, 9-1. To sign up, contact mjmarocchi@gmail.com.
  • Join us every Saturday, 12-1, in Highland at the Highway of Flags Veterans Memorial on the SE corner of Ridge and 41. Click here for details and to sign up–& bring a friend!
  • Join us for our 3rd No Kings Day on March 28! Read details here—and let us know you’re coming.
  • On April 2, 9:30-11:30, join our Indivisible Book Club at the Grindhouse Café, 3805 Ridge Rd in Highland. We will discuss Giving Up Is Unforgiveable by Joyce Vance. Please let us know you’re coming and sign up here.
  • Our April Public Meeting will be Thursday, April 16 at 6pm at the Merrillville Library. Please register here.

Other:
The Lake County Board of Elections and Registration is hosting their first public
“Behind the Ballot” open house on Saturday, March 14 from 10am to 2pm at the Lake County Government Center Auditorium, 2293 N Main St in Crown Point. This free behind the scenes look at LCBER operations will:

  • Educate the community about their voting rights and processes.
  • Connect voters and candidates to all the resources at their disposal to vote and run for office.
  • Offer ways for community members to actively support voting and elections in Lake County.

Take Action:
Take action against ICE, DHS funding 
Ice funding and the shutdown; call and email your Members of Congress: https://indivisible.org/campaigns/halt-ice-terror/
Take easy action against the war:
Email your senators & representatives: https://act.indivisible.org/sign/no-iran-war/
Call your representative: https://indivisible.org/actions/no-war-iran-house/
Call your senator: https://indivisible.org/actions/no-war-iran-senate/

Contact legislators about the SAVE Act (More on the status of the bill below; and read about it at our website: The SAVE act–what you need to know – Indivisible NWI

As always, 5calls.org is an excellent source for calling legislators about legislation and issues you care about.

Congress

War Powers Resolutions opposing the Iran war failed in both the House and Senate. The House resolution failed 212-219 while the Senate’s resolution failed 53-47. In both chambers, one or a few members of each party voted opposite all the rest, but they were largely party line votes. All Indiana representatives voted nay except Reps. Mrvan and Carson who voted yea. Both Indiana senators voted nay.
GOP lawmakers signaled that the first time they’ll likely weigh in on this conflict from a policy perspective is when they consider an expected supplemental funding request from the White House.
Such a request would pose political complications for Democrats, who have roundly objected to Trump’s decision to go to war without congressional approval. If the funding ask is centered on shoring up the United States’ munitions stockpiles, the Pentagon could make the argument that the money will ultimately benefit the domestic defense industrial base — and military manufacturers in members’ districts. (Punchbowl News)
 
Passed House and Senate, President next
S. 723: Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025
Last Action: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 384 – 40 (Roll no. 81).
 
Passed the House, Senate next
H.R. 7744: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
It’s not clear why the House held this vote since there’s been no movement on the version sitting in the Senate. DHS remains partially shutdown with ICE and CBP unaffected due to funding from last year’s reconciliation bill. Passed 221-209. All Indiana representatives voted yea except Reps. Mrvan and Carson who voted nay.
 
H.Res. 1099: Reaffirming Iran remains the largest state sponsor of terrorism passed 372-53.  This is a statement of House opinion with no legal force. All Indiana representatives voted yea except Rep Carson who voted nay.
 
H.R. 6472: Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act
Passed 351 – 72. 
 
Passed the Senate, House next
21st Century Road to Housing Act
Meant to lower housing costs through incentives for new construction, converting abandoned buildings into housing, and funding home renovations.
Passed 89-10 but faces uncertain prospects in the House.
The measure melded a Senate bill that was approved 24-0 last July by the Senate Banking Committee and a similar bill the House passed last month, 390-9.
The legislation includes a provision backed by the White House that would curb the ability of large investors to buy single-family homes and a provision that would put a hold on a central bank digital currency, but not make it permanent, as House conservatives want.
The bill would give lawmakers something to hold up as an effort to lower high housing prices as affordability becomes a key issue in this year’s elections.
But House Financial Services Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., continued to have reservations Thursday after saying last week the Senate legislation doesn’t reflect well enough House priorities.
(Roll Call)
 
S. 327: HONOR Act. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to deny any foreign tax credit or deduction with respect to taxes paid or accrued to the Russian Federation. Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
S. 836: Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act
Last Action: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
S. 2074: Servicemembers’ Credit Monitoring Enhancement Act
Last Action: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
S. 3971: Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act
Last Action: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Voice Vote.
 
Failed in the Senate
A Senate vote to reopen the Department of Homeland Security failed 51-46 on Thursday as the standoff over funding the department approached a second month. Democrats demanding significant restrictions on federal immigration officers have refused to back down, while Republicans have dismissed the idea of separately funding the Transportation Security Administration and other branches of the department. (NYT)
Trump made clear throughout the week that he didn’t want to focus on anything but the SAVE America Act, even saying he wouldn’t sign any legislation until the Senate sends the measure to his desk before later backtracking.
Trump seemingly couldn’t care less that the Senate passed a landmark housing bill on Thursday with massive bipartisan support, something Thune has been dubbing a top priority. As we scooped on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson relayed to his leadership team that Trump told him, “no one gives a [bleep] about housing.” (PunchBowl News)
  
Next week in the Senate
Republican leadership is planning a multi-day, overnight debate on the SAVE America Act that will likely culminate in the protagonist proposal’s death on the Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is reportedly planning to bring up the House-passed version of the bill, which would require showing documentary proof of citizenship at registration and voter ID at the polls, next week by a simple majority vote. Republicans would then be able to offer amendments to match President Donald Trump’s demands that the bill also ban universal mail-in ballots, trans athletes in women’s sports, and gender-affirming care for minors. 
But after letting the bill’s backers and opponents duke it out for a while — potentially the entire week — Thune plans to allow a cloture vote to end debate and move on with a vote on the legislation. That would require 60 votes in favor, but with Democrats universally opposed (plus a few Republicans), the measure would fail. (Democracy Docket) 

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

In Other News…

Elections
Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales launched a statewide voter registration and poll worker recruitment initiative with Club America powered by Turning Point USA 501(c)(3). (Indiana Secretary of State Office)

Florida lawmakers are poised to approve sweeping new restrictions that would require voters to prove their citizenship status, as well as remove student ID as an acceptable form of voter identification.
In a 27-12 vote, the state Senate on Thursday passed its own version of the SAVE America Act, a piece of national anti-voting legislation pushed by Trump. (Democracy Docket)

Environment
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed to weaken limits on emissions of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing gas, from manufacturing facilities that use it to sterilize medical devices… The agency’s proposed rule would loosen limits on ethylene oxide emissions from around 90 commercial sterilization facilities across the country. Roughly 2.3 million people live within two miles of these facilities in what are often low-income neighborhoods or communities of color, according to an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental group… The proposal is the E.P.A.’s latest move to relax pollution limits in an effort to lower costs for industries. In recent months, the agency has also weakened restrictions on mercury from coal-burning power plants and repealed a scientific finding that allowed the government to regulate planet-warming pollution from cars and trucks. (NYT)

War (ICYMI): 
Iran’s known history to many Americans begins with the Revolution that overthrew the Shah in 1979. Long before that Iran had a democratically elected prime minister. When he moved to nationalize Iran’s oil, the U.S. moved in to overthrown him and install the Shah. That all happened in the early 1950’s. Learn more about that and U.S. history of forcing regime change in other countries at MS Now.

The Defense Department had a program aimed at reducing civilian harm during operations. It was new—the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, where the supervisor was a veteran strike-team targeter who had served as a United Nations war crimes investigator.
The civilian protection mission was dissolved as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made “lethality” a top priority. And the world has witnessed a tragedy in Minab that, if U.S. responsibility is confirmed, would be the most civilians killed by the military in a single attack in decades. (ProPublica) Indeed, preliminary reports show the U.S. was responsible for the deaths of 175 people, many of them children, when their school was bombed. (NYT)

An ABC report this week claimed the U.S. intercepted transmissions that could be triggers for potential sleeper agents. The Atlantic reported communications in Farsi broadcast on a shortwave radio frequency… (NewsNation)

The 2026 legislative session has ended. See bills of significance that passed into law on our website: Indiana 2026 Legislative Session – Indivisible NWI

Note that a new law, SB 200, mandates that schools must allow “youth patriotic organizations” into their schools. Gov. Braun on Thursday announced a partnership with Turning Point USA aimed at expanding conservative student political clubs in high schools and colleges across Indiana, telling reporters the state will support efforts to establish Club America chapters in every school district and defend students’ right to organize. (Statehouse File)

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