Trump Starts Shuttering the Department of Education

Today, Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to eliminate the Department of Education. Emphasis on "aims to." Trump cannot unilaterally abolish a federal department created by Congress. 

Let’s be clear about what this executive order will do: it instructs Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to facilitate the department's closure while playing legal tricks to avoid a court making them stop. This approach indicates that the executive order is a preliminary step toward dismantling the department, setting the stage for further actions rather than causing an immediate shutdown.

Trump's goal here is to weaken the department (and thus public education), starve it of resources, and scatter its programs to other agencies so that Congressional Republicans can claim the Department of Education is "functionally obsolete" and fire the kill shot with legislation abolishing the DOE. We saw this process begin two weeks ago, when the administration laid off half of the department’s staff. 

So -- even though this began with executive actions, it has to end with Congress. And that means we need to maximize pressure on Congress -- in particular on Congressional Republicans -- so they understand there will be an unimaginable political cost for this assault on students and teachers.

Past Republican efforts to abolish the department have failed, but this remains a long-term GOP goal, particularly under Project 2025. Lawsuits are already being filed against this order. While they make their way through the courts, we have to organize to save public education in America. Skip to the end for a list of ‘to-dos’ or read on for more info. 

What would eliminating the Department of Education mean for students, teachers, and families? 

Without the Department of Education, millions of students and families will face immediate consequences. Public schools will struggle to maintain quality instruction as federal funding disappears, leaving states to decide how -- or if -- they will replace those dollars. The most brutal hit will be on students from lower-income families, those with disabilities, and those attending already underfunded schools. Among the immediate consequences: 

  • A massive decrease in federal funding will balloon class sizes, lead to the loss of 180,000 teaching jobs, and increase racial disparities in education. 

  • Title IX enforcement will be gutted, rolling back protections against sexual harassment and assault in schools.

  • Accommodations for students with disabilities will be left to state politicians, threatening these programs entirely (95% of students with disabilities attend public schools).

  • Students and families who receive support to attend college could lose Pell Grants or federal student loans, leading to more students dropping out, fewer choices, and fewer options for families.

  • Many of the programs Trump wants to eliminate include key civil rights protections and funding for disadvantaged students, which will disproportionately harm marginalized communities.

Ultimately, eliminating the DOE is intended to critically weaken the American public education system, one of the cornerstones of our democracy. Which brings us to…

Why are so many Republicans eager to eliminate the Department of Education? 

The conservative obsession with eliminating the DOE is as old as the department itself and a central pillar of Project 2025. Opposition to the department is not monolithic -- there’s a deeply racist strain that opposes the department’s civil rights protections and efforts to desegregate education; there’s a (related) Christian Nationalist strain that opposes secular education and longs to see funding directed to religious institutions. The Trump administration is staffed with extreme ideologues who’ve long professed these views and have spent decades seeding the ground for this move. This executive order aligns with the broader conservative strategy to dismantle federal oversight in favor of state control, allowing red states to defund public education with fewer guardrails.

But there’s another, glaringly obvious explanation that undergirds so many of this administration’s policies to date: Billionaires see a way to make more money. 

Trump, Musk and their billionaire cronies want to slash funding for public schools so they can lower their own taxes and cash in by starting for-profit schools. Who will write the curricula for those schools? Why, other right-wing billionaires! Whether it’s slashing education funding or pushing the GOP tax scam, these billionaires are exploiting the "states’ rights" argument to justify policies that weaken public schools, harm families, and consolidate their own wealth and power -- all while ignoring that many states depend on federal education funding to keep their schools running.

What you can do 

  1. Send an email right now and demand your Members of Congress oppose any legislation that helps Trump weaken or abolish the Department of Education. Republicans need the most pressure right now, but it’s also important for Democrats in Congress to know their constituents want them to fight.

  2. First thing tomorrow morning, call your Members of Congress and make sure they got your message. We need to light up the phone lines and ensure they can't ignore the public outcry to protect our schools.

  3. Make a lot of noise this week during recess. Every Member of Congress is home right now in their states and districts, and they need to hear how pissed their constituents are at Trump and Musk’s lawless attacks on programs -- like public education -- that we all depend on. Find an event coming up in your area and force them to publicly choose who they stand with: Trump and Musk, or the students, teachers, and families they're supposed to represent. 

No matter what we do, Trump’s executive order is going to hurt students, teachers, and our democracy. There’s no getting around that. But if we fight back -- with lawsuits and with focused organizing -- we can mitigate the harm as much as possible, beat back Trump’s assault on public education, and ensure the DOE outlasts this administration.  

CONSEQUENCES OF CR Bill PASSAGE IN THE SENATE ON 3/14/25

When Republicans first introduced their partisan funding bill to keep the government open -- full of extreme cuts, attacks on basic rights, and provisions to give even more authority to Trump and Musk to continue dismantling the federal government -- it was clear that the fight to stop it would require Democrats to operate with real unity.

Federal employee unions, litigators fighting Trump in court, outside advocates, House Democrats, many Democratic party insiders, and Indivisible were all in lockstep that passing this bill would be worse than a government shutdown. The GOP funding bill would give Trump and Musk carte blanche to continue their administrative coup, and Democrats voting for it would be complicit in all the actions to follow.

But Senate Democrats had the leverage to stop it: Advancing this bill required clearing a 60-vote threshold for "cloture," meaning Republicans would need 7 or 8 Democrats to vote to allow their coup-enabling bill to advance. And after House Democrats showed their power with an almost-unanimous vote against the bill on Tuesday, we had momentum as the vote moved to the Senate.

However, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer decided to cave. Instead of using a rare point of actual leverage, he announced his decision to surrender without a fight, voting for cloture and providing a pass for other Senate Democrats to fold. By the time of the vote on Friday afternoon, 10 Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to invoke cloture and allow the bill to sail through to final passage and Trump’s desk.

This was a massive betrayal of the Democratic party, of Indivisibles and activists organizing against this bill, and of our democracy. Because of Schumer’s failure, the bill included zero safeguards against Musk’s illegal and unconstitutional behavior. By refusing to hold the line, Senator Schumer went against the vast majority of his party to fully capitulate to Trump.

Indivisibles drove calls and organized events for weeks to try and stop this bill, and the outrage from our network on Schumer’s surrender was immediate. On Saturday 3/15/25 an emergency call with Indivisible group leaders across the country was organized to decide how we should respond. After intense discussion, there was a vote on how to proceed, and the results were overwhelming:

  • 82% of New York Indivisible group leaders voted to demand that Schumer resign as Minority Leader.

  • 91% of Indivisible group leaders nationwide agreed.

The message was clear: If Chuck Schumer is unwilling to lead the opposition, he must make way for someone who will. Accordingly, Indivisible National issued an official statement calling for his resignation.

This is not a decision that is taken lightly. For years, we fought alongside Senator Schumer to push for progressive policies and hold the line against Republican extremism. But his capitulation on the Republican funding bill was not just a failure of strategy -- it was a failure of leadership. And if he will not fight in this defining moment, then we must demand someone who will. Indivisibles deserve a Democratic party, and leadership of that party, who is committed to fighting as hard as we are.

A minority leader who is unwilling to fight back against fascism is a weakness our democracy cannot afford. We need to pressure every single Democratic senator to speak out and join us in calling for new leadership that is prepared to lead a unified opposition to Trump and Musk.

For folks with Democratic senators, here are two actions you can take right away:

  1. Before Senate offices open tomorrow, use our form to send an email to your Democratic senator and ask them to call on Senator Schumer to step down as Minority Leader. Link here:

  2. Then, tomorrow morning, use our click-to-call page to call your Democratic senator and urge them to call on Senator Schumer to step aside. Link to Click-to-call page:

Whether you have a Republican or Democratic senator, you have the opportunity to hold them accountable right now while they’re home for recess. Most Democrats voted the right way and opposed the GOP funding bill, and we should have their backs while pushing them to keep up the fight. Find an upcoming recess event near you (or use our toolkit to plan your own) and demand that your senator must stand with working families instead of bowing to billionaires like Musk.

From planning town halls to protesting at Tesla dealerships to showing up to congressional offices, our movement is willing to put in the work to defend our democracy. We have no intention of surrendering to Trump, Musk, or congressional Republicans, and we will not back down until we secure leadership that is equally dedicated to this fight.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

See a detailed breakdown of the consequence for Americans of the Full-Year CR here:

Indivisible-Roseville-CA Facebook group grows to 200 members on two weeks!

Capturing the energy of the pro-democracy movement, the newly formed Indivisible Roseville CA Facebook group has grows from a handful of members to a vibrant group of almost 200 in just a few weeks. While Facebook is a no-no for some people, it’s one of the the best places for up-to-the minute news, events and dynamic content. It’s a great place to post your thoughts and interact with others.

Join us online today at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/indivisiblerosevilleca

ACTIONS TO STAND WITH UKRAINE

Dear Indivisible Roseville members,

We learned during Trump 1.0 that events which demand our attention and action will be occurring constantly. Trump 2.0 is FAR worse - chaos designed to overwhelm us and create feelings of helplessness. But we are far from helpless and will not give in. Democrats across the country are organizing in protest and resistance on a daily basis. We are standing up for those most impacted and demanding action from our elected officials. We are on the phones and in the streets, getting loud, and the world is paying attention.  

Stand with Ukraine!
The appalling attack on a leader of an allied sovereign nation by the sitting president and vice president of the United States was horrifying to all Americans of good conscience. Liz Cheney expressed the outrage well. "Generations of American patriots, from our revolution onward, have fought for the principles Zelenskyy is risking his life to defend. But today, Donald Trump and JD Vance attacked Zelenskyy and pressured him to surrender the freedom of his people to the KGB war criminal who invaded Ukraine. History will remember this day—when an American President and Vice President abandoned all we stand for.”

UKRAINE ACTIONS

  • Call your Members of Congress (MoCs) - Members of Congress must forcefully condemn both the behavior as well as the Trump agenda of siding with Russia over Ukraine. Phones should already be ringing off the hooks across the nation. Please call your three MoCs ASAP with the following asks.

    • If your MOC is a Republican - Say some version of, "Enough is enough. Republican members of Congress must publicly rebuke the President and Vice President for their behavior and agenda in the meeting with President Zelenskyy. We will remember what side you are on when we vote in 2026." Add your own personal reactions for extra impact.

    • If your MoC is a Democrat - Say some version of, "I call on the Democratic Caucus to host a multi-speaker press conference immediately to ensure strong media attention for the democratic response to the Trump/Vance attack on President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office." Add your own personal reactions for extra impact. Note: Check first via an internet search to see if your rep has already issued a personal statement and, if so, express your thanks.

  • Support Ukraine via social media

    • For those with social media accounts, please post graphics supportive of Ukraine such as the one pictured above. You will find many options by searching under, "I Support Ukraine."

  • We will keep you apprised of additional ways to support Ukraine as we learn more next week.


"Stop Project 2025" Briefing - Follow up links and YouTube recording

Hello, everyone!

 Thank you so much for your interest in yesterday’s “Stop Project 2025” Briefing with Congressmen Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin, and Professor Joyce Vance.

 RESOURCES TO TAKE ACTION:

  • "Take the “Stop Project 2025” Pledge! - Tell us you’re all in to fight back against Project 2025. Sign up here and we’ll keep you informed of strategic ways to take action to defeat MAGA’s Project 2025: Take the Pledge here.

  • Educate yourself further about Project 2025 and how to message about it to people in your network: STOP Project 2025 Toolkit. 

  • Watch and/or share the recording of the Stop Project 2025 Briefing: https://youtu.be/43GyYMKVl6s

  • Volunteer to do voter outreach work from now until November 5. For all of us, our Project 2024 is to make sure that Project 2025 never happens! Volunteers are needed to help Dems win the House, Senate and Presidency via phonebanking, canvassing, postcarding, texting and postcarding! Visit the groups below (both have volunteers throughout the US) to sign up and get involved: 

 Thank you for your efforts to protect our democracy, our freedoms and the American way of life.

 ~ Susan

 Susan Morgan 

Founder, Indivisible Marin

Campaign Director, Dems Make Life Better

 

Announcing New August Postcarding Campaigns!

Hello Writers,

Each month you all continue to break records! In July, we reached over 19,000 voters - the most ever!  This was nearly double what we wrote in June - amazing! 100,000 voters is within reach!  Let's keep it going and help Dems take control of the both the House and the Senate in November!

Excitement around our new nominee, VP Kamala Harris, has added to our volunteer energy and we are grateful for each of you!  This month, we are adding a new California House candidate and an additional weekly group postcarding event.  As we write to win, please sign up for addresses or packets and join the work to get back our trifecta!

Note that postcarding campaigns are turning over quickly due to demand. You can anticipate frequent changes in candidates as we partner with Activate America to target the most competitive House and Senate races which most need postcards sent to their voters. Please check our website regularly for updates to our campaigns!

Senate - Available for online requests only -  Currently, we are writing to support Montana incumbent Jon Tester and his work to bring high speed internet to his state through the Infrastructure Act. Democrats must win this state to keep control of the Senate.  Tester is asking for out-of-state support to boost his campaign. Volunteers can make a huge impact in this small population state!

House District CA-13 - Available for online requests only - We are continuing our focus on this Central Valley seat which Dems lost by just 564 votes in 2022. Our script supports our candidate Adam Gray with a message highlighting the Inflation Reduction Act and lowering the costs of prescription drugs and insulin. This area has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the nation. The road to the House runs right through the Central Valley.

House District CA-47 - Available for packet requests only - Although Katie Porter won this district narrowly in 2022, she opted to run for the Senate this year, creating an open seat. It is a top target for Republicans and rated a toss-up. We are excited for an opportunity to support the Democratic candidate, Dave Min. He out-raised his primary opponent this year, but as a new face, needs our help to reach voters. This is a seat we must hold to regain control of the House!

The mailing deadline for all campaigns is September 1st.

THREE POSTCARDING OPTIONS:

  • ALL LOCATIONS: Online requests for CA-13 and Montana campaigns

  • LOCAL to Marin County - Packet Pickup Program: CA-47 campaign only

  • IN PERSON EVENTS:

    • Every Tuesday from 10-11:30 AM at Panera Bread in Novato

    • NEW - Every Wednesday from 5 - 6:30 PM at Outside Ounces in San Rafael

To participate in all of the above programs, please visit our website's "Write Voters" page at www.indivisiblemarin.org/write. Please note that all packets in our local pickup program and group events are $5 each. Online writers provide their own supplies.

Thank you for working with us in 2024 to save democracy!

~ The IndiMarin Writing Team - Joy, Laurie, Annie, Dianne, Maryann and Cindy

Kickoff for NEW group postcarding on Wednesday evenings!

Hello fabulous IndiMarin Postcarders!

Our Panera postcard writing events have been so wildly popular, we are excited to announce a second weekly group writing event to keep up with demand and provide a new option for those that prefer evenings! Starting this coming Wednesday, July 31, we will be hosting a new event from 5 - 6:30 PM at Ounces Outdoors - an all welcoming, community-first, local-centric outdoor space at Northgate Shopping Center in San Rafael. It's even dog-friendly!


We are writing to support our candidates in competitive California congressional districts in advance of the 2024 general election. All materials are provided. Just bring yourself:) The cost is $5 per packet. Sign up here.

As an added bonus, 32 Ounces Outdoors hosts a Wednesday Trivia Night starting at 6:30 PM. Make a night of it and stay for some fun entertainment with your postcarding peeps!

Come join the fun while helping Dems win a trifecta! We hope to see you there!

The IndiMarin Writing Team - Joy, Laurie, Cindy, Annie, Maryann and Dianne


Stop Project 2025 Briefing with Congressman Huffman

 Dear amazing IndiMarin volunteers,

It has been a very uncertain and stressful month for all of us who care so deeply about our country and democracy. Today, we learned that President Biden has decided to pass the torch and there will be a new direction for the top-of-the-ticket. More details will emerge in coming days and weeks. IndiMarin will remain fully engaged in our ongoing work toward a trifecta for Democrats in November. Thank you for being a part of this crucial work.

One fact has remained constant throughout the uncertainty. The Republican-led Project 2025 is an existential threat to our democracy and our entire way of life as Americans. It must be stopped. Project 2025 is a far-right roadmap for Donald Trump and his MAGA allies to seize “supreme” powers and radically undermine reproductive rights, LGBTQ equality, racial justice, free speech, and other democratic institutions and freedoms.

Indivisible Marin and the Bay Area Coalition are honored to host a virtual briefing, Stop Project 2025, with our Congressman, Jared Huffman, on Wednesday, July 31, at 4pm PT/7pm ET. Sign up here.



Congressman Huffman will lead a far-ranging conversation regarding Project 2025 with special guests Congressman Jamie Raskin and Joyce Vance, distinguished professor of practice at the University of Alabama School of Law, senior fellow at the Brennan Center, NBC and MSNBC legal analyst, and author of the Substack newsletter, "Civil Discourse."

Congressmen Huffman and Raskin along with their colleagues are collaborating with civil society, grassroots advocates, and affected communities to join forces to examine, highlight, preempt, and counteract this rightwing plot to undermine democracy. All citizens can play a role in supporting this crucial work. Sign up for the briefing here.

At the briefing, Congressmen Huffman and Raskin and Professor Vance will discuss specific ways that all defenders of democracy can become allies of this mission. To submit a question in advance, please email info@indivisiblemarin.org.

Thank you for your ongoing work to protect our democracy!

The IndiMarin Steering Committee - Susan, Betsy, Andie, Joy, Nanda, Betty and Laurie

Announcing New Ohio Postcarding for Sherrod Brown

Hello Writers,

Wow - you all wrote 3,000 postcards to Montana in just over a week!  Thanks to a huge response, our partner Activate America completed this first round of postcards to infrequent voters in Montana in record time. Our next Senate campaign is Ohio, where incumbent Sherrod Brown is fighting to keep his seat. The script is an economic message focusing on Brown's job creation record.

The Ohio campaign is available via online requests only. The deadline is August 15th.  

Our CA-13 campaign supporting Adam Gray is available both online and in packets and has a deadline of August 1st.

These are challenging times for Democrats but our writers tell us that action is the anecdote to anxiety. Our work to help Democrats control both the House and Senate in 2025 continues!  

Links to request addresses online or packets can be found on our webpage at www.indivisiblemarin.org/write. Please note that packets in our local pick-up program are $5 each. Online writers provide their own supplies.

Thank you for working with us in 2024 to help save democracy!

~ The IndiMarin Writing Team - Joy, Laurie, Annie, Dianne, and Maryann

Great texting now available as part of Gavin Newsom's Campaign for Democracy!

Dear IndiMarin texters, 

If you’ve been on our Slack, you know that Team Gavin Newsom has been ramping up an AMAZING texting program, and the floodgates opened Tuesday morning! 

The texting program is part of his "Campaign for Democracy," an aggressive, coordinated and sustained state-by-state organizing effort through the 2024 election with the mission to confront and defeat unAmerican authoritarianism.


Campaign for Democracy is seeking new texters to elect Dems in battleground states and push messaging around two issues long important to Newsom personally: freedom from gun violence and reproductive choice. 

It's a very professional and well-funded campaign with excellent tools, terrific training and support, tight scripts, and LOTS of texting – literally millions of texts, with texting scheduled 5-6 days per week just this month! 

In lieu of Slack, TGN uses Discord as ts virtual community meeting space. Join the Team below to access self-serve onboarding and texting links. 

Join the Text Team: https://gavinnewsom.win/text

Join Discord: https://gnewsom.co/community

Volunteer form: https://gavinnewsom.win/volunteer

Other worthy orgs are texting now too – check out our Slack for more!

Thanks for all you do!

~ The IndiMarin Texting Team - Andie, Jane, Susan, and Julie


Announcing New July Postcarding Campaigns!

Hello Writers,

We did it again in June - writing over 10,000 postcards and surpassing last month's outstanding result by 200! Thank you all for your work!  

Postcarding is now entering the very crucial summer months supporting our House and Senate candidates and leading up to final GOTV campaigns this fall.

We are excited to be adding a new Senate campaign in Montana supporting three-time incumbent, Jon Tester. Democrats must win this state to keep control of the Senate.  Tester is asking for out-of-state support to boost his campaign. Volunteers can make a huge impact in this small population state!

On the House side, we are continuing our work for Adam Gray in CA-13. Volunteerism in the six competitive CA House districts is booming so it is not a surprise that recent polling shows Democrats leading Republicans in those races. Let's keep it going in CA!

The mailing deadline for all campaigns is August 1st.

THREE POSTCARDING OPTIONS:

  • ALL LOCATIONS: Online requests for CA-13 and Montana campaigns

  • LOCAL to Marin County - Packet Pick up Program: CA-13 campaign only

  • IN PERSON EVENTS: Every Tuesday from 10-11:30 AM at Panera Bread in Novato

To participate in all above programs as well as our postcarding meetings, please visit our website writing page at www.indivisiblemarin.org/write. Please note that all packets in our local pick-up program are $5 each. Online writers provide their own supplies.

Thank you for working with us in 2024 to save democracy!

~ The IndiMarin Writing Team - Joy, Laurie, Annie, Dianne, and Maryann