Seattle
Washington
Message from the Chair - March 7, 2025
Government and Politics
March 7, 2025
Happy Friday, Washington Democrats and Happy Women’s History Month!
Call to Action
- Hold Reps Newhouse and Baumgartner accountable
- Elect more Democrats to the U.S. House
There’s a Special Election for 2 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida. We have the opportunity to use a low turnout election to cut into MAGA Mike Johnson’s majority, but we need everyone’s help. Write postcards, make phone calls, and more to help push the Democrats over the top in this April 1 election (no fooling!). Learn more on how to help Josh Weil and Gay Valimont here.
- Rally and Protest
- 3/8 Musk or Us: Fight Back! (Liberty Lake outside Spokane)
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/759876
- 3/8 Celebrate International Women’s Day (Vancouver, WA)
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/759889
- 3/8 Women’s March (Spokane)
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/759132
- 3/8 Strengthen Medicare for All (Tacoma)
https://www.psara.org/meetings-events
- Send us details on rallies and protests in your communities
- Email details to [email protected]
- Donate
If you would like to see less Washington D.C. and more Washington state in your community, please DONATE to The Real Washington Fund – our rapid response account to counter MAGA’s chaos with real organizing, real solutions, and real results. We can’t do the work of holding Republicans accountable without your support.
- Follow us on social media
Follow us on social media for up-to-the-minute updates and actions that can benefit your communities:
Storybanking – Send Us Your Stories
Jaelle Downs is a Forest Service employee laid off by DOGE and Donald Trump. Jaelle took a pay cut in order to be a permanent employee and received stellar job performance reviews. None of that was enough to save her job from Trump’s lawlessness. Click above or watch her story here. Thank you for sharing your story, Jaelle! We appreciate everything you have done for our country and our state.
Last week, we shared Laura’s story on social media. Laura is the Captain of her High School Hip Hop Team that qualified for Nationals – unfortunately, Trump policies combined with the location of Nationals in Florida made Laura afraid to get on the plane. You can listen to Laura share her story here or click the image above.
Are you a federal employee who received an email saying you could be offered a buyout or that you were terminated without notice? Do you work at a research institution or non-governmental organization and have had your federal funding yanked away? Was someone in your family denied gender-affirming healthcare? We need your stories.
The best way to persuade people about the horrible impacts of Trump’s chaos is to share real stories from real people in their communities. If you are interested in sharing your story of the direct impacts of Trump 2.0 on your life, please send an email to [email protected] that includes your name, contact information, which Washington community you reside in, the story you would like to share, and permission to share your story with the public.
Our Communications team will be in touch within a few business days after you have reached out to help collect your story.
Senator Cantwell and Murray have also asked for help finding stories like these. Please be sure to note that you want your story told and be as detailed as possible. You can share your stories with our U.S. Senators here:
Working for Washington
This week, Trump addressed both chambers of Congress. You can watch my reactions to his speech on Fox 13 and King 5.
We knew Trump would lie about his promises, so here’s a reminder of some of the many ways he is failing America:
PROMISE: “Making America affordable again”
BROKEN: Prices are climbing under Trump while economists predict “a serious Trump recession,” and consumer confidence plummets
PROMISE: “Rapidly defeat” inflation on Day One
BROKEN: Barely a month into his presidency, Trump admitted “inflation is back”
PROMISE: No cuts to Medicaid or Social Security (even after he tried to gut them every year of his first term)
BROKEN: Republicans are pushing a budget (with Trump’s blessing) that would put Medicaid on the chopping block while DOGE threatens to slash the Social Security Administration
PROMISE: No Project 2025 in his administration
BROKEN: Trump’s administration is stacked with Project 2025 contributors and allies – including its “key architect” Russ Vought – and are now following through on their Day One agenda of mass firings and devastating cuts to programs for working families.
PROMISE: Reduce energy prices by 50% and bring down the price of gas to under $2 a gallon
BROKEN: Gas prices are set to rise across the country under Trump
PROMISE: Promised to “protect our workers [and] … protect our jobs”
BROKEN: Trump and Musk’s reckless mass firings forced small businesses to lay off employees, losing thousands of private sector jobs
PROMISE: Promised to make IVF free
BROKEN: Trump’s executive order on IVF doesn’t actually make it free at all – and his role in overturning Roe v. Wade is the only reason it’s at risk
PROMISE: Promised to take care of veterans “properly”
BROKEN: Fired thousands of veterans while simultaneously gutting VA health care
PROMISE: Promised no individual assistance would be affected by his federal funding freeze
BROKEN: Critical programs like Head Start, Meals on Wheels, and community health centers were unable to access funding
PROMISE: Promised to “put money into the pockets of American consumers”
BROKEN: Shuttered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has put $21 billion back in the pockets of hardworking Americans
PROMISE: Promised to “make America safe again”
BROKEN: Put our national security at risk with his unqualified and unfit Cabinet nominations for Director of National Intelligence and FBI Director
PROMISE: Promised to bring safety back to America
BROKEN: Fired critical FAA air traffic controllers after a major plane crash, froze the hiring of much-needed firefighters on the eve of fire season, and stalled several counternarcotics efforts in Mexico to stop fentanyl
While Trump does everything possible in Washington, D.C. to smash our government into smaller pieces to make it easier for his cabinet of billionaires and sycophants to hoover them up, Democrats in the REAL Washington are hard at work to safeguard a better future for our state from Trump’s overreach. Here’s a reminder of how Governor Ferguson, AG Brown, and our other state leaders are fighting back. You can click the image above or go here to see the whole press conference.
Additionally, while the Trump administration wants to cut down our forests, Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove is setting our forests on a better management path. The Washington state Senate passed a bill expanding childcare access for military families. It now moves to the House for consideration. The Senate also passed legislation which would put us (possibly for the first time in state history) in a position where every one of our public pension systems is fully funded. If you’d like a refresher of all the Trump lawsuits launched by Attorney General Nick Brown and their status, check out this great primer by David Gutman at The Seattle Times.
Washington Democrats have been hard at work researching and sharing out the best organizing and messaging advice we can find as well as providing updates on legislation in our own state. Over the coming weeks, we will share these resources with you all.
DNC Update
And national Democrats are getting the message! This week, DNC Chair Ken Martin appointed me alongside U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty and Labor Caucus Chair Stuart Applebaum as DNC Associate Chairs. I am honored by Chair Martin’s faith in me and his recognition of the amazing work our state parties do to elect Democrats.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and DNC Chair Ken Martin hosted a virtual town hall this week. Michelle from Washington state asked “What plans do Democrats have to be bold, loud, and creatively disruptive?” You can listen to House Democrats answer her question here.
Resources for Resistance
We must be prepared to protect our friends and neighbors from illegal searches and incarceration or the deletion of their rights. As Trump policy directives come into focus, it is more important than ever that we stick together and fight back. Please share the resources below and consider supporting them with your time and money. If you have ideas on other organizations or services we should be spotlighting – please don’t hesitate to send them to [email protected].
Trans Lifeline: Trans Lifeline is dedicated to the wellbeing of transgender people. Their hotline is staffed by transgender people for transgender people to respond to whatever needs members of the trans community may have. The hotline number is 1-877-565-8860
Gender Justice League: Gender Justice League provides direct support and advocacy for the trans community and assists transgender people in obtaining government documentation that matches their gender identity. You can contact them through the website or call 206-538-0423.
If you see ICE activity taking place or any marked vehicles, please report it immediately to Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network at 1-844-724-3737.
Know your rights. Do not open the door. “ICE warrants” authorities may claim to have are not legal to enter your home. ICE warrants must be signed by a local judge to enter your home.
If you need legal assistance, call the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project at 1-800-445-5771
Services for immigrants:
Chinese Information & Service Center
East African Community Services
The International Rescue Committee in Seattle
Jewish Family Services – 253-850-4065
Archdiocese of Seattle – 206-274-3194
Lutheran Community Services Northwest
Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs
Republicans Behaving Badly
WA lawmaker wants federal review of state’s voter registration practices, The Seattle Times Washington state has the best and most convenient voter registration and voting systems in the country. So of course WAGOP Chair and State Rep. Jim Walsh wants to end that by having Trump’s cronies tear apart our voting system like they are doing with the federal government. Thankfully, Democrats in the legislature won’t even give his cheap ploy a hearing, but we’ll still need to be on guard from interference from Trump’s Department of Justice.
New initiative aims to shield Parents’ Bill of Rights from revision, The Seattle Times
Jim Walsh’s hedge-fund owning bestie, Brian Heywood, wants to promote child abuse and teen suicide under the guise of parental rights in a new initiative. Heywood needs 386,000 signatures by July 3 to qualify for the ballot – please decline to sign and make sure your communities are aware that “parental bill of rights” masks dangerous changes to law that will threaten our children’s wellbeing and create chaos for schools, educators, and health care professionals.
Democrats in the News
Washington Rep. Marilyn Strickland weighs in on cuts to federal programs, workforce, KOMO
US Representative Rick Larsen: Federal workers and funding cuts, My Bellingham Now
Democrats launch effort to get 100 doctors into elected office, Washington Post
Rep. Schrier worried about federal cuts amid measles death, whooping cough cases, KIMA
Sen. Murray introduces bill to improve Medicaid access for kids in Washington, NonStopLocal
How I’m setting WA forests on a better management path (by Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove), The Seattle Times
Roger Lau named DNC executive director, Politico
WA State Democratic Chair Shasti Conrad appointed as new Associate Chair for DNC, Lynnwood Times
Shasti Conrad appointed DNC Associate Chair, Northwest Asian Weekly
WA Party leaders react to Trump speech, Fox 13 Seattle
Washington State Democrats Chair Shasti Conrad reacts to President Trump’s speech to Congress, King 5 Seattle
Cuts to Medicaid would hurt WA’s children, poor, The Seattle Times
Judge in Seattle questions Trump’s response to his refugee ruling, The Seattle Times
What I’m Watching
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central Jon Stewart gave his longest monologue ever commenting on Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine and our allies in favor of Putin. It’s worth watching the whole thing.