Fifteen Minutes For Our Future 

In the months leading up to the 2024 election, we formed a fruitful partnership between our Third Act working groups in blue states and those in battleground states. Now, as we face great threats to our democracy and our climate, Third Act Working Groups from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont have joined forces once again to resist actions deployed by the new administration and to support democracy and climate advocates. We invite all Third Act members to participate.

We hold a weekly Zoom call – Mondays @ 9AM – to identify actions that each of us can take in the upcoming week to protect democracy and fight the ongoing coup. 

Zoom link: https://thirdact-org.zoom.us/j/82440725942?pwd=v49jWOQdLp1gxWp9P9jn05twfc3H7l.1

Weekly 15 Minutes Action Items

May 12th – 

1. Save Public Media! The White House’s annual budget request proposes to eliminate federal funding, and Trump has issued an Executive Order to block support for PBS and NPR. These actions would immediately devastate local public radio stations. Write to your congressperson, or call them to demand they push back against this action. If you can, donate any amount to your local….
2. Watch this 3-minute video to learn how Trump’s 2026 budget proposal could affect you and your community. The plan includes a $163 billion cut to non-defense spending, slashing funding for critical services like education, housing, medical research, foreign aid, energy, and environmental protection. It also proposes deep cuts to mental health care, addiction treatment, and utility/heating assistance—services millions rely on. Contact your representatives, and make your voice heard.
3. Show Up! Live near a highway overpass? Consider joining or organizing a “Rush Hour Resistance” Visibility Brigade to get your message seen. Visibility Brigade has all kinds of resources for making the most of a rush hour commute audience. Their goal is “providing physical messaging in the real world to connect with and activate voters to demonstrate that resistance is possible”! In Vermont this happens weekly over I-91.
4. Sign the AARP’s  petition protecting Social Security. https://action.aarp.org/social-security-pledge 

Previous Actions:

May 5th – 

• Celebrate block of SAVE Act!

• Support ActBlue

• Join “What’s the Plan?” – Indivisible weekly call

• No Kings Day – June 14th to be announced this week

• Support local foodbank with donation

April 28th – 

• Join your Local Indivisible Group. Groups are organized at the county, region within a county, and even city/town level. Indivisible is an invaluable source of information on many types of actions and protests, including protests at elected official’s offices and Social Security offices.
• Demand Congress Rescind Trump’s Terrible Tariffs
  • Call/contact your Senators and House Members and demand they roll back these incredibly dangerous and unconstitutional tariffs immediately. Insist they sign on and advocate for the new bi-partisan resolution that would repeal the tariffs just introduced by Senator Kaine, Paul, Wyden, Shaheen, Welch, Warren and Schumer. It will be coming to a Senate vote in the coming days.
• Attend May Day rallies to support workers. Consult Mobilize for locations. 

April 21st – 

• Thank Harvard University for standing up to bullies

  • Office of the President
    Harvard University
    Massachusetts Hall
    Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
    Tel: (617) 495-1502
    Fax: (617) 495-8550
    president@harvard.edu

• Cuts to Medicaid – a huge issue – among other things, Medicaid is for folks with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Background information here.
• Support Earth Week – take 15 Minutes (at least) to smell the roses. Then, support our planet – details here.

April 14th – 

• Pull out all stops to oppose the SAVE act. Details here – we need 60 votes in the Senate.

  • What is the SAVE Act?

    The SAVE Act would require that anyone registering to vote or changing their registration appear in person at an election office with original or certified documents proving not only identity but also citizenship status. For most Americans, that would mean showing a passport or birth certificate.

  • This bill could end voter registration drives, severely limit or eliminate online voter registration (used by 8 million Americans in the 2022 election cycle), limit or end automatic voter registration and eliminate the ability to send in a voter registration application by mail (used by 3 million people in 2022).

    • Voteriders.org
  • Suggested script:
    

    Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

    I understand that the House just passed the SAVE Act. I am deeply opposed to this bill. It will disenfranchise tens of millions of American citizens with no access to a birth certificate or passport, and 69 million married women who took their husband’s last names. All to address a problem that doesn’t exist! I demand that the Senator vote no on this bill.

• April 19th protests
  • PA –  250 years with no Kings!
  • MA – Liberty is Local
• Watch this video – follow the money

April 7th – 

• Thank Senator Cory Booker by phone/email
• Call your Reps to oppose efforts to destroy the federal court system–No Rogue Rulings Act up for a vote in the house next week.
• Sign a MoveOn petition against tariffs: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/trump-s-tariff-tyranny-must-end?source=mo&link_id=1&can_id=01510d03cae9c7c6415554a4f3f0f49a&email_referrer=email_2681514&email_subject=will-you-sign-the-petition-to-stop-trumps-tariff-tyranny&
• Sign up for one of the courses offered by Crossing Party Lines to learn how to talk to the other side, for example: https://www.classy.org/event/workshop-your-brain-on-politics/e676206
• Join us (tonight!!) for the the David Pepper Saving Democracy Zoom talk – register here.

March 31st – 

• Attend a local Hands Off protest on April 5th
• Register for the the David Pepper Saving Democracy Zoom talk – we only need 15 more registrants to top 100!
• Florida support
  • 💰🥾Josh Weil is a single father and public school educator running to flip FL-06 in the upcoming special election (April 1st). Join a daily phonebank or donate to his campaign! These special elections are super important!!
• Watch video – Rumeysa Ozturk abduction
• Invite someone(s) to this call = strength in numbers!

March 24th – 

• Join the ACLU (and donate, if possible)  –  Mahmoud Khalil
• Tell Congress: Stop the Save Act!

  • This bill would require every American to show a document proving US citizenship (like a passport or birth certificate) to register to vote. Save would make voter registration much harder for American citizens and mean that millions of eligible voters would be removed from voter rolls. Take ONE MINUTE to send a note to your Representative in Congress NOW because this important vote is coming at the end of March: 

    https://www.voteriders.org/save-action/

• Continue support of Tesla takedown
• Save the Date – April 5th for Hands Off! protests – details here.

March 17th – 

Write five (5) postcards to support Judge Susan Crawford’s election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 

March 10th – Protect YOUR Social Security benefits. Work through these sites:

• “Five Calls”
• AARP
• If you happen to have a Republican representative – here is a good Social Security script from Jessica Craven.
• Adopt the boycott lifestyle! Boycott Amazon and push back on Bezos – click here for details.

March 3rd – 

• Join Indivisible!
• Help save Medicaid