If you got Elon Musk’s outrageous DOG-Email demanding five bullet points about what you, as a federal employee, did last week – and IF your agency hasn’t told you to ignore it --  here are a few framing ideas:

• Accomplished my regular duties, including (two or three specific bullet points)
• Spent time in meetings with my remaining co-workers about how to keep accomplishing the tasks and duties of those in our office who have already been fired without cause or bullied into resigning. (examples)
• Tried to plan in the face of current extreme uncertainty how important functions of the US government in my or my agency’s purview could continue to serve the US public as more RIFs take place erratically, without consideration for the departmental structure and skills array that those important functions require.

FYI Kash Patel (!) told the FBI folks to ignore the email and “A White House official clarified to Semafor that DOGE doesn’t have the authority to fire federal workers and that it’s up to agency managers to determine their workers’ productivity, as well as any consequences for missing Musk’s deadline.”

Splitsville on the horizon?

Read more about how resistance may be slowly developing, among places and people that could surprise you.

If you got Elon Musk’s outrageous DOG-Email requiring five bullet points about what you, as a federal employee, did last week – and IF your agency hasn’t told you to ignore it --  here are a few framing ideas:

• Accomplished my regular duties, including (two or three specific bullet points)
• Spent time in meetings with my remaining co-workers about how to keep accomplishing the tasks and duties of those in our office who have already been fired without cause or bullied into resigning. (examples)
• Tried to plan in the face of current extreme uncertainty how important functions of the US government in my or my agency’s purview could continue to serve the US public as more RIFs take place erratically, without consideration for the departmental structure and skills array that those important functions require.

FYI Kash Patel (!) told the FBI folks to ignore the email and “A White House official clarified to Semafor that DOGE doesn’t have the authority to fire federal workers and that it’s up to agency managers to determine their workers’ productivity, as well as any consequences for missing Musk’s deadline.”

Splitsville on the horizon?

Read more about how resistance may be slowly developing, among places and people that could surprise you.

HERE IN MARYLAND

State May Block Trump Administration from Maryland Databases: Some Maryland lawmakers are seeking to protect residents’ data from law enforcement intrusions amid heightened immigration enforcement by President Donald Trump’s administration. The proposed Maryland Data Privacy Act would prohibit police and other local officials from sharing personal information, granting access to databases, or allowing entry into facilities for federal immigration enforcement—unless a valid warrant from a state or federal court is provided. Capital News Service (UMD J-school) via Stateline

News Roundup from Maryland Reporter

POLL: VAST MAJORITY OF MARYLANDERS DISTRUST FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: [In a poll taken after one month of Donald Trump's presidency,]Three in four Marylanders distrust the federal government, including large majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, according to a new poll from the Institute of Politics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County taken in mid-February. The UMBC poll found that 76% of Marylanders said they can trust the federal government “never” or “only some of the time.” Those sentiments cross party lines [The poll also shows continued approval of Gov. Moore and his administration, though ebbing slightly]. Baltimore Banner 2/25.

MD Judges Read DEI Bans as First Amendment Violations; Cite DEI as Effective Policy

Maryland Judge Stays Trump's Efforts To Ban DEI: A federal judge in Maryland on Friday temporarily blocked a Trump administration order seeking to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs, including at state schools. In a 63-page opinion issued Friday night, U.S. District Court Judge Adam Abelson wrote that “As Plaintiffs put it, ‘[e]fforts to foster inclusion have been widespread and uncontroversially legal for decades.’ … Plaintiffs’ irreparable harms include widespread chilling of unquestionably protected speech.” Baltimore Sun.

>>U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore granted a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from terminating or changing federal contracts they consider equity-related. Abelson found that the orders likely carry constitutional violations, including against free-speech rights. Associated Press.

>>A day after a federal judge sided with Baltimore City and agreed to at least temporarily block a Trump administration order seeking to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Mayor Brandon Scott vowed to continue the fight “with every legal tool available.” Baltimore Sun

Electric power and dissatisfaction here in Maryland:

Some State Leaders Seek Easier Path for Nuclear Energy: In a legislative session dominated by energy issues, some state leaders are exploring the idea of more nuclear energy as an option for power generation in Maryland. Bills introduced by Gov. Wes Moore and Democratic leadership would open the door to building new nuclear energy projects in Maryland. The governor’s bill would also count nuclear energy toward the state’s clean energy goals. Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.

The Power Next Door: Delaware bill would create fund to help low-income residents with skyrocketing power bills using Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative revenue – a compact to which Maryland belongs, as well. Delaware Public Media via Stateline

Lawmakers Ready $500 Million More In Cuts: Maryland Senate Budget and Taxation Chair Guy Guzzone said Friday that House and Senate leadership are prepared to make up to $500 million in additional budget cuts as Maryland waits with bated breath for Congress to make its fiscal decisions. Baltimore Sun.

>>Ferguson said he is hopeful that when other states start seeing cuts from a Republican-controlled White House and Congress, “be it Medicaid, FEMA, public education — that they speak to their congressional representatives and explain the pain that would be ahead for cost shifts. But we don’t know where that’s going to land yet, and so that’s a big uncertainty.” Maryland Matters.

>>Federal Actions Prompt State To Gear Up For More Unemployment Claims: In the wake of mass firings of federal employees, the Maryland Department of Labor is gearing up for additional unemployment assistance claims. Since January, President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to downsize the government through a hiring freeze, the firing of longtime and probationary workers and an offer to pay employees to resign — moves that federal workers and state leaders have protested. Baltimore Sun.

Federal Workers in Harris's District Say He's Ignoring Their Concerns: A new dad is one of the roughly 23,000 federal employees living in U.S. Rep. Andy Harris’ deep red district. And he’s anxiously watching for when a career-ending email will land in his inbox. He's career civil servant and, like several others living in Harris’ district, have found that asking their elected official to speak up for them has been as effective as screaming underwater. Baltimore Banner.

College Students Lose Federal Internships, Jobs: Sophomore University of Maryland neuroscience major Anika Subramanya was told she would intern for the National Institutes of Health this summer. But in February, she received an email announcing that the internship program had been cancelled for the summer. Subramanya is just one of the many students impacted by a federal hiring freeze that upended post-graduation and summer internship plans for college students across the country The Diamondback.

'Just Cause' Bill Bolsters Tenants' Rights: For more than a decade, fair housing advocates around the state have sought to bolster tenants’ defenses by requiring nonrenewal notices to include a “just cause” or “good cause” reason. This, they say, will strengthen existing anti-retaliation laws and provide more housing stability in an increasingly inaccessible real estate market. Baltimore Banner.

Two Bills Tackle Parole Process: Amid high-profile proposals to make it easier for long-serving inmates to seek sentence reductions and to make work safer for parole agents are two largely overlooked efforts that supporters say are no less important: Reforming the parole process itself. Maryland Matters.

ENVIRONMENT: Lawmakers in seven blue states have introduced measures [including Maryland's RENEW Act, see SB0149/HB0128] to require polluters to pay for past emissions contributing to climate change and extreme weather. The bills follow measures passed in Vermont and New York last year, based on federal superfund legislation passed in 1980. Payments would be pooled into a fund that would pay for recovery and mitigation of disastrous weather events. (Pluribus News)

Tensions Erupt Over Expansion Of Drug Board: Just days after pointed, but civil, debate on a proposal to expand efforts to control prescription drug costs, the House floor erupted in a partisan shouting match Friday that had to be gaveled back to order by an angry Speaker Adrienne Jones. The uproar came during the final House vote on House Bill 424, a bill that would expand the authority of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board. Maryland Matters.

One State Over: The Founders’ Last Private Mansion: The Virginia Senate has rejected legislation to acquire the Loudoun County estate of James Monroe, the only home of a founding father that is still in private hands. The estate’s owners had offered to sell it at a reduced cost of $22 million, money that would come from the county rather than state government. (Washington Post) via Pluribus

Water, water everywhere so when “The District of Columbia’s environmental health agency has issued its first fish consumption advisory based on the presence of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in fish caught in the rivers running through the nation’s capital” that might affect those of us in Maryland too. “The advisory warns people who eat fish caught from portions of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers within the district to consider eating less or none of certain fish.” Bay Journal

A State the Other Way: SOCIAL MEDIA: Virginia lawmakers unanimously approved legislation to limit minors under 16 to one hour a day on each social media platform, unless their parents allow more time. The measure now goes to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who had previously proposed banning minors from TikTok. (Pluribus News) [Prog MD's observers wonder how it will be enforced. Will we see Virginia students flocking to MD and DC libraries -- with wifi -- to "study"?]

THE OTHER 49

Election Officials Blast Trump’s ‘Retreat’ From Protecting Voting Against Foreign Threats: Federal programs that assist state and local election officials said to have been gutted. The Trump administration has begun dismantling the nation’s defenses against foreign interference in voting, a sweeping retreat that has alarmed state and local election officials. The administration is shuttering the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force and last week cut more than 100 positions at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. President Donald Trump signed the law creating the agency in 2018. Among its goals is helping state and local officials protect voting systems. Stateline

News From Pluribus

IMMIGRATION: Republican lawmakers in more than 20 states have introduced legislation targeting sanctuary policies that limit law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Some bills would punish mayors and local officials whose jurisdictions violate prohibitions. (Associated Press)

NUTRITION: The Utah House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee has advanced legislation requiring the state to request a federal waiver to prohibit the purchase of candy and soda with SNAP benefits. Arkansas has requested a similar waiver. (Utah News Dispatch)

HEALTH CARE: The California Assembly will consider legislation mandating health care plans cover mental health care for those affected by natural disasters. The bill would mandate coverage of up to 12 annual visits to licensed behavioral health providers for those who live in a county impacted by wildfire-related local or state emergencies. (Los Angeles Times)

GOVERNORS: The National Governors Association declined to join six other bipartisan groups of elected officials in a letter to Congress over the Trump administration’s plan to slash Medicaid funding. Sources told us Republican governors balked at joining the letter, concerned that they might offend President Trump. (Pluribus News)

NATIONAL AND THE FEDS

Just so you know: “The wealthiest 10% of Americans now account for 49.7% of all spending, the highest since records began in 1989.” — WSJ via Semafor…  A slightly different comparison, directly from Semafor: The top 10 percent in the US have 67 percent of the wealth; the bottom 50 percent have 2.5 percent of the wealth (Federal Reserve of St. Louis).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As People’s Action launches its annual pushback fest in D.C. this week, here is Megan E’s abbreviated dispatch on what’s up in the Capital:

We have our fly-in today so I’ll keep this short. House Republicans are scheduled to take their first vote on their budget resolution to slash funding for Medicaid, food assistance, climate funds, education and more in order to give corporations and billionaires massive tax cuts tomorrow at 6:00pm and they can’t afford to lose one Member of Congress.

Please consider driving calls to House Republicans to tell them to vote NO on the budget resolution. Here is a sample email. Our click to email tool is here but calls are better!  

Separately, Congress has 18 days before the government shuts down if they don’t pass an appropriations bill. Republicans will need Democrats votes to pass anything. Democrats should not give up their votes without extracting demands. 

ICYMI, Musk sent an email to all federal workers on Saturday telling them they must report what work they did last week by EOD today. Newly appointed FBI director Kash Patel directed the FBI to ignore that request. [And see our lede, above; the White House was equally skeptical].

In solidarity, Megan [she is federal affairs director at People’s Action]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What's up this week?

People’s Action Institute’s members from across the country are converging on D.C. to stop them from taking our funds and giving them to billionaires, and we need you to join us. Sign up to join us for local actions taking on corporate targets in the DMV on Wednesday, Feb. 26. We’ll share the locations on Wednesday morning with those who register beforehand.

Take Back Our Money Tour

Wednesday, February 26

10:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Eastern

Washington, D.C.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And here is the overall long-game plan from People’s Action executive director Sulma Arias:

Right now, everything is on the line. The ultra-rich and massive corporations think the rules of democracy no longer apply to them. And with Donald Trump in the White House, they want to write themselves a blank check and hand it to Trump to sign.

As Congress gets ready to approve spending for the next year, Republicans want to push through $5 trillion in tax cuts. They want to permanently lower the amount big corporations pay, and extend giveaways for the very richest individuals.

How will they pay for this? They won’t. They want you and me to pay the bill. Anyone can see this is wrong - so to distract us, they tell us we’re broke, and they must make deep cuts to the essential services and programs that keep working families alive.

This is wrong. In the United States, the richest country in the history of the world, we have more than enough - the resources and the good will - for every family to have health, security and hope for the future. Yet the powerful want us to believe there will never be enough, so they can keep more for themselves.

Self-centered billionaires and the lawmakers who serve them want to take away lifesaving services so we will feel we can never have them, and shouldn’t even dare to ask. They don’t care about who dies when we lose health care, or when families go hungry, as long as they get what they came for: our money. And their goal is not to cut fraud or waste - it’s to hand out cash to Trump’s wealthy friends.

They want us to think they’re saving every penny - so Trump sent Elon Musk and his unelected DOGE squad to slash through every program and agency in the federal government. Congress also wants to cut more than $1 trillion from food assistance and Medicaid. These massive cuts will harm millions of families, but are still just a fraction of what the super-rich plan to give themselves in tax cuts.

Musk’s in it for himself: He has gotten rich at our expense. Both he and his car company, Tesla, pay zero in taxes, while we pay tens of billions to him in government contracts and subsidies. This double-dealing has made him the richest man in the world, yet now he wants more. From us.

People’s Action will not let greedy billionaires like Musk run our democracy into the ground. We demand elected officials defend the millions of families who rely on programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Title 1 and SNAP. They must also defend the essential agencies that keep our food and water safe, and make the critical investments our country needs in housing, green energy and climate resilience.

That’s why People’s Action members are coming from all across the country to Washington, D.C. from February 24th to 26th to tell our elected officials and the powerful corporations who think our government belongs to them that they are wrong. From Maine to Washington, and every state in between, we will tell lawmakers how these cuts affect real people, and real lives.

If the GOP’s planned cuts go through, tens of millions of Americans will be hurt. Everyone who works for a living will pay more, while the ultra-rich pay less.

It would be easy to lose hope, but People’s Action refuses to give up. We believe ordinary people have the power to rise and meet this and every moment, if we act together. We believe in the fundamental dignity of every person, without exception, and we believe government exists to serve all people - We The People - not the wealthy few.

What can you do? Call your representatives, join our national volunteer team to talk with your neighbors, and support our work.

I know it may feel like a lot to pick up the phone for the first time, or talk with your neighbor about what’s happening in our country. Maybe you feel afraid. Maybe your neighbor does, too.

But we have a superpower, even in this moment, that no one can take away: the power to organize. When we reach above our differences, we can stand together for what is right. This is what will get us through this moment, and all the challenges to come.

Sulma