• Toolkit

    • We Choose to Fight: U.S. Senate In-State Office Visit Toolkit

    Feb 6, 2025

    What’s Happening?

    We are in crisis. The Trump administration is attempting to shut down the functions of the federal government while it hands unchecked power and access over to an unelected billionaire. We need to delay, fight, and defeat everything we can, and that starts with Congress standing up and saying “no.”

    This week, that fight is focused on Russell Vought, the nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who is the human embodiment of the effort to freeze federal funding and the architect of Project 2025. As Trump and Musk are moving to raid the Treasury, it’s essential that Democrats (and Republicans) in Congress send a clear message: “We will fight. Vought will not glide through to join you in your efforts to take money from the American people.”

    The Trump-Musk Funding Grab: The Quiet Coup

    Since taking office, President Trump and Elon Musk have worked together to defund the federal government from the inside while consolidating power into the hands of a right-wing elite. Their goal is clear: gut federal agencies, strip public resources, and redirect power and money into their own hands.

    • Agencies Are Starved of Ability to Help People: Key federal agencies—including the Departments of Health, Education, and Transportation—have been forced into bare-bones operations, unable to implement vital programs we depend on.
    • FEMA and Disaster Relief Blocked: Funding for emergency relief programs is being deliberately slowed or denied, leaving communities vulnerable.
    • Social Security and Medicare Under Threat: Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” has gained full access to the U.S. Treasury’s federal payment system, which processes Social Security, Medicare, and tax refunds. His team now has access to millions of Americans’ financial data and can manipulate payments.
    • DOGE is a Smokescreen for Dismantling the Federal Government: Under the guise of “efficiency,” Musk has proposed cutting $1 trillion in government spending, targeting social programs, education, healthcare, and regulatory agencies that protect consumers and workers.

    At the same time, Trump and Senate Republicans are fast-tracking Russell Vought as OMB Director to oversee this attack on federal funding.

    Vought is the Architect of Project 2025

    Vought wrote a chapter of Project 2025, which starts by outlining the role that OMB should play in implementing the massively unpopular playbook. If confirmed, Russell Vought will control federal spending. That means he will claim to have the power to:

    • Freeze funding for critical programs like Medicaid, public schools, environmental protections, and infrastructure.
    • Redirect federal dollars to right-wing priorities, including tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate handouts.
    • Defund regulatory agencies that keep corporations in check and protect workers and consumers.

    The Process: How the Senate Will Proceed With the Vought Confirmation Vote

    • Monday: Motion to Proceed (MTP) passes, allowing debate on the nomination.
    • Immediately After: Republican Sen. John Thune can file cloture, starting the two legislative day clock before a cloture vote.
    • Wednesday: Cloture vote happens, kicking off 30 hours of debate.
    • Wednesday – Thursday: Senate Democrats must use the full 30 hours to expose this crisis and block the nomination at every turn.
    • Thursday (or Friday!): Final vote on Vought’s confirmation. If he is confirmed, the Trump-Musk takeover accelerates.

    Senate Democrats must treat this as the constitutional crisis it is. They must use every tool to block and delay. But Republicans are fully complicit in this power grab. We need public outrage, attention, and accountability focused on every Senator who is backing this takeover.

    Republican Senators must feel the heat. They need to know that their constituents see what they are doing and that there will be political consequences.

    The Ask

    This week, between Monday and the vote on Vought, we’re asking people from all over the country to plan a visit to their U.S. Senators’ In-State Offices to demand Democrats fight and to hold Republicans accountable for their complicity. 

    Democrats Must Use Every Procedural Tool to Shut Down Trump’s Agenda

    Yes, we need Democrats to vote no on Vought’s nomination, but no is not enough. Democrats have the power to grind Senate business to a halt and force Republicans to feel the political cost of backing Trump’s extremist agenda. Here’s how:

    1. Deny a Quorum: If Republicans don’t have 51 votes in the chamber, Democrats can walk out and shut down Senate business entirely.
    2. Block Unanimous Consent: Object to every procedural shortcut, forcing Republicans to take the longest possible route for every step of the confirmation process.
    3. Max Out Debate Time: Use all 30 hours of debate on Vought to expose Project 2025, Musk’s Treasury takeover, and the funding freeze.
    4. Delay and Disrupt: Force roll-call votes, quorum calls, and procedural delays to slow everything down.
    5. Blanket Opposition: Democrats cannot continue to vote for Trump’s other nominees, helping to install more MAGA loyalists into powerful positions in the federal government while this power grab continues.
    6. No Business as Usual: This is a constitutional crisis. Democrats must abandon the old rules and fight with everything they have.

    Bottom line: Senate Democrats must block, delay, and obstruct every step of this process—no cooperation, no easy votes, no fast-tracking Trump’s takeover. To learn more about how Senate Democrats can shut down Trump’s agenda with procedural hardball, check out our explainer here.

    How to Plan Your Senate State Office Visit

    Find Your Senator’s State Office

    • Locate the nearest in-state office for your U.S. Senators. Your Senators typically list the addresses for each of their offices at the bottom of their official Senate homepage or on a “Contact” page.
    • Target both Democratic and Republican Senators. Democrats need to be pushed to fight harder, and Republicans need to be exposed for their complicity.

    Pick a Date & Time

    • Plan your visit for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning.
    • Aim for business hours (9 AM – 5 PM) for maximum visibility.

    Gather and Prepare Your Group

    • Organize a group of 5-15 people (the bigger, the better — but showing up is what counts!)
    • Assign roles ahead of time:
      ✔ Spokesperson: Opens the meeting and states the demand—Vote NO on Vought and fight every step of the way.
      ✔ Storyteller(s): Share personal stories about how this crisis affects real people.
      ✔ Note-Taker: Records the meeting and any responses from the Senator’s staff.
      ✔ Social Media Lead: Captures video, posts updates, and ensures maximum visibility.
      ✔ Backup Disruptor: If staff tries to dismiss you, they reinforce the message and demand action.

    Prepare Your Ask

    • For Democrats: Not just a NO vote—they must obstruct and delay.
      ✔ Block unanimous consent: Force full roll-call votes on everything.
      ✔ Demand the full 30 hours of debate: No fast-tracking Vought’s confirmation.
      ✔ Make the Senate unmanageable: Delay, disrupt, and derail Trump’s funding freeze.
    • For Republicans: Force them to publicly defend their complicity.

    Execute the Visit

    • Sign in at the front desk. If staff tries to brush you off, be persistent.
    • Demand to speak with the State Director. If unavailable, get a firm commitment for a follow-up.
    • Leave behind materials—a printout of our demands and the latest reporting on Musk’s Treasury access.
    • If locked out? Rally outside, record videos, and call them out publicly.

    Document Everything & Follow Up

    • Take photos and videos. If the office refuses to engage, let the public see their silence.
    • Post updates on social media using #VoughtNo and tag Indivisible, MoveOn, and Working Families Party (we love Bluesky!)
    • Follow up with an email or phone call summarizing your visit and asking for a response.

    Register Your Event & Invite Others

    • Register your event on Mobilize so others in your area can join. You can also check to see if there’s already an event planned near you.
    • Do I need to register an event, or can I just go? Please register your event! It’s really helpful for us to know about all the events that are happening so that we know how much each senator is hearing about this urgent demand. If you don’t want anyone else to be able to see and join your drop-by, you can make your event ‘private’ when you create it. 
    • Will you help me recruit? Given the timeline we’re working with, we encourage you to take the lead on bringing together some people to join you. That said, posting a public event will definitely allow Indivisible, MoveOn, and the Working Families Party to help spread the word and get some people to join you.
    • Do I need to call in advance? Nope! You definitely can, particularly if you have a preexisting relationship with the office. But there’s no rule that you need to have an appointment to talk to your elected official’s staff. Staff might tell you that it’s impossible to schedule a meeting at this short notice, but you can stop in anyway—there isn’t time to wait for this one!
    • Can I do a virtual event? We are asking people to make in-person visits this week. 
    • I can’t go in person—is there anything else I can do? Yes, if you can’t visit an office in person, it’s still very helpful to call your Senators’ offices and make the same request over the phone. Although a personal visit is harder, it shows how serious the issue is to you, but a call is still great.
    • There’s already a visit listed for my senator — should I join that one or add another event? Either! If you see an event near you that you want to join, please do! But if you can’t attend that event (say, because you have a work or family conflict at that time), you should register your own event!

    This is our moment to act. Trump and Musk are already consolidating power. If Senate Democrats don’t shut this down, no one will.

    Talking Points for Senate Democrats

    Recognize the Crisis

    • Trump and Musk are orchestrating a hostile takeover of the federal government.
    • Vought is not just a nominee—he is a direct threat to democracy.

    Use Every Procedural Tool to Block This

    • No is not enough. Yes, we expect every Senate Democrat to vote NO on Russell Vought’s confirmation, but no is not enough. We need Democrats to grind Senate business to a halt and force Republicans to feel the political cost of backing Trump’s extremist agenda.
      • Deny a quorum. Walk out if necessary to stop Senate business.
      • Block unanimous consent. Force full roll-call votes on everything.
      • Max out debate time. Speak for the full 30 hours of debate.
      • Gum up the works. Object to every procedural motion, force procedural votes, demand roll calls, and delay every possible action. This is not business as usual. We need Democrats to fight with everything they have.
      • Blanket opposition. Oppose vote NO on every Trump nominee while the coup continues.

    Expose Republican Complicity

    • Force Republicans to defend their vote. Make them answer to the American people.
    • Call out the risks to Social Security, Medicare, and government programs that millions of people depend on.

    Sign Ideas for Senate Democrats

    You can download printable versions of some of these signs here.

    • VOUGHT NO
    • NO ISN’T ENOUGH—FIGHT BACK!
    • STOP TRUMP & MUSK’S POWER GRAB
    • NO ONE VOTED FOR ELON MUSK
    • VOTE NO ON VOUGHT. STOP PROJECT 2025
    • DEMOCRACY IS ON THE LINE—ACT LIKE IT
    • ELON DOESN’T RUN THIS COUNTRY—WE DO
    • SENATE DEMS: BLOCK, DELAY, OBSTRUCT—NO EXCUSES
    • TRUMP & MUSK WANT TO RAID THE TREASURY—STOP THEM
    • FIGHT LIKE OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT

    Talking Points for Senate Republicans

    You Are Enabling an Unconstitutional Authoritarian Takeover

    • Supporting Vought = supporting Trump’s plan to dismantle the federal government.
    • You are allowing a billionaire to dictate public policy.

    Your Complicity Will Cost You

    • Blocking federal funding is deeply unpopular.
    • If you confirm Vought, you will be held accountable, and your constituents are paying attention.

    A No Vote is the Only Way to Avoid Political Fallout

    • There is no way to spin this. A vote for Vought means selling out your constituents.
    • Vote NO on Vought.

    Sign Ideas for Senate Republicans

    You can download printable versions of some of these signs here.

    • VOUGHT NO
    • IT’S ELON MUSK OR US: WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?
    • AMERICANS AGAINST BILLIONAIRE CAPTURE
    • COMPLICIT
    • YOU SWORE AN OATH TO US, NOT ELON
    • TRAITOR
    • WE WON’T FORGET

    Trump and Musk are moving fast, and we need to stop them. While Republican senators will be in DC, our goal is to make them receive panicked phone calls from their state staff about backlash from constituents. We’re not letting Republicans get away with this power grab. We choose to fight. We say #VoughtNo.