This Week’s Actions
Action 1: Support families facing hunger.
Thank you to the 137 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ , reaching out from [ZIP] concerning the hunger crisis unfolding as the government shutdown enters its sixth week. Although food banks nationwide are responding, the expiration of SNAP benefits is forcing millions to choose between food and essentials like rent, gas, and healthcare. Please ensure our fellow Americans receive the food aid they are entitled to by law, along with the ACA subsidies essential for affordable health insurance.
Bonus: Donate cash directly to families losing their SNAP food benefits.
Source: AoCC, GiveDirectly
Action 2: Protect trans youth and hospitals from proposed HHS funding cuts.
Thank you to the 65 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Postcard: Mehmet Oz, Director, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244
Hello, I’m [NAME] from [ZIP], expressing my alarm about HHS’s plans to cut Medicaid and CHIP coverage for gender-affirming care for youth. These rules would also penalize hospitals providing this evidence-based care, threatening care for all patients who rely on federal programs. Every major U.S. medical association supports gender-affirming care as a lifesaving best practice. Please ensure that transgender youth are fully covered under Medicaid, and withdraw regulations that limit gender-affirming care and jeopardize hospital funding.
Bonus: Message Dr. Oz on social media https://www.instagram.com/drozcms/.
Source: AoCC
Action 3: Urge Congress to uphold the right to refuge.
Thank you to the 105 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hi, I’m ____ from [ZIP], and I’m deeply concerned about the administration’s plans to cap refugee admissions at 7,500. I urge [Sen./Rep. NAME] to call on the administration to properly consult with Congress on the admissions target as required by law (in the Refugee Act of 1980) and urge them to fully restore the refugee resettlement program for the most at-risk refugees around the world. Thank you.
Source: Church World Service
Action 4: Urge Congress to restore fairness and integrity to our immigration courts.
Thank you to the 94 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], and I’m concerned about current policies eroding immigration court integrity. The administration has drastically increased immigration arrests, dismissed judges without explanation, and weakened judge training requirements, undermining the fairness of courts and contributing to fear in immigrant communities. I call upon you to increase oversight into the administration’s interference with immigration courts, create an independent Article 1 immigration court system, and appropriate court funding to reduce case backlogs.
Action 5: Oppose deadly military strikes on boats in international waters.
Thank you to the 98 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], calling to urge you to vote “YES” on S.J. Res. 90, and put an end to the deadly military strikes on boats in international waters, which have already killed at least 65 people. This bipartisan resolution would reaffirm the War Powers Resolution, which gives only Congress the power to authorize military force. Thank you.
Source: Just Security
Action 6: Oppose presidential suppression of First Amendment rights.
Thank you to the 74 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your town’s mayor (look up) and your state’s governor (look up)
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], calling to ask you to immediately issue an executive order protecting charities and nonprofits from politically motivated targeting by the federal government. The ACLU has created draft gubernatorial and mayoral EOs responding to the president’s unlawful attempt to suppress the First Amendment rights of people and organizations holding anti-fascist views. Thank you.
Source: ACLU
Action 7: Urge state leaders to prevent Medicaid coverage loss.
Thank you to the 60 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your state’s governor (look up) and your two state legislators (look up).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], concerned that new federal work requirements will cause eligible [STATE-ians] to lose Medicaid coverage. Research shows that the majority of enrollees are already working, but complex paperwork and other requirements lead to coverage loss. I urge you to protect access by minimizing red tape, streamlining verification, and ensuring eligible people keep the healthcare they need. Thank you.
Source: AoCC
Action 8: Protect the right to hold pesticide producers accountable for harm.
Thank you to the 73 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators (write, call, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], reaching out in support of S. 2324, the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act of 2025, which protects Americans’ right to sue chemical companies in federal court for harm caused by toxic products. Rising pesticide-linked cancer rates have spawned industry-backed state laws to limit suits against manufacturers. Please combat these unjust “shield laws” by vigorously supporting S. 2324 to ensure victims retain the right to sue for harm caused by agricultural chemicals.
Source: AoCC
Action 9: Practice essential democracy skills.
Thank you to the 20 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Polarization makes it easier for authoritarian leaders to divide us and harder for our democracy to function. We don’t need to agree with the “other side,” but open conversations help all of us build mutual understanding. Our democracy has a better chance when we practice civil debate, active listening, and mutual respect. With better skills we can reunite our nation, one conversation at a time.
Will you practice better democracy? Participate in groups like Braver Angels, Crossing Party Lines, Make America Dinner Again, or Reunited States of America.
Source: AoCC
Acts of Gratitude
We believe in gratitude as a tool for change. We will print a letter of thanks from Americans of Conscience with your signature and mail it to the recipient. Your information will be removed from this website no later than four weeks after the Checklist’s publication date.
Thank Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) for his unwavering commitment to protecting immigrant communities from dehumanization and federal overreach.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: Office of the Mayor, 121 N LaSalle St., Chicago City Hall, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60602
Thank you to the 138 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Thank you to the 15 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Thank your local election officials for working to ensure Americans’ voices are heard through safe and secure elections.
Look up your election officials and their mailing addresses here to send them a thank-you postcard.
Good News
If you find good news for democracy, equality, and the planet, share it with us here!
Good news: Wins for democracy, equality, kindness, and planet.
- While the USDA has yet to comply, two federal courts rule that the administration must continue to fund SNAP using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown.
- A federal court permanently blocks the presidential administration from requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, affirming that the directive is an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers.
- After a U.S. court rules that ICE unlawfully detained Ruben Torres Maldonado, he is released and reunites with his family, including his daughter who is undergoing cancer treatment.
- NM becomes the first state to offer free universal childcare.
- ME launches an ICE Watch Hotline to keep communities informed and protected from unjust immigration enforcement.
- OR becomes the first state to be determined Accessibility Verified by Wheel the World, a nonprofit dedicated to making travel accessible for disabled people.
- VA: Abigail Spanberger is elected governor, becoming the first woman elected to the governorship in state history.
- VA: State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi is elected lieutenant governor, becoming the first Muslim woman in U.S. history to be voted into statewide office.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson takes concrete actions to reaffirm Chicago’s commitment to protecting immigrant communities.
- Chicagoans support their immigrant neighbors and mobilize against ICE.
- Erica Deuso is elected mayor of Downington, PA, becoming the first openly transgender mayor in state history.
- Dorcey Applyrs is elected mayor of Albany, becoming the first Black woman mayor in the city’s history.
- Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim and first person of South Asian descent to hold the position.
- Moms Rising shares resources families can use to find the care they need during the government shutdown and withholding of SNAP funds.
- Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin resumes offering abortions after a nearly monthlong pause due to funding cuts.
- Native American Heritage Month celebrates and honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of Native nations.
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! creates a food bank to serve community members facing the loss or reduction of SNAP resources.
- On National Voter Registration Day (September 16), an estimated 300,000 voters registered for the first time or updated their registration.
Need inspiration?
- Read the latest message from AoCC’s Founder and Director, Jennifer Hofmann: Signs of Renewal in a Weary Nation
- They Are Us, and We Are Them
- Making It Easier to Keep Going
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The Americans of Conscience Checklist features clear, well-researched actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and decency. We are a big tent for all people who want a kinder, flourishing nation.