John,
Feeling overwhelmed by the negativity in the news? We’ve put together the February WFP Newsletter just for you, to unpack some of our major work (and wins!) of the last month, as we strive to build the country of our dreams. Let’s get started!
Rep. Lateefah Simon to Deliver Working Families Party Response to Presidential Address
We at the Working Families Party are thrilled to announce that Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (CA-12) will deliver our eighth annual response to the President’s address to Congress on March 4th!
“Working people are looking for leaders who will fight for them, and Rep. Lateefah Simon was born to lead in this moment,” said Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the WFP. “As a working mom who has struggled with the crushing weight of medical debt, Rep. Simon understands what Trump’s attacks on Medicare and Medicaid will mean to millions of families in our country. She knows that every family, no matter their circumstances, deserves the best possible health care.”
To hear Lateefah deliver WFP’s vision for our country, sign up here or text SOTU to 30403 for more info on how to tune in!
WFP stands up to the Trump White House
In the month since Donald Trump has taken office, his administration (and his cronies across the country) have attacked our human rights, our constitution, our jobs, and programs that working families rely on like Medicaid and early childhood education.
But we’re fighting back just as hard. And we’re powered by the amazing WFP members who have been dedicating their time, energy, and resources to blocking the far-right and building the working-class movement of our dreams.
Here are just a few highlights of how we’ve been standing up to the Trump White House:
FIRE ELON MUSK
CONGRESSIONAL RECESS
- During this past week of Congressional Recess, WFP members turned out in force to call on their representatives in NJ-07, NY-17, PA-07, PA-10, and WI-01 to oppose cuts from DOGE, as well as the massive cuts to health care and education and in the proposed House Republican budget. Check out this shot of over 100 constituents gathering in the cold outside Rep. Lawler’s office in NY-17!
NO SPENDING FREEZE
- Following Trump’s announcement of a federal spending freeze, we joined allies at Indivisible and MoveOn to host a mass organizing call to help make sense of our political moment and share strategic guidance on how to take action. Over 50,000 people joined us on the call to learn how they can get involved in our movement and stand up to the Trump administration. You can watch the full recording of the call here.
Election Day Victories in Wisconsin and Seattle
Wisconsin held primary municipal elections last week, and we were proud to endorse three amazing champions: Nikki Conklin for Madison Alder District 9, Yeannette Figueroa Cole for Madison Alder District 10, and Carl Bryan for Kenosha Unified School District Board. Now we’re thrilled to announce that all three are moving on to the April 1 general election! Local elections like these have a major impact on our communities, and are a crucial part of our organizing strategy.
We also endorsed an exciting ballot proposition in Seattle to implement social housing with a tax on wealthy businesses, which won its election earlier this month!
The Seattle Times explains: “The goal of the developer is to provide mixed-income housing, mostly for working families who fear being priced out of Seattle. It’s a Viennese vision of housing that aims to fill the gap between for-profit builders of higher-end homes and developers of deeply affordable housing for people earning little to no money. Because the housing would be publicly owned, it would be below market rate in perpetuity.”
Congratulations to our hardworking teams and allies in Wisconsin and Washington, and especially the voters who turned out to make this a reality!
WFP National Director Maurice Mitchell on All In with Chris Hayes
WFP leader Maurice Mitchell appeared on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes to talk about the challenges that our country is facing — as well as how important it is that we stand together and take action.
Here’s one highlight: “All of those who voted against [Trump], they’re still here. And they are primed, if there’s leadership, to move and to get into motion… Public courage is contagious.”
Watch the clip here.
One of the First Big Elections of 2025 is Around the Corner
WFP champions Aisha Braveboy is running for County Executive in Prince George’s County Maryland — and her election is this Tuesday, March 4!
Aisha has proven herself as a progressive prosecutor who carried out bold reforms to ensure fairness and accountability in the justice system, and her work as Delegate, Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, and State’s Attorney makes her ready to deliver strong, people-first policies for Prince George’s County.
Prince George’s County is Maryland’s largest jurisdiction, and home to a significant portion of the state’s federal workforce. As Trump and Musk relentlessly attack federal workers, it’s urgent that we have strong representatives to fight for them and provide progressive leadership for the state and the nation.
To help reach voters in the final days of this campaign, click here to pitch in to fund our organizing.
Rhode Island Champions Launch their Working Families Agenda
Last week, 15 Rhode Island state legislators unveiled a Working Families Agenda to combat the Trump agenda and invest in working people across the state.
The thirteen-point plan would protect working families in Rhode Island by guarding against cuts to Medicaid and federal funding, promoting affordable healthcare, preventing retaliatory evictions, and ensuring people making more than $625,000 a year pay their fair share.
With these 15 WFP champions making up a full 20% of Rhode Island State Representatives, their vision and leadership is tremendously important, and we couldn’t be more proud.
NYWFP Speaks Out Against Mayor Adams’s Corruption
In September, the New York Working Families Party called for NYC Mayor Eric Adams to resign amidst criminal investigations.
This month, we’re renewing those calls because he has shown an inability to make sound policy decisions and is unequivocally willing to trade immigrant New Yorkers for his own personal freedom.
The situation is so untenable that some of the most talented leaders in city government — individuals who are impeccable public servants and have led through the toughest circumstances — have announced their decision to step down. This is an all-out crisis and responsibility rests at the very top.
Mayor Adams is not able to govern. He must resign.
Training the WFP Champions of the Future
Over the last month, we’ve hosted “Working Folks Win!” — a two-part training series that prepares the passionate members of our movement to run for office or recruit working class candidates in their communities. A whopping 379 people attended these trainings, and we wanted to share some their testimonies:
“Very blessed to join this training. Not really planning to campaign myself politically — will be part of future WFP events though — but the energy here is great!! Thinking this positively good feeling could overflow into other parts of my life!! 🙂”
“I’m feeling deeply overwhelmed, but strangely more hopeful at the same time. I’m again impressed by the strategic intelligence of the WFP.”
“I like that you guys hit us hard with the facts. I noticed someone in the chat was concerned about getting votes in “deep red areas” and as a person from a deep red area (Arkansas, originally) I understand their concern. That’s why I liked your focus on the idea of message over policy for campaigning. Democratic policies may be more popular, but Democrats aren’t. I liked the practicality of the advice to focus on values and fighting for people. That’s what people want.”
“I came in a little late because a meeting I had to attend went over, but as soon as I jumped in everything was making sense. I think that’s really important because it demonstrates how approachable the teachings are. No jargon, just really useful information.”
We run trainings throughout the year to help empower our members to become the activists and leaders our communities need. Stay tuned for more opportunities to get involved!
Member Spotlight
Hi everyone, I'm Destiny Arturet! I'm a documentary filmmaker and video producer with a background in nonprofit media and grassroots organizing. I'm a huge fan of Murder, She Wrote, puppets, Boston Terriers, and Maine.
Over the last eight years, I've come to realize that our two-party system is failing the most vulnerable and the hardest-working people in the United States. I kept my eye on the Working Families Party over the years and learned that WFP is a party that recognizes that change takes time, it takes the community, and it takes a lot of grassroots effort and building. It's scrappy, it's strategic, it's welcoming, and it wants to hear from real people.
It wasn’t my intention to join a Wolf Pack — a small, action-oriented group of leaders who take on specific roles to grow WFP membership and amplify our national activist work. I just didn't see a lot of people stepping up. I knew that if I could partner with other leaders who had their pulse on what was happening in my state, I could lean on my strengths as a good communicator, a good organizer, and a good cheerleader. I really love seeing how excited folks are to get involved. We're still getting started so I think there's so much more to witness and experience but I'm grateful that my co-leaders are so thoughtful and engaged. I'm happy to work with them!
To join your local Wolf Pack, or learn how to start your own, click here!
Upcoming Events
Working People’s State of the Union with Rep. Lateefah Simon
The official Working Families Party response to President Trump's address to the joint session of Congress will be delivered by Rep. Lateefah Simon (CA-12) on Tuesday, March 4th, 2025. Join us to hear the WFP’s vision for a country that works for the many, not the few! Click here or text SOTU to 30403 to sign up.
RSVP: State of the Union
Mass Call: Making Meaning of the Moment
Join us for a mass call at 8 PM tomorrow, Thursday, February 27! Our Making Meaning of the Moment calls bring together leaders across this movement to unpack our current political moment and share our strategy to build a government for the many, not the few. RSVP now.
RSVP: Mass Call
WFP Call Team
There are going to be a lot of important fights ahead of us this year — and one of the most effective ways we can make an impact is by having conversations directly with voters. By joining the WFP Call Team, you’ll stay in the loop on opportunities to hold our representatives accountable and support WFP-endorsed candidates at phone banks throughout the year. Add your name now!
Join the WFP Call Team
Thanks for tuning in to our February newsletter!
As we face right-wing attacks on our communities, it’s more important than ever that we have the resources to fight back. Can you pitch in today to fuel our organizing in 2025?
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In solidarity,
Team WFP
