©2025 League of Conservation Voters
Your weekly resource to learn what the environmental movement is saying about the news of the day and the political fight of our generation. This week, we’re covering incredible advocacy from our state affiliates in the face of continued attacks from the Trump administration.
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“I am disrupting business as usual.”
— Senator Cory Booker during his record-breaking 25 hour speech on the Senate floor protesting Trump and Musk’s extreme threats to our communities and our democracy.
“No matter how much Elon Musk wants to run this country like it’s one of his companies, we are not all his employees.”
— Representative Greg Casar speaking to representatives from LCV state affiliates during the LCV Conservation Voter Movement Fly-in.
“The damage being done under this administration will have an impact for decades.”
— Jesse Chakrin, executive director of The Fund for People in Parks and former park ranger, on the impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Park Service.
JUDGE SUSAN CRAWFORD WINS WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT RACE: In a resounding victory for democracy and environmental protection, Judge Susan Crawford won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, securing a pro-democracy, pro-conservation majority that will safeguard Wisconsin’s future for generations to come. Wisconsin Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee (IEC) played a pivotal role in this victory, investing over $1.13 million and mobilizing thousands of volunteers to ensure voters knew what was at stake. The grassroots movement knocked on 130,000 doors, sent more than 21,100 postcards, and launched a digital ad campaign exposing the corporate influence threatening Wisconsin’s clean water, air, and democracy.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Campaigns Pete Maysmith said, “Last night’s win in Wisconsin could not be clearer. The extreme Trump/Musk agenda that’s raising costs, killing jobs, and making us sick isn’t what the people want. Voters decide elections, not billionaire donors. Wisconsin Conservation Voters proved that with the largest pro-Crawford field operation from any outside organization in the state. People on the ground delivered this crucial win for Wisconsin’s environment and democracy. Voters want lower costs, they want more clean energy, and they want a healthy democracy. This needs to be a wakeup call for every elected official that’s trying to undermine that future.”
WCV TAKE: Wisconsin Conservation Voters Executive Director Kerry Schumann said, “This win is a testament to the power of voters standing up against corporate polluters, anti-democracy forces, and the extreme agendas of Elon Musk and Donald Trump. This sends a clear message to those who wish to dismantle what’s best for our state, its people, and its environment. And, it’s a call to press the fight and reclaim our shared future.
“This victory belongs to the people of Wisconsin. Judge Susan Crawford has a proven track record of standing up for the environment, holding polluters accountable, and defending the rights of every Wisconsinite. Her leadership on the Supreme Court will help ensure our natural resources, voting rights, and democracy are protected from corporate special interests.”
WCV TAKE 2: Wisconsin Conservation Voters Deputy Director Seth Hoffmeister said, “The stakes in this election could not have been higher. With critical cases on the horizon, Judge Crawford’s victory ensures that Wisconsin’s highest court remains a defender of justice and the will of the people. We look to the future now. We’ll fight for Wisconsin every day and in every election until we secure a brighter, cleaner, and more prosperous future for everyone living here.”
LCV STATE AFFILIATES ADVOCATE ON CAPITOL HILL: LCV was joined by representatives from 23 of our state affiliates for 160 meetings with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle where they discussed the need for urgent climate action. Representatives Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Greg Casar (TX-35) joined the state affiliates for a breakfast to kick off their lobby day.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “We must defend the critical clean energy and environmental justice investments that help lower costs for families, create clean energy jobs, and ensure cleaner air and cleaner water for our communities and future generations. Our state affiliates are travelling from across the country to speak with their congressional delegations here in D.C., urging them to protect our democratic institutions, clean energy jobs and investments, and the health and safety of our communities.”
CASAR TAKE: Representative Greg Casar (TX-35) said, “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are gutting agencies that keep our water safe to drink, keep our air safe to breathe. They’re ignoring the jobs that keep our planet clean and safe, they are getting rid of workers that are creating clean jobs here in America — and of course it’s all to make Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s friends richer. Instead of firing the folks that make our country safe and great, we should be firing Elong Musk. Let’s not fire the federal workers who keep our air clean, or scientists who help us tackle climate change, and let’s not fire the construction workers that are creating the clean energy economy in this country.”
BUDZINSKI TAKE: Representative Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) said, “On the House Agriculture Committee, I’ve been working on valuable programs that help Illinois growers and producers increase yields, save on input costs, and protect the environment. These efforts are now at risk due to President Trump’s attacks on programs that support our farmers while protecting our planet from harmful emissions. The Trump Administration has illegally canceled contracts, withheld funding, and dismantled key programs, without considering the impacts to rural America. I’m so thankful to the League of Conservation Voters for today’s lobby day to hold members accountable and urge them to fight for our farmers and our environment.”
OLCV TAKE: Oregon LCV Political and Organizing Director Britney VanCitters said, “We cannot let Trump and his MAGA allies take away this funding and these opportunities from our communities. We need these federal investments to remain to ensure continued access to clean air and drinking water, protections for the environment, cheaper clean energy that brings costs down, and safeguards for the health and safety of our communities.”
MLCV TAKE: Michigan LCV Federal Government Affairs Director Bentley Johnson said, “The last four years have been absolutely massive in terms of new investment and standards to benefit the health of people, communities, and the economy of Michigan. That’s mainly due to the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure bill, but because of the passage of those laws, particularly the IRA, action was taken at the state level to pass one of the most ambitious 100% clean energy laws in the country, supercharging renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Great Lakes State.”
CHISPA NEVADA ATTENDS LATINO LOBBY DAY: Chispa Nevada and community leaders attended Nevada Legislature for Latino Lobby Day to make sure their communities’ voices were heard. They met with legislators to push for key bills, including protections against utility shutoffs during extreme weather, free school meals for all students, and safeguards for children from immigration enforcement at school.
COLORADO LEADERS TAKING ACTION: Conservation Colorado and community leaders gathered at the State Capitol for a Lobby & Leadership Training, meeting with legislators to advocate for policies that protect Colorado’s communities and environment. Their voices are essential in the fight for clean air, water, and public lands.
CELEBRATING CONSERVATION COLORADO’S NEW FELLOWS: Conservation Colorado is celebrating its 16 incredible graduates of the Boards and Commissions Fellowship! These leaders are stepping up to drive change across Colorado. Over the past six months, they’ve gained critical training in political decision-making, public participation, and conflict management—learning how their own experiences can inspire action and strengthen their communities.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS CROWDSOURCING DEREGULATION SUGGESTIONS: In the latest attack on protections for the environment and public health, the Trump administration has set up a new webpage on regulations.gov soliciting recommendations from members of the public and private companies for rules to cut and ways to justify doing so. This latest deregulatory push comes on the heels of last week’s announcement from EPA encouraging polluters to request Clean Air Act exemptions via email.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE CRA ON CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS STANDARDS: Republicans in the House have introduced illegal Congressional Review Act resolutions that seek to overturn EPA waivers to allow California to enact vehicle emissions standards that are stricter than the national standard. California’s uniquely challenging air pollution means that they need clean vehicle standards that are the strongest in the country. Today, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that EPA’s granting of the waivers are not subject to the CRA, confirming what the Government Accountability Office and legal scholars have held for decades.
SAVE ACT VOTE DELAYED IN THE HOUSE: The House punted a vote on its terrible voter suppression bill, the so-called SAVE Act. Despite this temporary victory, LCV and our democracy partners will continue our efforts to block this racist, sexist, and extreme bill.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of Judiciary & Democracy Doug Lindner said, “This anti-voter bill would keep millions of eligible citizens from voting across the country and imperil our fundamental right to choose our leaders. The SAVE Act would intentionally make voting harder for huge numbers of eligible Americans — including tens of millions who changed their names when getting married, over a hundred million who don’t have passports, rural and elderly communities, military voters and people with disabilities, communities of color, and everyone who relies on registering to vote online, by mail, or anywhere other than an election office. Following Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional attempts to roll back the right to vote for millions of Americans across the country, Congress must reject this attack on our rights and protect our freedom to choose our own politicians.”
CHISPA TAKE: Chispa Legislative and Policy Manager Art Terrazas said, “The SAVE Act would be disastrous for everyone’s voting rights in the U.S. It uses anti-immigrant disinformation to make it harder for every citizen to register to vote. And this disturbing bill follows the overreaching, unconstitutional attempt by the President through his executive order to set a brand new set of rules for our elections. The President and Congress should take actions that will strengthen our elections and ensure that all eligible voters have access to the ballot box instead of scapegoating immigrant communities and proceeding with dangerous anti-voter actions. Our democracy is stronger when every eligible voter, regardless of color, party, income, or zip code, has equal access to the decisions that shape our future.”
COALITION WARNS OF “UNPRECEDENTED CONSTITUTIONAL DANGER”: LCV joined more than 80 organizations representing millions of people in an open letter warning that actions by President Trump and his allies undermine judicial independence and threaten our democracy and Constitution. Read the full letter.
COALITION TAKE: From the letter, “Our Constitution unequivocally establishes that a president is not a king and that no one stands above the law. Yet in just the first few months of his second term, President Trump has launched a systematic assault on our judiciary and rule of law that threatens the very foundation of American democracy… America faces a moment of unprecedented constitutional danger. In the first weeks of his second term, President Trump has issued public statements and signed dozens of executive orders, memoranda, and proclamations to gut our federal government, challenge our system of checks and balances, and undermine our Constitution.
“As organizations representing millions of Americans, we are profoundly concerned by these sweeping proposals and the actions of President Trump, his administration, and his congressional allies to intimidate the judiciary, dismantle the rule of law, and weaponize the executive branch.”
ON THE BLOG: Buckle up, this week we’re bringing you the latest monthly Good Climate News round-up, AND the top 5 LCV impact stories from March! Learn more about our new president Pete Maysmith, our lawsuit against the Trump administration, the women making history in Congress, efforts to advance and defend democracy in Idaho and Virginia, and last but certainly not least, amazing work being done in the states to advance clean energy.
ON OUR SOCIALS: Y’all, it has been a WEEK. There was an almost-vote on Republican’s terrible voter-suppression bill, Senator Cory Booker broke the record for the longest floor speech in the Senate, the Trump administration tried to convince us climate change is good, and we saw a huge win for democracy in Wisconsin. And we’re not done yet. Don’t be a Complacentosaurus – Join us tomorrow at a Hands Off rally near you!
APRIL 5: Hands Off National Day of Action. Register to attend events across the country.
APRIL 12: Passover begins at sundown.
APRIL 20: Easter.
APRIL 22: Earth Day.
APRIL 30: 100 days, 100 harms of the Trump administration.
©2025 League of Conservation Voters