NEW: Court Halts Trump’s Anti-DEI Executive Orders Threatening Funding
Last week, a federal court issued a temporary nationwide injunction pausing the Trump Administration’s anti-diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) executive orders. For now, the court’s order has blocked the Trump Administration’s illegal efforts to withhold federal funds and threaten localities and other federal funding recipients with investigations and prosecution for lawfully pursuing DEIA. This is a critical win for localities across the country. What this means for you is: Keep on fighting for policies that advance DEIA in your jurisdictions, pursuing federal funds you are entitled to, and showing up for our communities. The law is on our side. Read more about the injunction here and reach out to helpdesk@localprogress.org if you have any questions or want to share about impacts in your community.
Here’s a look at what’s been happening across the Local Progress network:Â
Local Leaders Protect Communities Under Trump
The Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant agenda is in full swing – coming from a place of utter cruelty, racism, and greed. Many of these actions are intended to shock and awe – but local electeds nationwide are resisting, and instead, choosing to govern for all of their community members. Chicago City Council doubled down on its “Welcoming City” ordinance, signaling that the Trump Administration will have no help from Chicago police if he makes good on his threat of mass deportations. In Alameda County, CA, County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas released a statement after Trump’s inauguration vowing “to protect all our communities and ensure their safety and inclusion as they go to school, seek healthcare and go about their daily routines, and ensure their due process.” And in Austin, TX, Austin City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes said local police won’t enforce federal immigration law or help ICE with raids. These are just a handful of examples of the ways in which countless cities nationwide are standing up to the Trump Administration’s harmful policies and protecting our immigrant neighbors.
The Role of Philanthropy for a Multiracial Democracy
On behalf of Local Progress, I spoke with The Bridgespan Group on how we actualize a multiracial democracy by equipping local leaders to succeed in the face of a hostile and authoritarian federal government. We explored the reality of members like you entering an institution built for white, landowning men while juggling a full-time job and a family – and the critical role our network plays in equipping local leaders with resources, assets, tools, and skills to effectively govern. As threats to democracy play out on the federal stage, we will always advocate for fueling the strategies that work to advance leaders and policies toward a multiracial democracy that lifts everyone up.
Minneapolis Makes Moves to Protect Renters from Corporate Collusion
Earlier this month, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously rejected the appointment of an infamous corporate landlord to an advisory board. This is the latest move in Minneapolis’ fight against rental price fixing, harmful collusion among corporate landlords to drive up costs for renters. Our LPMN members and Minneapolis City Councilmembers Robin Wonsley, Jason Chavez, and Jeremiah Ellison introduced an ordinance that would ban the use of rental price fixing in Minneapolis, which has been driving up costs and driving people out of their homes. “This harmful technology is a barrier to our city’s goal of making sure that our housing market is both equitable and affordable to every single resident because every single resident simply deserves housing,” said Robin Wonsley. The Council expects to vote on the ordinance next month.Â
💪🏽 Fund our Communities. Protect our Neighbors.
Congress is soon expected to consider H.R. 32 – the “No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities” Act – a bill that would force localities and states to choose between facilitating mass deportations or losing otherwise unrelated health, education, transportation, and other local funding. This bill is a blatant attempt to scapegoat immigrant communities and punish localities that stand up for them. We need local electeds to take bold action—this means speaking out, signing onto our letter opposing the bill, rallying your communities, and holding your members of Congress accountable. Check out our Fund Our Communities Digital Toolkit and accompanying talking points.
💚 Building Equity with Direct Pay
Community-owned clean energy projects are more important than ever to protect the good green jobs, cleaner air, and lower energy costs created by Direct Pay and other IRA programs. CPC Center and Organized Power in Numbers released this report to share success stories from the first two years of implementation. The report features several local case studies, including our feature on St. Paul.
 💻 Federal Workers Live and Work Across the Country
Elon Musk, emboldened by the Trump administration is wreaking havoc on the federal workforce not just in Washington, D.C. but across the country. This tool provides federal workforce counts by state, county, and congressional district and showcases how many people serve their local communities and our country.
💼 Speaking of… Share with Your Federal Worker and Campaign Staff Friends!
Civic Match by Work for America is a nonpartisan talent-matching program connecting experienced federal workers and campaign staff with jobs in state and local governments nationwide – and it is free of cost for state and local governments! Working with 300+ hiring managers actively recruiting for hundreds of public sector roles, the platform has over 2,500 candidates with a range of skills and backgrounds, from senior level political appointees with over a decade of experience, to dynamic and hard-working entry level staff coming out of a 2024 cycle campaign. Civic Match also hosts virtual career fairs where you’ll be able to directly connect with qualified candidates from the platform. If this sounds like a fit, please complete an account request form here, and the Civic Match team will be in touch to set up your training and account. If you have any additional questions, please join the Civic Match weekly welcome call on Tuesdays at 3pm ET. Here is the link to sign up.
✊ CO Members Support Striking Workers
This month, 96% of Kings Soopers workers voted to strike. Since then, our LPCO members have been out on the picket line, showing their solidarity. While the corporate bigwigs are squeezing workers out of every last cent, our members are standing with their constituents. Our new Colorado Organizing Committee stood firm with the thousands of King Soopers workers demanding better pay, better conditions, and dignity on the job. Read our statement, here.
⚡️ 2025 National Convening
Join us in Chicago on July 10-12! We’re bringing together Local Progress members, partners, and movement allies from across the country for a weekend of strategy building, peer learning, and leadership development – complete with dozens of workshops, sharing sessions, community spaces, and site visits! As local elected leaders in this moment, we must continue organizing in our communities and across the country. And in the face of hostile state and federal actors that have shown us they will only govern for the wealthy few, it is our moral responsibility and democratic duty to govern for everyone. That’s why we are proud to share the theme for this year’s convening: Organize Together. Govern for All. Check your email for your invite and register! Early bird registration for members ends March 3!
