Living in the COVID World ... and Beyond #60: New Tactics for a New Time
Jewish Earth Alliance (JEA) is a grassroots Jewish umbrella organization representing approximately 50 affiliated organizations all focused on the climate and environment. Among other things, twice each year, Jewish Earth Alliance organizes state-based lobbying of United States Senators on climate and environmental issues.
In 2023, I participated as a member of the Connecticut JEA delegation. The delegation met twice with the senior aides for our 2 Connecticut Senators who focus on climate and climate-related issues. In 2024, I led the Connecticut delegation in February and then supported one of the teenagers that I work with in my local Temple climate group to lead the delegation in August.
In 2023 and 2024, Jewish Earth Alliance recommended to the state delegations the legislation that we should lobby for with our Senators. We were encouraged to request that our Senators co-sponsor specific legislation, vote yes on that legislation, and push to see to it that the legislation comes to the Senate floor for a vote and passage. The legislation that we advocated for was progressive in nature, such as enhancing environmental protections, creating new national park areas, adding climate resiliency to the farm bill, and environmental justice legislation.
Last week, coincidental with the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat, we had our first lobby day of 2025. Our advocacy was quite different than in previous years. Instead of advocating in favor of new climate or environmental legislation, Jewish Earth Alliance recommended that we advocate against Republican efforts to take away climate protections and laws that had been won in previous years. This year, the local teenager and I were co-leading the Connecticut delegation. The teenager suggested that we add to our advocacy that we encourage the Senators to do everything that they can to obstruct Republican initiatives of all kinds. I agreed with this idea, we talked with our Connecticut delegation about it, and there was no objection … so we added it to our script. We asked the Senate aides, who we know quite well after years of meeting together, whether they saw any opportunity for bipartisan legislation on climate issues and their answer was basically no. And when we talked about using stalling tactics and whatever they could to obstruct Republicans, they agreed and cited ways in which the Connecticut Senators were already doing so.
Our conversations last week went very well with both Senate aides. Our Connecticut delegation debriefed and felt quite good about the messages that we conveyed, how we conveyed them (with a delegation almost equally of teenagers and adults), and with the feedback we heard from the Senate aides.
At the same time, I have felt profoundly saddened by the contrast in what we were able to do in previous years versus in 2025. I am upset that this is where we are today, that the chances for positive climate action have disappeared at the national level, and that the best we can do is to try to hold as much of the previous climate gains as we can. Of course, local and state action is still possible, and I will certainly direct efforts there for myself and my local Climate Team.
How are you choosing to try to push for progressive change, whether on climate or other issues, in the face of Republican control at the national level?