Weekly Member Update - September 15, 2025

Written By Indivisible Albany Team

First of all, we’ve never talked before about Charlie Kirk, and we aren’t starting today. That said, here’s some thoughtful writing (and video) on the topic by people smarter than we, if you’re so inclined:

So, while we are understandably concerned about the trajectory Kirk’s murder puts the Nation on, instead of talking about reprehensible violence among competing and extremely online right-wing factions, our focus remains where we think it needs to be, on the malignancy of the Trump Administration and what we can try to do about it.

We talked a little about this topic last week, but we want to return the spotlight to federalism and state action in the face of GOP authoritarianism, with a particular emphasis on public health. On Sunday, The NY Times had comprehensive reporting on the myriad ways that Trump and his cronies have eviscerated the national cancer research system and, over the last couple of weeks, our own members have driven the conversation to the topic of vaccine availability.  Specifically, we’ve documented the chaos unleashed by Trump and RFK Jr. in this fall’s rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine as well as the measures taken in the states, including in New York, to ensure the continued availability of that particular vaccine. Late last week, our members sounded the alarm about the threat to the well-established and safe childhood vaccination panel, and we called upon you all to contact Governor Hochul and the State Commissioner of Health to urge them to take the steps necessary to safeguard children’s health. In this realm of public health, individual Democrat-run states, often acting in concert with one another, are showing the path forward to dealing with the corrupt chaos of the Trump Administration. But, much more needs to be done, especially in New York State.

Out of necessity due to the fact that the State Legislature will not return for regular session until January, Governor Hochul’s action ensuring the continued availability of the COVID-19 vaccine came in the form of an emergency executive order. As we have previously discussed, however, a more permanent legislative fix is already on the table that would expand beyond COVID-19 and preserve access to childhood vaccines as well. With the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices now jam-packed with RFK Jr.’s anti-vax fellow travelers, and with that Panel set to make recommendations on a host of currently available vaccines later this week, it is clear that New York cannot wait until January to take definitive and permanent action. We therefore call upon Governor Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to call a Special Legislative Session to address this urgent public health need.

There are also a host of other legislative measures which require immediate consideration by the Legislature and which have the potential to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of New Yorkers from the worst excesses of Trump’s malevolence. For example, as the Trump administration continues to terrorize our communities with the arbitrary and frequently unlawful actions of masked ICE agents, there are host of bills currently before the Legislature which are deserving of immediate debate and consideration. The New York for All Act (A.5686 [Reyes]/S.987 [Gounardes]) — which has languished in committee for two straight legislative sessions but faces increased urgency in light of the actions of the Trump Administration — would prohibit the use of state government resources for immigration enforcement, restrict the disclosure of sensitive information to ICE, prohibit so-called 287(g) agreements between ICE and local law enforcement, and make clear that ICE cannot access nonpublic areas of government property without a judicial warrant. In addition, Albany’s own Senator Patricia Fahy is a driving force behind two additional pieces of legislation related to Trump’s immigration enforcement actions which are deserving of consideration; in July, Senator Fahy introduced the Mandating End of Lawless Tactics (MELT) Act, previously introduced in the State Assembly by Assemblymember Tony Simone, which would ban the use of face coverings and plainclothes by ICE and other federal enforcement agents during civilian immigration actions conducted in New York State. And, earlier this Spring, Senator Fahy introduced the SAFE AIR Act, legislation specifically geared to strip airlines which participate in deportation flights – like Avelo Airlines – of certain state tax breaks and benefits. Clearly, our state legislators have much to consider in terms of urgent action in the time of Trump, so we join in the call for a Special Session to address not just the topics addressed above, but also the historic cuts to Medicaid and food assistance which have been wrought by this callous Administration.

Upcoming Events

As always, our events calendar has a full complement of rallies and events to choose from, with something on the calendar virtually every day. But here are several things to take special note of:

  • Our Monthly Member Meeting is tonight! As usual, we will be meeting at the Guilderland Public Library from 6 pm to 8 pm.

  • Avelo? Hell no!!! We actually have two events on the calendar this month as part of our ongoing campaign against ICE’s favorite air carrier, Avelo Airlines:

    • First, on Tuesday, September 23, we have scheduled a Bridge Brigade on Old Loudon Road as it passes over Route 7 in Latham. Join us and our Avel-No Coalition partners for this visibility event as we continue to educate our neighbors about Avelo’s corporate complicity and build momentum for the main event a few days later!

    • The main event is on Saturday, September 27, beginning at 11:30, as we gather outside Albany International Airport for the fifth consecutive month as part of our campaign to drive Aveo Airlines out of our community airport. The news this past week has been a bit mixed concerning Avelo; on the one hand came news that Avelo has abandoned the state of Maine, citing low occupancy rates on its flights between Portland and New Haven, Connecticut. On the other hand, Avelo announced a fresh influx of private equity cash and planned expansion into other markets throughout the US and Caribbean. So the fight against Avelo and its profiteering on the backs of migrant deportations is nowhere near its conclusion!

  • Finally, you may have heard that Indivisible has announced a No Kings 2.0! Back in June, you showed up in the thousands as part of one of the largest days of protest in American history. On Saturday, October 18, we’re going to be even bigger! Plan to join us for a massive march on Western Avenue starting at noon, and pass the word on to your friends, family and any civic groups you work with. We are encouraging everyone and anyone to join us on the streets, from marching bands and union groups to student activists and artists and performers. Together, we hope to make this one of the biggest protest events in Capital Region history!

Finally, Indivisible Albany is now accepting donations on ActBlue, so feel free to ignore those incessant text messages and emails from the Democratic Governors Association or Democratic National Committee and steer your hard-earned funds toward Indivisible instead!

Indivisible Albany Team
Next

Weekly Member Update - September 8, 2025