— Dozens of people, frustrated with the
administration’s actions and lack of action by the
bundled up to brave the extremely cold temperatures on Wednesday to protest outside
U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach’s
office in Willmar.
The protest was organized by Indivisible —
“to express extreme concern and outrage for Trump and
unlawful, undemocratic takeover of the federal government.”
is a grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild democracy and defeat the Trump agenda, according to its website.
Jennifer Kotila / West Central Tribune
Nobody was in Fischbach’s office late Wednesday afternoon at the time of the protest, which Indivisible called a “visit and protest,” but a table was set up at which protesters filled out note cards to send to Fischbach.
When asked for comment Thursday, Fischbach’s communications director emailed this statement from Fischbach to the West Central Tribune: “The majority of this country agrees this Administration, with the support of Congress, is getting America back on track. I respect the First Amendment and am glad those exercising their rights did so respectfully. And, whether we agree on every policy or not, if constituents ever need help with a federal agency or want to share their opinions, they are welcome to contact the office.”
In one of the regular updates provided by the congresswoman about her work, emailed to the West Central Tribune on Feb. 12, Fischbach stated, “President Trump has hit the ground running, securing our borders, protecting our communities, and putting a stop to the rampant waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government. He has already exposed the abuse of taxpayer dollars taking place at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department.”
She goes on to state that Republicans in Congress and in the White House are committed to putting America first, and she is proud the president took swift action.
Jennifer Kotila / West Central Tribune
She notes that the federal government has been claiming to cut waste fraud and abuse for years with no results and American citizens cannot afford the status quo.
In a group statement sent by email to the West Central Tribune, Indivisible stated, “We are calling on our representative to do her job in Congress, answer for her votes and stop being complicit in the executive overreach that Trump and unelected billionaire, Elon Musk, have undertaken.”
Jennifer Kotila / West Central Tribune
Musk has been described by the White House as a special government employee.
Trump put Musk “in charge of rooting out wasteful spending,” a Feb. 14 Reuters story reads, and “Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has swept through federal agencies.” The story also noted that least 20 lawsuits have been filed related to the efforts to slash the size of the government.
The local Indivisible group states that Trump and Musk’s actions are unconstitutional and brazen attempts to push back civil rights, slash critical funding, fire federal workers and illegally shut down vital government agencies, which it says is dangerous, harmful and must stop.
“We are advocating transparency, accountability and the protection of our democratic institutions,” the group added.
Indivisible encourages people to call their elected representatives to demand answers, share their concerns and tell their representatives how they are being affected by the actions of the federal government.
“We want people to know that even if they voted for Fischbach and/or Trump, they don’t have to stay quiet and accept what is happening,” the statement said. ” … We want our neighbors to know that they are not alone in their extreme concern. We invite others to join us in standing up and speaking out in a pro-democracy coalition for we, the people.”
Jennifer Kotila / West Central Tribune
Jennifer Kotila / West Central Tribune
