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Communications Toolkit: Executive Overreach

Push Back Against Executive Overreach
Want to use your voice to ensure our government retains its system of checks and balances? We’ve created messaging guidance and communications tools to get you started!

What's in this toolkit

  • Key talking points
  • Sample social, SMS, and email copy for your campaign
  • Current actions to share with audiences
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Push back on executive overreach

The Trump administration has issued unprecedented executive orders—many of which are illegal—that seek to consolidate power and sow chaos. Working families across the country are anxious and angry about the executive branch’s overreaching actions to dismantle public services. Congress is supposed to be a check and balance on the executive branch, and it's up to us to make sure that happens. 

Use these tools to help your networks tell Congress to push back against executive overreach and act like the co-equal branch of government it is!

Key Talking Points

Congress is a co-equal branch of government. Our elected leaders must step forward and do what voters have entrusted them to do: protect us. Stop an agenda that will have devastating consequences for students, educators, and working families by pushing back against the executive branch’s excessive and extreme actions.
No matter who you voted for, the recent executive orders came for all of us—our students, educators, and people in every single community. At a time when our students need us most and when parents and educators are working together tirelessly to do everything we can to support them, this administration continues to take action that aims only to distract and divide us. This unnecessary and punitive executive order does nothing to help educators inspire their students to learn and to give them the resources needed to succeed.
Educators won’t be silent as anti-public education politicians hurt our students, our families, and our communities across America. Together with parents and allies, we will continue to organize, advocate, and mobilize so that all students have well-resourced schools that provide an honest, accurate, and inclusive curriculum that prepares them for the future. If anybody knows how to handle an adversary, it’s educators. And if anybody knows how to mobilize and take action, it’s union members.

Sample Campaign Copy

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Social Media Posts
  • Instagram: If anybody knows how to handle an adversary, it’s educators. And if anybody knows how to mobilize and take action, it’s union members. That is why we are joining with partners and allies to demand Congress take action to push back against executive overreach: nea.org/pushback 
  • Facebook: No matter who you voted for, the recent executive orders came for all of us—our students, educators, and people in every single community. Tell Congress it is time to push back and say no to executive overreach: No matter who you voted for, the recent executive orders came for all of us—our students, educators, and people in every single community. nea.org/pushback
  • Bluesky/Threads/Other: Our elected leaders must step forward and do what voters have entrusted them to do: protect us. Tell Congress it’s time to push back against executive overreach: nea.org/pushback
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Sample Hustle Script
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Sample Email

Subject Line: 

Hi {{FirstName or 'there'}},  

The Trump administration has issued unprecedented executive orders—many of which are illegal—that seek to consolidate power and sow chaos.  

Tell Congress to push back against executive overreach and act like what it is: a co-equal branch of government.   

Take Action >>   

So far, this anti-education administration has:   

  • Promised federal funding for private school vouchers 
  • Put student safety at risk by allowing ICE raids in public schools 
  • Attempted to cut federal payments for programs like Head Start and school meals 
  • Censored educators, preventing an honest education for students 

These actions are hurting our communities and, most of all, our students.  

Congress is supposed to be a check and balance on the executive branch.     

Let your senators and representative know what you think about Trump’s actions. Urge them to do everything in their power to stop the onslaught of relentless and illegal executive branch actions.  

It was always their plan to overwhelm and divide Americans by issuing a constant barrage of executive orders. They want us to tune out and give up. But we know better.    

The fight for our students, working families, and democracy is just beginning.   

In solidarity,   

___________ 

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