Donald Trump

Change.org in the First 100 Days and Beyond

On President Trump’s 100th day in office, we wanted to focus on something different than the stories you’ve seen leading up to today: How people like you took action to hold his team and Members of Congress accountable in ways that will continue throughout his presidency.

In the aftermath of the November election, we’ve witnessed a global surge in civic engagement unlike what many of us have experienced in our lifetimes. As we noted in January, the reinvigorated conversations around the social and political issues of the day offered millions the opportunity to make their voices heard — and a movement on Change.org including more than 7,500 petitions showed the ways citizens intended to do just that.

Marches centered on issues from women’s rights and immigration to climate and science galvanized a nation moving from shock or celebration into the kind of action that defines a strong democracy. Whether they flooded the streets of cities worldwide or organized around kitchen tables and in community centers, citizens demanded transparency on everything from the United States’ relationship with Russia to health care legislation.

Some petitions were victorious, while others effectively influenced public dialogue around transparency and fairness at the White House, tax and immigration reform, budget cuts and more.

Nancy Huehnergarth (Upper left) & the Change.org community around the country

People like Nancy Huehnergarth has mobilized 425,000 people to continue the calls for President Trump to release his tax returns. Casey Rogers led charges on our platform to elevate national concerns around the nominations of controversial Cabinet secretaries like Betsy DeVos. Military veteran Matt Zeller successfully won exemption to President Trump’s travel ban for wartime military interpreters.

Throughout the country efforts to keep towns and college campuses safe for immigrants — led to several victories in places like South Orange, New Jersey. Citizens from South Carolina to Arizona also leveraged our free online tools to bring local constituents together when their Members of Congress were unwilling to host public town halls during recess.

Ongoing efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with the American Health Care Act led Daniel Jimenez to call on Members of Congress to commit to #befairwithhealthcare by removing subsidies for their healthcare that are not available to the average American. “Congress works for us,” Daniel wrote recently in a tweet. “They’re not entitled to anything we can’t have.”

His campaign, like so many others initiated during the first 100 days, will continue. Proposed budget cuts — to the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities — continue to inspire citizens to work to garner support for issues they care about.

More than half a million people signed a petition to highlight the expense of Melania Trump living in New York City at taxpayers’ expense and urging her to move to the White House. Psychiatrists and the press have been engaged for months in debates about Dr. John Gartner’s petition related to Trump’s mental health and the ethical boundaries of diagnosis for those who have not personally interacted with him.

Trump’s 100th day in office won’t stop for those who want to make a difference. As the White House evaluates whether to continue operating We The People — a petition platform that has not been regularly reviewed by the Trump Administration — Change.org will continue to be a catalyst for people to reach the halls of Congress, White House officials, and others in the administration with their requests. We will continue to refine and develop free tools to help everyday citizens empower themselves in the United States and across the world.

We may never agree on a single approach to making change, and in some ways, that’s the strongest case of all for a resilient democracy. In the days, weeks and years to come, we will continue to be a place for open dialogue on the most timely and relevant issues of the day for everyone and anyone in search of a place where civic participation is not only encouraged but celebrated.

We’re known throughout the world for our petitions, which are just one part of an expanding set of tools on our site that help keep our platform free, open and accessible to all. If you’d like to help support the expansion of our tools and social change work, consider becoming a Change.org member.

Written by
Joshunda Sanders
April 29, 2017 1:11 pm