Weekly Briefing: Despite shutdown, we're pushing for progress on this bipartisan bill

October 15, 2025

As of today, we’re officially on week three of the current government shutdown. Millions of people are feeling the impact, and though the House is in recess, the Senate is still at work. Funding the government is top priority, but some additional policy work continues — including on climate-related bills like the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act.

The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to vote on the Fix Our Forests Act in the coming weeks. CCL volunteers with Senators on this key committee are now doubling down, generating endorsement letters and local media in support of the bill before the upcoming vote.

We’ve laid excellent groundwork for these efforts by emailing members of the Agriculture Committee more than 2,000 times over the past six weeks and supporting the social media conversation around the bill. Even during a government shutdown, CCL volunteers are still making an impact on key legislation that will help reduce wildfire risk and, ultimately, reduce carbon pollution.

We’re also using this moment to send congressional offices a message that demonstrates CCL's values and keeps our policy priorities in the conversation. If you missed our monthly meeting on Saturday, add your voice! Send a message to Congress expressing your appreciation for their ongoing public service and encouraging them to move forward on bipartisan climate solutions when the shutdown is over.

Write Congress

In other news this week:

Share your input: CCL’s staff has been hard at work on our strategic planning process in recent months. Your perspective as a volunteer is a crucial part of bringing our strategy to life in 2026 and beyond. Please share your thoughts in this brief survey by Oct. 31.

Inclusion Fellowship: We’re looking to fill our Inclusion Fellowship position for 2026! Fellows work directly with our Vice President of People and Culture to initiate and implement outreach to BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) on various climate solutions. This fellowship also includes a stipend. Read the full job description, then spread the word to anyone who may be a good fit. Deadline to apply is Nov. 14.

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Register for CCL’s Fall Conference. Our virtual Fall Conference is just one month away on Nov. 14-15! If you haven’t already, remember to register and secure your spot for this free, online event. Programming will focus on preparing attendees for hundreds of virtual lobby meetings the following week, and sharing the next steps in CCL’s strategy for 2026 and beyond. Don’t miss out — register now.

If you have more time: Watch CCL's October meeting. Special thanks to guest speaker Jessica Trotman, Senior Consultant for the American Flood Coalition and Assistant Town Manager of Black Mountain, North Carolina, who joined us on Saturday’s national call! Jessica shared her insights on the past year's restoration efforts from Hurricane Helene and answered volunteer questions. The call also covered what you can be working on this month from our October Action Sheet. If you missed it, you can check out the recording.

Featured chapters: CCL Virginia

Community and climate advocacy go hand-in-hand, and CCL chapters organized social gatherings this summer to combine the two!

In Virginia, CCL Lynchburg got together for their annual chapter picnic on August 21. “I’m becoming more convinced that enabling people who are concerned about climate to connect with one another is one of our most important actions,” said chapter co-leader Steven Selby.

Across the state, CCL Fairfax County gathered at a brewery to write postcards to Virginia’s environmental voters, encouraging them to turn out and make their voices heard in upcoming elections. Group leader Rose Hendricks called it, “Part social, part productive!”

The next time your chapter gets together, whether you’re social, productive, or a little bit of both, remember to have fun — and send photos to marketing@citizensclimate.org!

For more inspiration, check out our roundup of chapter social events from this summer.

Upcoming trainings

10/16: Understanding Congress: A Citizen's Guide to Engagement - This training walks through the details of the congressional policy-making process. Findings are backed by research from the Congressional Management Foundation on life in Congress for both staff members and our representatives and senators. Join us!

10/26: Fall 2025 Youth Lobby Training - Are you under 18 and interested in learning to lobby with Citizens' Climate Lobby? Join us for a special online lobby training! This session was created by CCL’s National Youth Action Team and is specially designed for younger folks. Join us!

To see other events and CCL trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.