Calls To Order
Coffee & Calls: Turning Shutdown Fatigue Into Civic Action
As Washington grinds to a halt, Maryland feels it first. With 260,000 federal employees and more than 200,000 contractors calling the state home, every government shutdown isn’t just political theater — it’s a direct hit on paychecks, households, and local businesses. Rent, groceries, childcare — all hang in the balance.
But instead of despair, one community hub is pouring a fresh solution. At Busboys & Poets, mornings during the shutdown look a little different. Every weekday from 8 a.m. to noon, each location transforms into a free phone bank to contact Congress. The formula is simple: free coffee, TVs tuned to live coverage, scripts and talking points ready to go. You bring your phone and your voice. The rest is provided.
The idea is to strip away excuses and isolation. For newcomers, calling Congress can feel intimidating. Here, no one dials alone. You’re shoulder to shoulder with neighbors, activists, and first-timers who believe silence isn’t an option.
And timing matters. In Maryland, shutdowns ripple far beyond federal office walls. Each furloughed paycheck means one less dinner out, one late utility bill, one more small business struggling to make ends meet. “The shutdown doesn’t just hit workers; it hits communities,” Governor Wes Moore has warned.
Busboys & Poets, long a gathering place for art, politics, and civic dialogue, is leaning into that mission. “Coffee & Calls” reframes the shutdown: not as paralysis, but as opportunity — a moment to channel frustration into action. It’s democracy over lattes, grassroots energy over gridlock.
The impact isn’t in one call but in the collective chorus. A hundred voices dialing in unison can remind lawmakers that constituents are watching, counting, and demanding better. It’s the kind of everyday activism that, multiplied across neighborhoods, can shift the tone in Washington.
Shutdowns may stall the nation’s capital, but in Maryland’s communities, the phones are still ringing.
•Where: All Busboys & Poets locations
• When: Weekdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m., until the shutdown ends
•Cost: Free and open to all
