Harvey Levin's 'OWTA' Message Aims for Congress Compromise or Major Shakeup

By now, you've probably heard Harvey Levin chanting "OWTA" in the TMZ newsroom, but might be wondering ... what exactly does that mean?

Well, it stands for "Out With Their Asses" ... and it's HL's message for every single member of Congress.

Basically, if the senators and representatives don't get their s*** together and compromise so the government can actually function ... the TMZ founder and executive producer is calling on U.S. voters to unseat all members of Congress who are up for re-election in this year's midterms.

While not every incumbent is at risk of being voted out -- some terms aren't up yet and some are retiring -- TMZ is hoping this movement can really shake things up for the good of the American people ... regardless of party.

Here's everything you need to know about the "OWTA" movement.

Last October -- when the government was shut down and would remain closed for over a month -- Harvey decided he'd had enough of Congress refusing to come together and do their jobs.

He rallied the newsroom to send a message: the American people need to demand action ... and vote out every single senator and representative who fails to reopen the government -- even if you like them.

Harvey was particularly outraged that air traffic controllers had to work without pay -- they're considered "essential" employees for obvious reasons -- while Congress continued to collect a check.

"OWTA" drew national attention not just from voters ... but from the officials in the hot seat, and several members of the House of Representatives sounded off on TMZ's new mantra.

While Maxine Waters, a Democratic rep from California, was pointing fingers across the aisle ... she urged Harvey to keep pressing the public with his message.

She hopes the mounting pressure will reach the Republicans in charge and encourage them to meet in the middle ... as the Dems claim to be doing.

Jasmine Crockett -- a Democrat representing Texas' 30th congressional district -- appreciated our frustration with the current Congress ... but wasn't too optimistic about "OWTA."

She argued that voters will applaud the idea, but continue to vote for their faves ... keeping us in this cycle.

But, TMZ explained, the whole point of "OWTA" is that everyone is on the chopping block if Congress can't compromise ... even if voters are a fan of them and their policies.

Representative Pat Harrigan, a Republican serving North Carolina's 10th district, is all for "OWTA" ... telling TMZ that no one wins in a shutdown, especially not the American people.

He agreed that every congressman -- Republican and Democrat alike -- is accountable for the shutdown at the end of the day.

Last month, the "OWTA" movement decided to try out a new tactic ... before you vote 'em out, call 'em out!

The move was inspired by Congress breaking for a 2-week vacation while thousands of federal workers had gone without pay for months.

Harvey asked our audience to send us pictures of politicians living it up while the partial government shutdown continues on ... and they sure delivered.

Because if threatening their positions of power wasn't working ... maybe some shame would move the needle!

Check out our gallery to see where your congressmen went! (Spoiler: It wasn't Capitol Hill to negotiate.)

And now here we are ... Congress is going on ANOTHER break. As they gear up to take another 10 days off amid the ongoing partial shutdown ... Harvey is asking our audience to once again call 'em out!

While our first attempt at shaming politicians into compromise wasn't as successful as we'd hoped ... we're not giving up!

So if you see any senators or representatives out and about, send us the snaps!

Here's the thing ... "OWTA" only works if we actually follow through on our threat to vote out every single congressman ... regardless of party and whether or not you like them.

We've already had a few primary elections in March, but the majority start next week and run through September ... so make sure you're registered to vote, if you aren't already!

Not sure when the 2026 primaries are in your state? Here's when you should hit the voting booth and say "Out With Their Asses":

• May 5: Indiana, Ohio
• May 12: North Carolina, Nebraska, West Virginia
• May 16: Louisiana
• May 19: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, Pennsylvania
• May 26: Texas
• June 2: California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota
• June 9: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina
• June 16: Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma
• June 23: Maryland, New York, South Carolina, Utah
• June 27: Louisiana
• June 30: Colorado
• July 21: Arizona
• July 28: South Dakota
• August 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington
• August 6: Tennessee
• August 8: Hawaii
• August 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin
• August 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming
• August 25: Oklahoma
• September 1: Massachusetts
• September 8: New Hampshire, Rhode Island
• September 15: Delaware

And if you aren't able to unseat any uncompromising congresspeople during the primaries ... you'll still have a chance during the general election on November 3.