The Trump administration’s use of antisemitism claims to punish Columbia University students and the University itself—a re-packaging of McCarthyism—is a test case to determine how hard it will be to create a fascist, Christian nationalist state. To stop this authoritarian takeover, we must expose Trump’s real motivation—to strictly control speech, protest, and higher education. We cannot let this happen.

On Friday, 10 Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Schumer, Minority Whip Durbin, Chief Deputy Whip Schatz, and Sen Gillibrand, the DSCC Chair, banded together with 6 other spineless colleagues to support passage of a 6-month continuing resolution (CR) allowing Musk and Trump to close down even more of our government for the remainder of the fiscal year. In doing so, they not only abandoned the people they swore to represent, but they probably gave up Democrats’ only chance to push back against the damage Trump and Musk are causing—since Republicans will likely include the debt-limit increase in the budget reconciliation bill  that’s filibuster-proof. Republicans now know they can get what they want without concessions, making the next bill even worse. Because these leaders are clearly out of touch with what the American people want and need, they must be replaced immediately.

Thank you for standing with the American people, but I also need you to demand new leadership that will mold Senate Democrats into a true opposition force. 

On Tuesday the House voted 217-213 to approve Trump’s version of funding the government through the end of September. Unlike previous continuing resolutions, this bill is not “clean” because it decreases nondefense spending by $13 billion and adds $6 billion for immigration enforcement and defense. More importantly, rather than slowing down or eliminating Trump and Musk’s assault on federal programs and agencies, it gives them even more leeway to shutoff and repurpose federal funding as they see fit. It also gives Trump unchecked trade war powers.

This disgraceful continuing resolution will be up for a vote in the Senate shortly, and I am calling on my Senators to work tirelessly to ensure that the Senate successfully filibusters it. Democrats must stand firm, using their leverage to hold out for a government funding deal that includes ironclad protections to stop Trump and Musk from hijacking federal spending.

Our Social Security system has paid benefits in full and on time for nearly a century—through wars, depressions and pandemics. Despite Trump’s numerous claims not to touch Social Security, he’s encouraging Musk and his DOGE goons to play Russian Roulette with our earned benefits. We cannot allow Musk to destroy this extremely popular program which is the bedrock of America’s social safety net. Instead, Congress must lift its payroll tax cap and require millionaires and billionaires to pay into the system just like everyone else.

Trump’s been selling his racist, white supremacist mass deportation scheme with lies, and like with everything else he’s hawking, ordinary Americans will suffer. Mass deportation will have immense costs for our friends and family, our neighbors, our communities, and our economy, while providing no benefits to American workers or other citizens—and a huge price tag, estimated at almost $1 trillion over the next decade. If, as MAGA Republicans claim, our government cannot afford to fully fund Medicaid or feed the hungry, it certainly cannot afford these exorbitant costs either. Our MoCs must oppose every penny in appropriations for Trump’s mass deportation.

How Trump and Vance aligned themselves with Putin in his unprovoked war against Ukraine is outrageous, and America owes Zelensky an apology. This mistreatment of a brave and courageous ally, whose people have been fighting valiantly for three years to protect their homeland from Russia’s unprovoked, imperialist aggressions, is a national and international disgrace.Congress must come to Ukraine’s defense—by introducing and passing a resolution (1) lauding Zelensky’s courage and tenacity, (2) reaffirming that Congress stands with the Ukrainian people valiantly fighting to protect their sovereignty, (3) demanding the immediate release of the appropriated military aid, and (4) requiring our government to continue supporting Ukraine both on and off the battlefield.

Voting’s a fundamental right government should protect, but Trump and MAGA Republicans want to disenfranchise millions of citizens with the SAVE Act (HR.22/S128), by forcing us to prove our citizenship in person with either a passport or a birth certificate matching our legal name when registering to vote or moving or changing  party affiliation.  Since our laws already prevent noncitizen voting, imposing unnecessary and burdensome barriers to voting for the vast majority to prevent the 85 cases of alleged noncitizen voting the Heritage Foundation uncovered from 2002-2023 is nonsensical. The SAVE Act’s about disenfranchisement, not safeguarding elections, and I expect you to ensure it does not become law.

Beyond massive layoffs to HHS, every day the funding of scientific research becomes more precarious, given that Trump and Musk are making “nothing less than a very concerted attempt to shut down medical research across the United States.” Our Members of Congress must call out daily the gravity of this massive destruction and take clear steps to reverse the damages caused by MAGA’s anti-science activities before it is too late.

The Trump administration’s efforts, outlined in Project 2025, to decimate our government’s ability to work for the people, will harm not only the federal workforce but also individuals and communities across America. So far, at least 30,000 have been purged from 26 Departments and agencies, but Musk and Russell Vought are just getting started. These mass purges are meant to destroy a civil service beholden to the Constitution and the American people, not to any political party or president. Congress must stop this illegal, unconstitutional power grab.

Trump’s corrupt, dangerous, unqualified Cabinet nominees were chosen for their personal loyalty to him, not their expertise. Linda McMahon fits this mold—a Trump loyalist with no relevant educational experience, who intends to dismantle the Department of Education and use its funds to support private school vouchers—even though 90% of all children and 95% of those with disabilities learn and grow as human beings it’s in the public schools of our country—and tax cuts for billionaires.

 Embraces Moms for Liberty, an anti-student inclusion extremist group promoting censorship of LGBTQ+ topics and book bans, and won’t commit to funding schools teaching Black history;

Currently embroiled in a lawsuit involving sexual misconduct against children. If confirmed, her supporters will be complicit in the harms she causes America’s children and public education.

I am calling on Senators Merkley and Wyden to continue leading the fight against Trump’s abysmal nominees and the Trump-Musk assault on our government: (1) placing a hold on her nomination until Trump agrees to retain the Department of Education, rescind his cruel and illegal DEI and educational executive orders, reinstate the Department’s personnel and restore all frozen funding; and (2) convincing Senate Democrats to use all available procedures to stall every nomination until Trump removes Musk and his posse from infiltrated agencies, lifts the freezes, restores the status quo, and promises his department heads will enforce all federal laws and expend funds as Congress intended. 

Trump’s corrupt, dangerous, unqualified Cabinet nominees were all chosen for their personal loyalty to him and forced on the GOP-controlled Senate to demonstrate his power. Among the worst and most dangerous is Kash Patel, an unqualified MAGA fanatic and “deep state” conspiracist who would abuse the FBI’s law enforcement powers to go after Trump’s perceived political enemies. Despite united Democratic opposition, all Republicans supported his nomination, and a final Senate vote’s imminent.

I am calling on Senators Merkley and Wyden to continue leading the fight against Trump’s unqualified nominees—reminding GOP colleagues that voting for Patel to please a lame-duck bully or protect their right flank in a primary is an abdication of their constitutional responsibility, places our system of justice under threat, and makes them complicit in all the harm he causes—which Democrats will regularly publicize.

 In less than 4 weeks, the Trump/Musk regime has completely erased Congress’ legislative and funding role. Court intervention has provided some relief, but only Congress has the power to stop the coup. GOP legislators have ceded their power, so it is up to Congressional Democrats to protect the programs and funding on which Americans rely. To do so, requires all Congressional Democrats to turn their caucuses into a real opposition party, promising not to further enable Trump’s destructive agenda, and providing daily updates to the American people exposing GOP actions that impoverish the American people and how Dems are, instead, working to protect their interests.

By dissolving US AID, in clear disregard for the law and the Constitution, and summarily voiding legally binding contracts with consultants and sub-contractors here and abroad, Trump and Musk, have touched off a global humanitarian catastrophe, which will likely lead to the death of millions in the next few weeks—at which point they’ll become mass murders. Congress cannot let this happen.

Those who thought they were voting for cheaper eggs last November were not voting to end birthright citizenship, send ICE into schools, use government funds to build mass detention centers, and turn Guantanamo Bay into an incarceration camp for immigrants. It’s time for the legislature to reassert its authority. We are not governed by Executive Orders but rather by the rule of law.

Trump’s corrupt, dangerous, unqualified Cabinet nominees were all chosen for their personal loyalty to him, not for their expertise. Among the most dangerous are Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., nominated to lead HHS, and Tulsi Gabbard, nominated to be Director of National Intelligence. Both passed out of committee last week on party line votes, and the full Senate will take up their nominations this week, beginning February 10.

I am calling on Senators Merkley and Wyden to continue leading the fight—reminding colleagues that Senator voting for them will be complicit in the harms they cause both here and abroad, and urging Senate Democrats to refuse to move any nominations forward until Trump lifts the freezes, removes Musk and his posse from agencies they’ve infiltrated, restores the status quo, and promises his department heads will  enforce all federal laws.