John,
Donald Trump has been president for just over a week and he’s already proving that the job he really wants is dictator. Last year I did my best to warn the nation that Trump’s Project 2025 was a blueprint for an authoritarian takeover, and when Trump tried to disavow it, I called him out as a liar. Unfortunately, millions of Americans believed him and now here we are: less than two weeks in, Trump is racing through his Project 2025 agenda with the goal of quickly establishing absolute power, eliminating checks and balances, stripping away our fundamental rights, and massively enriching himself and his billionaire “broligarch” pals.
As previewed in Project 2025, Trump started issuing dozens of extreme Executive Orders on day one – including declaring national emergencies to justify using the military for mass deportation and quelling street protests; illegally attempting to end the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship; withdrawing America from the Paris Climate Agreement and World Health Organization; and demanding a freeze on federal programs and funding so that “senior political appointees” could apply a MAGA litmus test to anything that might run afoul of new Executive Orders against “wokeness,” “gender ideology,” clean energy and climate action, Marxism, diversity, equity, inclusion, “sustainability” or other “green new deal” concepts.
Meanwhile, Trump’s unconscionable decision to pardon all of the violent January 6th insurrectionists sent a chilling and unmistakable message: those who engage in violence against Trump’s political opponents – even deadly attacks on capitol police – will be legally protected and celebrated.
And last Friday night, Trump summarily fired 17 independent agency watchdogs known as “inspectors general,” thumbing his nose at a clear statutory requirement that presidents must provide Congress with 30 days notice and a clear explanation of good cause before such a firing. Among those fired was the inspector general for the Department of Transportation – one of the trusted authorities Congress and the American people would look to in the aftermath of Monday’s deadly aviation accident in Washington to understand exactly what happened. We may never know if the chaos from Trump’s day-one firing of the FAA Administrator at Elon Musk’s behest contributed to the breakdowns that caused this tragedy. But we do know the Trump/Musk firing of an FAA administrator who had angered Musk for enforcing safety rules against SpaceX smacks of corruption. And the subsequent firing of the inspector general who would investigate that corruption smacks of a cover up.
History is filled with examples of democracies that crossed the Rubicon into dictatorship before people realized it was happening. Trump is trying to cross the Rubicon NOW, NAME, and we cannot let it happen. His moves are straight out of the Project 2025 playbook I’ve been warning about - but I’m not interested in saying I told you so; I’m interested in stopping it, and I need your help.
We must shine a light on these abuses of power and blatant corruption. As Ranking Member on the House Natural Resources Committee and Founder of the Stop Project 2025 Task Force, I will keep using all of the legal and political tools at my disposal to call out Trump and his MAGA minions.
And as we fight to save our democracy, I’ll keep offering a positive example for governing - like the bipartisan legislation I just introduced to build on the investments of the Biden-Harris administration aimed at better preparing our communities for disasters, and mitigate the damages of future wildfires.
In this unprecedented political landscape, we face the daunting task of defending democracy and the rule of law in what may be its darkest hour, while working to keep making forward progress wherever possible to improve the lives of the American people. It’s not an easy balance, but that is the challenge before us.
To accomplish our goals and continue defending our core values, we need to have a strong showing from progressives like you. Friday marks our first end-of-month fundraising deadline of 2025, and we need 250 supporters to pitch in and help us start the year strong. Can I count on your support?
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Thanks for being in this fight with me, John.
– Jared
