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John —
It’s been less than two months since I was sworn in, and the reality of this job — its urgency, its responsibility — sets in more each day.
In Southern California, wildfires have devastated entire communities. I’ve spent much of my time there, meeting with the families who lost everything, the first responders and firefighters risking their lives, FEMA and the Small Business Administration, and the local leaders doing everything they can to help people piece their lives back together.
I launched a one-stop site with resources for those affected, and I am conducting oversight, even as I push for every federal dollar possible to rebuild–because the recovery can’t wait.
Back in Washington, I took my seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and started reviewing Trump’s nominees. I questioned Pam Bondi, his pick for Attorney General, and Kash Patel, his nominee for FBI Director, about their undying loyalty to Trump and their willingness (or lack thereof) to defend the rule of law. Their responses were…disappointing and extreme to say the least. A threat to our democracy and the rule of law would be more apt.
And yes, I was there to watch the surreal moment when Trump was sworn in inside the Capitol — where insurrectionists stormed the building just a few years prior. Seated near him? None other than some of the richest men in the world: Including Elon Musk, and, bizarrely, the CEO of TikTok — sending a message about the priority he places on his propaganda machine, and who this administration is really working for. Now we understand why there was such a lack of talking about working families and lowering costs in his speech.
We have a lot in store for this year.
And I know how overwhelming and exhausting this moment can feel — every day brings another crisis brought on by another illegal or unconscionable act of the Trump Administration. But what they want is for us to be distracted by the chaos. They would love nothing more than for us to chase every crazy squirrel (Greenland, Panama Canal, Gulf of America), instead of picking the most consequential fights and being proactive.
But look at what happened with the federal funding freeze this week? When we came together and immediately fought back, and fought back hard, we delivered the Trump admin their first major blow. Now, their letter rescinding the order was… rescinded. But not for long and not without confusion and alarm. Nevertheless, we proved that even without a majority in the House or Senate, we’re not going to let this Administration divert the federal resources Americans depend on to fund tax cuts for wealthy people and large corporations.
This is the work I promise to show up and do — Every. Damn. Day.
Thank you for your support and for reading about my time in the Senate so far.
Adam
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