<<<RSVP FOR OUR CALL WITH REP. JARED GOLDEN ON 2/11>>>

John,

If congressional Democrats and Republicans cannot reach a budget deal in the next five weeks, the federal government will shut down. Soon after, America could breach the debt ceiling, sending markets and our economy into a tailspin. 

Many of the House and Senate members that No Labels supports are trying to prevent this catastrophe. 

If you want to understand why No Labels is worth supporting, start here. We are the only group focused on bringing congressional members together to find common ground. 

No Labels has recently fielded many questions from supporters about the role we—and allies in Congress—should play amid the frenetic and often chaotic changes ushered in by the Trump administration. 

I have a simple answer: We bring together and support members of Congress focused on delivering results. 

There is no shortage of Democrats joining the Trump “resistance” or Republicans willing to rubber-stamp his agenda. There are not many willing to act or think independently. Those are our people. 

One of the best is Maine Representative Jared Golden. Today, he spoke with The Washington Post about how he is willing to work with the Trump admin on issues like energy, permitting, and securing the border. At the same time, he did not hesitate to criticize the “fast and aggressive” way DOGE is shaking up the government. 

If you want to hear more from Rep. Golden on the nuanced approach he is taking to the Trump administration, sign up for our call with him on Tuesday, February 11 at 3:15 PM ET.

Another such leader is Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy. 

He is taking some heat for voting this week to advance out of committee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. If you listened to Cassidy’s questions during Kennedy’s hearing, it was clear he vehemently disagreed with Kennedy on some issues, most notably around vaccines. If Bill Cassidy were president, Kennedy certainly would not be his choice to lead HHS. 

But Cassidy is not president, Trump is. In the last 50 years, only once has a presidential cabinet nominee been voted down in the Senate. 

So instead of just tanking Trump’s nominee, Cassidy – a doctor before he joined the Senate – used the leverage of his vote to help ensure Kennedy does not do anything Cassidy thinks could threaten public health. Most notably, he got Kennedy to promise to maintain current federal vaccine recommendations and keep intact Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website pages that say there is not a link between vaccines and autism. 

Cassidy, who chairs the Senate committee overseeing HHS, said he will meet with Kennedy regularly and “rebuff any attempt to remove the public access to lifesaving vaccines without ironclad causational scientific evidence.” 

Is this not what we should want in a Senator? Someone who is both principled and pragmatic, who understands how to effectively wield his power while also recognizing its limits? 

No Labels will go to the mat to support Senator Bill Cassidy any day. This is a leader who: 

• Led passage of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill. 
• Is one of the few elected officials who has had the guts to release a specific plan to secure Social Security.
• Has disagreed with and voted against Donald Trump and has the marks to prove it:  He has been attacked relentlessly from the right and was censured by the Louisiana state Republican party for refusing to toe the line. 

No Labels’ role is not to subject Senator Cassidy – or any of our congressional allies – to litmus tests on every vote. That is what so many other party-aligned activist groups do in Washington, and it is a big reason why our political system is so broken.  

For every House or Senate member No Labels supports, we look at the totality of their record. 

We ask ourselves, “Do this leader’s words and actions suggest they are generally trying to do the right things for the right reasons?” 

The answer for Senator Cassidy is an unequivocal yes.  

America is just a few weeks into a new four-year presidency. Although President Trump has governed through executive actions thus far, the action will soon move to Congress. Our country will need leaders like Senator Cassidy – and No Labels’ other House and Senate allies – to guide us through whatever storms are coming. 

We are proud to stand with them. 

Ryan Clancy 

No Labels 

Exclusive Conversation with Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME)

Tuesday, February 11 at 3:15 PM

Throughout his career, Rep. Golden has been committed to bipartisan solutions and holding leaders on both sides accountable. In his recent op-ed, he challenged both President Trump and former President Biden for their overreach – calling out their misuse of the pardon power and their attempts to expand executive authority beyond constitutional limits. He also recently spoke with the Washington Post about how he is willing to work with the Trump admin on issues like energy, permitting, and securing the border. At the same time, he did not hesitate to criticize the “fast and aggressive” way DOGE is shaking up the government.

Cassidy’s negotiations with RFK Jr. set an example for the Trump Era

By Nancy Jacobson

At a time when most members of Congress are either reflexively for or against President Trump’s agenda, it can be surprising to see a legislator wrestling with a vote. That was the case last week when Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) became the clear swing vote on the Senate Finance Committee as it decided whether to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for Health and Human Services secretary.

A House Democrat warns against making ‘everything Defcon 5’

Analysis by Meryl Kornfield and Patrick Svitek with research by Alec Dent

On Inauguration Day, I said that I’m pulling for the president to succeed for the good of the country. And I would say that about any president. I’ve always said to my constituents in a Trump district, I will work with President Trump or President Biden when I think what they’re doing is good for my communities or for the country, and when I think what they’re doing is bad for those, then I will stand up to them. And it’s kind of like the Marine mentality: No better friend, no worse enemy.

The rogue presidency: How Biden and Trump both pushed the limits of the Oval Office during the transition

By Jared Golden

Our country is the longest-running modern democracy because of our separation of powers and our system of checks and balances, all premised on the idea that the people being governed — not any one person or body in government — are the ultimate authority.

Lawler, Gottheimer to reintroduce Antisemitism Awareness Act

By Marc Rod

Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and 55 other House members are set to reintroduce the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday, a priority piece of legislation for the Jewish community that ultimately failed to pass the Senate last year after securing bipartisan support in the House.

Pardons and Power

By Peyton Lofton
Congressman Jared Golden of Maine just did something you don’t see much in Washington these days: he criticized leaders of both parties. Writing in the Bangor Daily News, Congressman Golden called out Presidents Biden and Trump for abusing executive authority.

DOGE vs. Congress

By Sam Zickar
For decades, Congress has been ceding power to the executive branch. From war powers to regulatory authority, the legislative branch has slowly allowed the presidency to take on more control over federal operations. Now, a new player is accelerating that trend: the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk.

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