Tomorrow is the 250th anniversary of the United States Army, a day to celebrate and honor the extraordinary men and women who have served our country to secure, protect, and preserve our country and our freedom.

On June 14, 1775, following the fighting at Lexington and Concord against British troops, the Second Continental Congress voted to establish official companies to create the Continental Army, and the next day made George Washington its commander in chief.

It is incredible to think about all that has followed.  All that we, the American people, have done, and tried to do, with the constitutional republic our founders created.  All the work we have done to meet our highest aspiration and ideals and to make ours a more perfect union.

This week, we have seen that progress and the freedoms memorialized by our Declaration of Independence and protected by our Constitution under attack.  President Trump and his deputies have threatened people and grabbed power across the country—from undermining and threatening the Governor of California and the Mayor of Los Angeles, to indicting a United States Congresswoman for conducting oversight, to flirting with a power grab to further erode democratic representation in Texas.

Given this backdrop, it is not surprising that President Trump has co-opted this weekend’s important anniversary to hold the dictator-style military parade in Washington, D.C. that he has requested for years, and the Pentagon has opposed, throwing himself a $45 million birthday party on our dime while telling those who plan to protest his administration that their exercise of their constitutional rights will be met with force and taking away benefits and services from our veterans.

That is unAmerican.  The rights to assemble peacefully, to petition the government, and to speak freely are as old as our country and guaranteed in our Constitution.

And yet, that is what we are seeing every day.  Including yesterday, when we saw federal agents detain and handcuff a sitting United States Senator asking a question at a press conference.  If that happens to a U.S. Senator in front of cameras for all to see, what is happening when the cameras are not rolling?  What is being done in our names in our own country?

It doesn’t have to be this way.  With your support, we can hold the Trump administration accountable taking back the House majority in 2026.  Make a contribution to help us fight back.

It’s not just the spectacle that’s troubling.  It’s what it represents: the creeping normalization of authoritarianism, the bending of our institutions for personal power, and the steady erosion of the democratic values we hold most dear.

In times like these, we must think of what it truly means to serve—to put country over self, to protect democracy and reject autocracy, and to speak up when it would be easier to stay quiet.

We can’t look away at this moment.  We must meet it.  I’m asking you to stand with me.  Will you join in today to help us meet this moment, defend our democracy, and win elections?

We cannot afford to look away, to disengage, or to let this become our new normal.  This moment is frightening—but it’s not final.  Together, we have the power—and the responsibility—to change things.

Together, we can do anything,