When Trump won the White House and the GOP secured a trifecta of power in Washington last November, one of the first things I did was ask my Senate staff to put together a list of all the procedural options I would have to counter a President I knew would be determined to push the bounds of his power.
They came up with a motley list of creative options, and in the past six months I’ve used pretty much every single one.
The challenging times we’re facing demand that we discover new ways to resist — and use them as often and as effectively as we can.
Expressing concerns is easy. But that’s often not enough when it comes to Donald Trump and his loyal followers.
If we have the power to stop something, we need to use it — even if that means taking a hard vote, or pushing our colleagues. If you agree, will you add your name to let me know?
This year, I’ve triggered Senate votes on five privileged resolutions — meaning resolutions that the Senate is required to hold a vote on within a certain period of time. I’ve forced votes on repealing Trump’s fake “national energy emergency,” preventing Trump from taking further military action against Iran, and blocking Trump’s deeply unpopular global tariffs.
We haven’t won on everything — or even most things. But in April, we successfully voted to block President Trump’s ridiculous taxes on Canadian imports.
And even when we lose, these votes can serve a real purpose: They force every Senator to go on the record about Trump’s agenda. And they allow me — a Senator from the minority party — to control the Senate floor, taking up time that might otherwise be used to push through harmful legislation.
Introducing privileged resolutions isn’t a commonly-used tactic. But Donald Trump doesn’t employ commonly-used tactics either! Trump uses whatever tools and powers he can get his hands on to get the things done that he wants to get done — Democrats need to do the same.
I’m going to keep pushing in every way I can to combat this President’s dangerous agenda and protect the interests of Virginians and Americans — and I’m so glad to have you on this team as we continue to navigate these uniquely trying times.
Foundational values that we have taken for granted in the past — the rule of law, our democratic ideals — are being tested with this President and his acolytes in Congress and the Administration.
But we can and must continue to fight for what we believe in.
If you’re with me, I hope you’ll add your name today.
Thanks for reading,
Tim Kaine
