I am writing you today what is for me an unprecedented letter. I am doing so because of my concern for our country’s security and democracy. Of course many people hold strong opinions, experience deep emotions, and express these accordingly. I myself wish to avoid hyperbole and rather attempt to state my concerns in a matter of fact manner.
The present executive administration was voted into office arguably due to a majority of the voting population preferring their general political leanings. However, this doesn’t mean that the executive branch should receive a free pass nor that the majority of our population wants them to do everything that they are attempting. You are of course aware that the United States federal government was designed to have three branches which could keep each other in check. Even with previous administrations, the executive branch has attempted to exercise a greater amount of unilateral power. Of course this is now happening to an unprecedented degree with the current administration.
Government systems can become entrenched and at times change and a shakeup can be beneficial. However, the wide sweeping changes which the current administration is attempting to make seem to be done without much consideration. These changes and the speed with which they have been made are introducing a degree of chaos into our government and the institutions it runs, subsequently weakening them. These actions threaten our security and the wellbeing of many people at home and abroad.
I enumerate my more specific concerns below:
- I am concerned about how the president is more often than not quite antagonistic toward our allies. He seems to think that the U.S. has the power to bully the rest of the world. Though this may have been true for a time after WWII, it’s not true today. While we are the strongest country in the world, we still need our allies, especially over the long term. Eroding our relationship with our allies is short-sighted and weakens our national security. Conversely, the president has frequently been quite amicable toward our traditional enemies, even admiring them. While I am not in favor of antagonizing our traditional enemies, we need to stand opposed to them when they do wrong. Along these lines, we need to honor our commitments to Ukraine and continue to stand against Russian aggression which has needlessly led to enormous suffering, loss of life, and destruction.
- One situation which may seem to run counter to the above is that of Israel/Palestine. I stand against the atrocities committed by Hamas. That said, their attacks do not give the modern state of Israel a free pass (nor does the previous horrors of the holocaust). The United Nations and similar institutions play a key role in world stability and security. The U.S. is in danger of undermining these institutions by only following them when we feel like it. When other countries see the U.S. behave this way, they feel similarly emboldened to ignore the U.N. The U.S.’s failure to condemn Israel’s massively disproportional response to the Hamas attacks undermines the U.S.’s moral authority. The present administration seems to be unilaterally pro-Israel. However, the U.S. could be a world leader in supporting the original U.N. plan, or at least negotiating a more equitable deal between Israel and Palestine. (One note since the lopsided support for Israel comes significantly from evangelicals: the modern nation state of Israel is not equivalent to biblical Israel. They are more than happy to accept the U.S.’s unconditional support despite being against the Christianity largely behind it.)
- Elon Musk has been given unprecedented power despite not being elected nor even holding a position requiring the typical congressional approval. This runs counter to our country’s democracy. Even if he was elected or approved, his unprecedented actions necessitate reigning in by our other branches of government. Additionally, my understanding is that there are numerous conflict of interest and ethics concerns, something which is also true for the president. The U.S. is one of the greatest countries on earth in part due to a relatively low amount of corruptions. Though it’s a bit unclear, due in part to the administration’s hindering investigation, there is definitely reason to suspect that the current administration profits significantly from their position and actions they are able to take as a result.
- Donald Trump has been convicted of felonies and charged with many more. He has also been twice impeached. Yet he has yet faced little consequence. The judicial branch has failed to hold him accountable and in fact has given him a worrying degree of immunity in Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593 (2024). The U.S. is strong in part due to our rule of law which is supposed to be above any person. Trump flies in the face of this, acting as though he is above the law. The failure of the judicial branch means that he has been so far. But this is a terrible precedent, both as a role model and in how it runs counter to our country’s democracy and system of checks and balances. Since he has been re-elected, I presently don’t suggest removing him from office. Yet something must be done to hold him accountable. Along with this, I am concerned about the degree of corruption in how Trump has removed of otherwise exerted pressure on those who investigated him. Similarly, he seems to use appointing to/removing from governmental positions as rewards/punishments to those who support or counter him. This threatens our country’s institutions. Furthermore, the president has used his power to pardon to release those who attacked the U.S. Capitol, even violently, from any responsibility. Though little can be done to change this now, congress ought to consider the possibility of limiting or overriding the president’s pardon power. It has increasing been used by even prior administrations to a concerning degree.
I implore you, as a member of congress, to exercise the crucial role of keeping the executive branch in check and to keep the executive branch from running toward autocracy. I make these requests to uphold our democracy and the strength of the United States. Thank you for your consideration.
You may contact your representatives at https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member.
