Dear Senator [] and Staff--
Since you get a lot of letters and calls, I try to limit myself to one topic at a time in my correspondence. Regretfully, I can't do that now. There are just too many alarms going off all at once. I want to make sure you, my elected official, know my strong feelings and values regarding this week's issues.
I am against the "Big, Beautiful Bill," which by every neutral analyst's measure will increase our deficit, transfer wealth from poor to rich, and gut vital social services like Medicare.
I am against all the overreaches of state authority in the name of deporting immigrants. There are countless news stories and videos of people being harassed, attacked, and kidnapped by masked, armed men who refuse to show any official badge, ID, or warrant. Some of these turn out to be ICE agents. Others are apparently just costumed vigilantes. But how are citizens supposed to tell the difference? We are the USA. We do not support a secret police force.
I am also against curtailing or cutting off legal avenues for people to enter our countries, especially asylum and student visas. Such targets are well beyond the Trump administration's stated rationale of securing the southern border. It is especially bad faith for us to cancel in-progress applications and procedures for people already here in the US, thus rendering them vulnerable to deportation. We made promises to people such as Afghani translators and people fleeing life-threatening oppression. For us to break those promises is reprehensible.
I am against mobilizing our armed forces against US citizens peacefully protesting in cities. As so many current and former service members have attested, this is not what our armed forces are for.
I am against joining Israel's wars of choice against their neighbors. I oppose further supporting Israel's destructive campaign against Palestinian people (e.g., indiscriminate bombing that have killed tens of thousands, cutting off supplies, firing on aid workers).
I am against the Executive Branch's abuse of concepts like war or invasion to accomplish an end run around Congressional authority to set monetary policy, initiate war, or bloat the state's police powers. Rule by executive order was rightfully criticized during the Biden administration. It is no less objectionable here.
I am against clawing back federal funding for science research, which sabotages our long and proud tradition of intellectual strength.
I am against purging our government agencies and departments of expertise and installing TV personalities or early twenty-something interns in their place. It's shocking that the new director of FEMA didn't know there was a hurricane season. It's unacceptable that the HHS Secretary seems to question the very germ theory of disease. It's embarrassing that the Secretary of Defense seems so ill-equipped to do the job he was appointed to do.
I am against the massive, random, and generally inefficient cuts by DOGE and others to core federal agencies and services. Entities like NOAA, NASA, FEMA, the NWS, the FAA, and yes even PBS all perform invaluable functions. There are no backup systems ready to take over the services they provide.
The President won his office fair and square. Elections have consequences. I get that. But thus far, the White House's domestic, economic, and foreign policies have seemed hopelessly random. Tariffs get announced, reduced, increased, and rescinded in the space of a week. DOGE promises increased efficiency and yet hires college-age hackers instead of experienced professionals--and still fails to provide any net savings. Deportation is for only the violent immigrants, then it's for all immigrants (and visa holders and asylum seekers), and then it's for all of them except for those in agriculture or hospitality. Massive shifts in policy get enacted by social media post. We're against regime change--and then for it, and then against it again. It's chaotic.
This note's list-of-grievances format is a response to that chaos. It's one small attempt to meet the White House's stated attempt to "flood the zone." A flood's rushing can often drown out the electorate's voice. I'm voicing my concerns here as one of your constituents.
I appreciate your attention and service.
Thanks.
