1. United States
2. Vt.
3. Letter

Congrats on re-taking control of the House and Senate in last night’s midterm elections! We should all celebrate that Americans have recovered their good sense and repudiated Trump along with his MAGA politics and politicians. You’re going to hear a lot of people claiming that this historic realignment was all about cost of living, but those people are wrong: Yes, financial stress for everyday Americans is an issue, but we voted so resoundingly to reign in corruption, ineptitude, politicization of the judicial system, and to restore good governance in this country. Please deliver on that mandate. Here are my top priorities, which I hope the next Congress will take up: - Government ethics reform: Ban individual stock ownership by members of Congress and their immediate families; impose and enforce a Supreme Court ethics code; strengthen criminal anti-corruption laws;… - Electoral reform: Ban gerrymandering nationwide, grant an affirmative right to vote, ban lobbyists from fundraising for politicians, and much much more. This one is YUGE. - Oversight and accountability for corrupt public officials: Investigate and require testimony from Jared Kushner and Trump’s children, Kimberly Guillfoyle and other corrupt ambasadors, Corey Lewandowski, Elon Musk, and everyone who has unlawfully fleeced the American public. And impeach Pete Hegseth for good measure. - Reclaim Congress’ powers from the Executive branch: to declare war, to allocate money, to manage commerce, and so on. The unitary executive theory is anti-constitutional and a deep threat to our democracy — oppose it. - Make progress on providing healthcare for all while reducing costs throughout the healthcare system. Obamacare was a rough draft, it’s time to take a big next step. Personally I support Medicare For All / a single-payer system, but I’ll accept incremental steps if they improve outcomes and disrupt the insurance/pharma monopolies. Pass popular legislation that helps Americans. Hold unpopular politicians and other bad actors accountable. And maybe get new leadership in your Congressional caucuses — Democrats did well yesterday *in spite of* Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.