1. United States
2. Ore.
3. Letter

My good friend Kevin Kelton composed this opinion on what the Democrats position on the shutdown should be. I'm forwarding his words to you since they perfectly reflect my own thoughts. "Here's how Senate Democrats win the shutdown. You stop talking about "clean CRs" and being defensive. Just state these three non-negotiable demands for their votes to reopen: 1) Reverse all ACA premium subsidy cuts laid out in the 2025 Tax Bill. 2) Republicans agree to add a clause to the omnibus bill that all monies authorized by Congress under their Article 1 constitutional powers past and future shall be spent as stipulated. Period. 3) Any jobs or programs that were furloughed during the shutdown shall be reinstated once the shutdown ends, rehiring the same people at their previous positions and salaries. Make those demands public and just repeat them in every TV interview. Simply say that as the opposition party, the power of the purse is the only power we have, and we intend to use it to protect the American people. As for GOP demands for a ”clean CR,” there was nothing clean about the ACA spending cuts in Trump’s big, behemoth bill. There is nothing “clean” about taking away healthcare from ten million American citizens. There is nothing “clean” about gutting agencies that Congress has funded. And there is nothing “clean” about sending military troops to do battle against American citizens. So, if the president wants to reopen the government that he was elected to keep running, he has to deal with us. THEN SHUT UP. Don't deviate, don't obfuscate, don't explain, don't show internal division. Tell Fetterman, King, and Masto that there is now only one way out of this, and that's forward. They have no leverage to end the shutdown by siding with Republicans, and trying to leverage their votes will only serve to keep the shutdown going longer. The Democratic caucus now has to hang together or they will hang separately next November. And, please, Dems, stop crapping in your pants. Show some freaking backbone. Don't be surprised if Trump's approval numbers temporarily go up in the first few days or weeks of the shutdown. That's to be expected. But as this drags on, it will drag down his party and his presidency, and almost assure a blue wave in 2026. Hold strong! If you don't, it's the end of the Democratic party, the two-party system, and the nation you are sworn to defend." Someone also added to please correct the misperception that Democrats want healthcare for undocumented immigrants. That is NOT the issue and it's OK to clarify that.