1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

It has come to my attention that only nine Democrats voted against advancement of the Laken Riley Act: Senators Booker, Hirono, Kim, Markey, Merkley, Sanders, Schatz, Smith, and Warren. I am dismayed and, frankly, embarrassed that your name is not on that list. The Democrats could have blocked the sixty votes needed to advance, but chose not to. Each vote is an opportunity to restore sanity to the Senate and to our political environment in general. Like it or not, we are long past the days of bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle. Your constituents have no stomach for reaching across that aisle. We are hungry for our leaders to exhibit bravery in the face of authoritarianism and threats to our most core values: fairness and democracy. Your vote exhibited none of that. So, yes, we would like to see some heroics. Perhaps even a bit of obstructionism. Some indication that someone is fighting like hell for our state and our country. Some inkling that our leaders are pulling the fire alarm on our behalf. As I’ve said, this vote was none of that. It was business as usual, and that is a shame.