1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I write today with a clear message: hold the line on the shutdown. Do not give in to the GOP’s pressure or political games. This is the only leverage you have to protect the people who stand to lose the most if critical programs and subsidies are allowed to expire. The stakes are enormous, and ordinary Americans are literally on the line because of the GOP’s refusal to act responsibly. For too long, the Republican leadership has chosen obstruction over governance. They have turned essential funding and lifeline services into bargaining chips to advance an agenda that hurts working families, seniors, and vulnerable communities. Now is the moment to stand firm. Ending the shutdown without securing fair and humane agreements would reward those tactics and further erode the integrity of our democracy. Democrats are in the right, and the people are on your side. Across the country, citizens recognize who is fighting for them and who is using their livelihoods as leverage. Do not back down or bend to a distorted politics built on fear and authoritarian impulses. Leadership means standing tall when others try to force surrender. Let the GOP squirm under the weight of the crisis they created—it is their refusal to compromise that brought us here. This shutdown is not just about budgets; it is about values. It is about whether our government stands with everyday Americans or capitulates to those who would tear down the institutions that protect them. Please, hold strong. Use this moment to demand accountability, defend democratic principles, and remind the nation that compassion and courage are not signs of weakness, but of leadership.