1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

As you begin your extended summer recess—granted a week early by Speaker Mike Johnson in what appears to be a deeply troubling move to protect high-profile sexual predators implicated in the Epstein files—we, your constituents, are left with serious questions. We expect, at the very least, accountability and public dialogue in return. This additional time away from Washington should not be spent in silence or behind closed doors. It is your duty to engage with the people you represent—especially now, at a time of deep national concern. To our Democratic representatives: We urgently request that you hold public town halls. We want to speak with you face-to-face to ask important questions and hear, in detail, how you are working to defend the Constitution against the felon Donald Trump’s continued efforts to undermine our democratic institutions. We need to understand how you plan to safeguard the rule of law and protect the integrity of our elections as the nation faces unprecedented legal, political, and ethical challenges. We also want to know what we can do to engage and help. To our Republican representatives: You, too, must face your constituents. You owe us clear answers about your party’s complicity in Trump’s actions—his criminal indictments, his attacks on democratic norms, and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. If you believe your support is justified, explain it. If you have concerns, now is the time to say so. Hiding from public scrutiny only reinforces the perception that you are putting party and power ahead of country and Constitution. Many actions taken by GOP lawmakers speak to possible corruption and incompetence, such as Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA 04)—who sits on multiple House committees—making significant stock trades during Trump’s tumultuous TACO trade war, and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (GA 14) admission that she did not read all of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill before voting for it. Actions like these must be answered for. Across the country, Americans are watching. We are paying attention. And we expect the people we elected to meet with us—not just when it’s convenient, not just for photo ops, but when the stakes are highest. Use this summer to do your job: listen to us, speak to us, and answer us. We are waiting.