1. United States
2. Kan.
3. Letter

The Trump administration’s recent threats against Labor Department employees—warning that speaking to journalists or former colleagues could lead to criminal charges—should alarm anyone who believes in democratic governance (ProPublica, April 2025). This is not how a free government operates. Transparency is essential, and punishing whistleblowers or open communication is a tactic used by authoritarian regimes, not democracies. This is part of a broader pattern. Harvard University is facing a freeze on more than $2 billion in federal funding after refusing to comply with demands that restrict campus speech and academic freedom (AP News, April 2025). The administration has also issued executive orders dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the federal government, threatening employees with dismissal simply for doing their jobs (Wikipedia, Executive Order 14151). The majority of Americans—Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike—do not want to live under a dictatorship. I urge you to take immediate action: protect whistleblowers, defend academic and press freedom, and push back on executive overreach that undermines the Constitution. Now is the time to show that you stand with democracy, not authoritarianism.