1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

Senator Chris Van Hollen said today “I'm not going to vote to fund Donald Trump's ongoing lawbreaking, right? Because right now, any agreement is not worth the paper it's written on." This is absolutely the right attitude and point of view as we look at the possibility of a government shutdown, and the citizens of Washington state would love to hear you saying the same thing as Senator Van Hollen. I know, and respect, that we as Democrats want to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the Federal Government open because we are the party that believes in the good that a functional government does, and that you may be hesitant to vote “no” on a continuing budget resolution knowing that people in need may suffer. But we no longer have a functioning government! In this time of ongoing constitutional and moral crises caused by this Trump/MAGA/“broligarchy” administration, people are already suffering and scared, and now is the time to say “NO MORE” to Trump’s lawbreaking and cruelty. Let it shut down. Don’t keep it open. Show us that you do not support these ongoing acts. Show us that you don’t support any more money going to ICE, or to the oppression of immigrants and trans folk. And if you do feel you need to vote “yes” for some reason, make sure you get real concessions from this administration. Withhold your vote until RFK Jr is fired, for instance, or all of the science and arts funding and public broadcasting money is restored. We are sick of your Democratic colleagues rolling over and conceding, and we want to see some serious resistance to the acts perpetuated by this administration. Vote no on funding the budget. Make the party in the majority figure it out on their own.